Glaciers, Fjords & Northwest Passage

Reykjavik, the world's northernmost capital, distils the entire improbable beauty of Iceland into one compact, creatively charged city. The soaring basalt columns of Hallgrímskirkja dominate a skyline of primary-coloured rooftops, while the Harpa Concert Hall shimmers beside the harbour like a captured aurora. Day trips from the city unlock the Golden Circle's geysers and Geysir hot spring, the black sand beaches of Vík, and the ethereal glacier lagoon at Jökulsárlón. Geothermal pools — from the legendary Blue Lagoon to intimate neighbourhood hot pots — offer warmth year-round. June and July bring the bewitching midnight sun.

Umivik Bay on Greenland's remote southeastern coast is an uninhabited fjord of billion-year-old rock, calving glaciers, and drifting icebergs where polar bears patrol shores untouched by permanent human settlement. The bay is accessible only by expedition Zodiac during the brief July-to-September season, with every visit dependent on ice and weather. This is one of Earth's last truly wild places — a landscape of profound Arctic silence and overwhelming geological scale.

Skjoldungen, Greenland is a distinctive port city where deep cultural heritage meets authentic local atmosphere, featured on itineraries by Ponant. Must-do experiences include exploring the historic quarter to absorb centuries of architectural heritage, and sampling the distinctive northern cuisine that transforms local ingredients into refined dining experiences. The optimal time to visit is June through August, when summer months bring the warmest temperatures and longest days.

Prince Christian Sound is Greenland's most dramatic navigable passage — a forty-kilometer corridor between thousand-meter cliffs and hanging glaciers that expedition ships from Seabourn to Silversea transit when ice conditions permit. Navigate July through September for humpback whale encounters, iceberg-studded waters, and the visceral Arctic experience that empties every cabin and fills every open deck regardless of weather.

Qaqortoq is southern Greenland's largest town, where brightly painted houses climb above a fjord harbour amid open-air stone sculptures and Norse ruins. Must-do experiences include visiting the Hvalsey Norse church ruins, soaking in the Uunartoq hot springs surrounded by icebergs, and tasting Arctic char and musk ox. June through September offers the accessible season, with July and August warmest for fjord exploration.

Hvalsey, Greenland is a distinctive port city where deep cultural heritage meets authentic local atmosphere, featured on itineraries by Ponant. Must-do experiences include exploring the historic quarter to absorb centuries of architectural heritage, and sampling the distinctive northern cuisine that transforms local ingredients into refined dining experiences. The optimal time to visit is June through August, when summer months bring the warmest temperatures and longest days.

Qassiarsuk (Brattahlíð) in southern Greenland is where Erik the Red founded the first European settlement in the Americas in 985 AD — today a tiny sheep-farming village preserving Norse ruins, a reconstructed Viking church, and a graveyard of 144 colonists. Must-dos include walking the archaeological remains with a local guide, visiting Hans Lynge's bronze Erik the Red, and absorbing the fjord-and-ice-cap setting. June through September provides snow-free access and wildflower-dotted ruins.

Nuuk, Greenland's diminutive capital, is a city of vivid contrasts — colourful colonial houses against Arctic granite, Inuit heritage alongside contemporary Nordic culture, and world-class museums steps from untamed fjords. Visitors should not miss the Greenland National Museum's Qilakitsoq mummies and a Zodiac excursion into the surrounding iceberg-studded fjord system. The prime cruising season runs from June through September, when extended daylight illuminates the landscape in an ethereal sub-Arctic glow and waters remain navigable for expedition vessels.

Evighedsfjorden is Greenland's 'Fjord of Eternity' — a seventy-five-kilometer passage flanked by ice-capped peaks and tidewater glaciers that provides one of expedition cruising's most profound Arctic landscape encounters. Navigate July through August via Ponant or Seabourn for midnight-sun glacial photography, humpback whale encounters echoing off cliff faces, and a passage so vast it transforms the concept of eternity from abstraction to sensory reality.

Sisimiut is Greenland's adventure capital, a colourful Arctic town of 5,500 people just north of the Arctic Circle on the west coast. Must-dos include hiking the Arctic Circle Trail, whale watching for humpbacks and narwhals, and exploring the colonial-era museum. Summer brings midnight sun and hiking conditions, while winter offers dog-sledding, skiing, and northern lights.

Kangerlussuaq Havn is the eastern Greenlandic gateway to the Scoresby Sund — the world's longest fjord system — where sheer basalt cliffs, colossal icebergs, and one of Earth's most isolated Inuit communities await expedition vessels from Ponant and Hapag-Lloyd. Visit July through September for muskox encounters, midnight-sun ice photography, and the Arctic in its most concentrated and demanding form.

Ilulissat sits beside the Northern Hemisphere's most prolific glacier — the UNESCO-listed Sermeq Kujalleq, which calves forty-six cubic kilometers of icebergs annually into a fjord of almost incomprehensible frozen spectacle. Visit June through August via Silversea or Hapag-Lloyd for midnight-sun zodiac cruises among hundred-meter icebergs, Knud Rasmussen's childhood museum, and the light show that transforms Greenland's ice into one of Earth's most transformative visual experiences.

Sisimiut is Greenland's adventure capital, a colourful Arctic town of 5,500 people just north of the Arctic Circle on the west coast. Must-dos include hiking the Arctic Circle Trail, whale watching for humpbacks and narwhals, and exploring the colonial-era museum. Summer brings midnight sun and hiking conditions, while winter offers dog-sledding, skiing, and northern lights.

Pond Inlet (Mittimatalik) is an Inuit community on Baffin Island's northern coast, one of the world's most reliable locations to observe narwhal pods at the Arctic floe edge, surrounded by the glaciers of Bylot Island and 4,000 years of Inuit hunting culture. Must-dos include narwhal watching at the floe edge, experiencing Inuit throat singing, and Zodiac cruising among icebergs in Eclipse Sound. Visit July for 24-hour daylight and peak narwhal activity.

Dundas Harbour is an abandoned RCMP outpost on Devon Island at the mouth of Lancaster Sound, established in 1924 to assert Canadian Arctic sovereignty and now a haunting heritage site with graves, ruins, and whale bones on the beach. Must-dos include exploring the settlement remains, watching for polar bears and narwhals, and reflecting on the human stories embedded in this remote landscape. Expedition ships visit from late July to early September, weather and ice permitting.

Nunavut is Canada's vast Arctic territory, a 2.1-million-square-kilometer wilderness of tundra, sea ice, and icebergs inhabited by just 40,000 people, predominantly Inuit. Must-dos include wildlife encounters with polar bears, narwhals, and caribou herds, experiencing living Inuit culture, and navigating iceberg-filled channels by expedition vessel. July through September offers the only window when sea ice conditions allow navigation.

Cambridge Bay, Canada, offers an authentic North American experience where stunning natural landscapes meet communities of genuine character. Visitors should explore the surrounding wilderness and sample the honest, locally sourced cuisine that defines the region. The ideal visiting period is October through April, when cooler temperatures and lower humidity create ideal conditions. Cruise lines including Aurora Expeditions feature this port on their most compelling itineraries. Whether you have a few hours or a full day, the port rewards exploration at every pace and in every direction.

Herschel Island (Qikiqtaruk) is a remote Arctic territorial park off Yukon's north coast, rich in Inuvialuit heritage and 1890s whaling history preserved in permafrost. Visitors arrive by Zodiac to explore tundra wildflowers, coastal erosion sites, and restored whaling-era buildings at Pauline Cove. The narrow visiting window of mid-July to early September offers midnight sun and beluga whale sightings.

Nome, Alaska, United States, offers an authentic North American experience where stunning natural landscapes meet communities of genuine character. Visitors should explore the surrounding wilderness and sample the honest, locally sourced cuisine that defines the region. The ideal visiting period is June through August, when the midnight sun bathes the landscape in golden light for nearly twenty-four hours. Cruise lines including HX Expeditions feature this port on their most compelling itineraries. Whether you have a few hours or a full day, the port rewards exploration at every pace and in every direction.

Anchorage, Alaska's largest city, sits dramatically between the Chugach Mountains and Cook Inlet, serving as the gateway to Denali, Kenai Fjords, and the Inside Passage. Must-dos include the Anchorage Museum's Alaska Native collections, the Seward Highway's fjord-like scenery, and sampling king crab and wild-caught salmon. Mid-May through mid-September offers the best conditions, with June and July bringing twenty hours of daylight.