Northwest Passage: Alaska to Greenland

Day 1: Anchorage, Alaska
Arrive in Anchorage this afternoon and enjoy exploring the quaint capital city streets at your leisure. This evening, meet the group for a welcome briefing in preparation for our charter flight to Nome the next day. Meals included: Dinner. Arrival Time: Arrive into Anchorage before 3:00 p.m. local time. 

Day 2: Anchorage, Alaska / Nome
Arrive by chartered aircraft in the remote city of Nome, Alaska, on the coast of the Bering Sea. Explore the town prior to embarking National Geographic Resolution. Settle into your cabin and enjoy lunch and dinner on board. Meals Included: Lunch, Dinner. 

Days 3-5: At Sea
As we sail eastward along the northern coast of Alaska, scan the water for marine life and enjoy life on board. Take a yoga class, unwind with a massage in the wellness center, and curl up next to the fireplace in the library. Visit the Bridge and learn about navigation. Relax in one of the twin infinity hot tubs or spend some time in the only igloo at sea. Learn about the area from or onboard historians, naturalists and photographers and enjoy exceptional dining options. Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 6:  Herschel Island, Yukon Territory
Once a thriving whaling village off the coast of the Yukon Territory, Herschel Island is now classified as a Natural Environmental Park. The island protects the wildlife alongside the heritage of the Inuvialuit people and the whaling industry. As we wander through Herschel’s historic dwellings, keep an eye out for the wildlife residents, which include bears, musk oxen, and arctic foxes. The area is also home to the largest colony of black guillemots in the Western Arctic. Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 7: At Sea
Indulge in National Geographic Resolution’s many amenities as we continue along the shores of the Canadian High Arctic. Soak in the ship’s infinity-style outdoor hot tubs, take in panoramic views from the rooftop observation deck, and enjoy talks from our onboard experts. Take time to reflect on the amazing wildlife and geology that have highlighted our journey so far. Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Days 8-17: Exploring the Northwest Passage
National Geographic Resolution, purpose-built to ply polar waters, navigates the Northwest Passage following nature’s path—dependent on ice and weather conditions. Taking our cues from nature, we follow wildlife, stop for hikes on the tundra, drop anchor in a beautiful fjord or an icy bay to explore and kayak beneath massive ice sculptures and soaring cliffs.

Along the way, explore ice-studded channels and glacier-carved islands that stretch for hundreds of miles—a stunning display of raw geology; survey the rocky, “Mars-like” terrain of uninhabited Devon Island; sail past the northernmost part of mainland North America in the Bellot Strait, one of the narrowest and most infamous of the passage; and cross the top of the Northwest Territory of Canada to search for ringed seals, arctic foxes, musk oxen, walruses, and polar bears, as well as beluga and bowhead whales.

History and culture are also on the itinerary. Learn about the Inuit peoples who have hunted and fished here for thousands of years. And hear heroic stories of the early explorers: Roald Amundsen, John Ross, William Edward Parry, and James Clark Ross, among others. Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Days 18-20: Exploring East Baffin Island, Nunavut, Canada
We begin our exploration of the Canadian High Arctic with a visit to the small Inuit community of Pond Inlet, Nunavut. Explore some of the beautiful bays and inlets along Baffin Island’s Lancaster Sound, a favorite Inuit hunting and fishing location for hundreds of years. Carved by Ice Age glaciers, Lancaster Sound is also the eastern gateway to the Arctic Archipelago, where European explorers like William Baffin first ventured in the 17th century to search for the Northwest Passage. Our days here are spent searching for ringed seals, arctic foxes, walruses, and polar bears, as well as beluga and bowhead whales. Visit Devon Island and take a walk with our ship’s archaeologist to learn about the Thule people—ancestors of the modern Inuit—that once inhabited this region. Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 21: Disko Bay and Ilulissat, Greenland
Sail into Qeqertarsuup Tunua, also known as Disko Bay, where you are welcomed by floating icebergs calved off the world’s most active glacier, Sermeq Kujalleq. Enjoy an extraordinary cruise aboard local boats among towering icebergs of the UNESCO World Heritage-designated Ilulissat Icefjord. Visit the town of Ilulissat and hike into the Sermermiut Valley, once an Inuit settlement and now the home to a peaceful boardwalk overlooking the Icefjord. This evening, we sail away from the Greenlandic Coast and venture to the west and the Canadian Arctic. Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 22: Greenland’s West Coast and Sisimiut
Cruise the length of Kangerlussuaq Fjord en route to Sisimiut. Dozens of deep fjords carve into Greenland’s west coast, many with glaciers fed by the ice cap that covers 80 percent of the country. At Sisimiut, a former whaling port, enjoy your choice of guided walks through the sights and sounds of the village, including Dog Town or Sallinnguit, a small island with centuries of history from Inuit culture through colonization and current day industry. In your free time, enjoy a local food tasting, visit the open-air museum, or explore the local artisan workshops. Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Days 23-24: Nuuk / Disembark Ship / Reykjavík, Iceland
Arrive in the capital city of Greenland, Nuuk. Disembark and take a charter flight to Iceland, and check into our hotel near the airport for an included overnight stay. In the morning, after breakfast, transfer to the airport for flights home. Departure Time: Depart after 4:00 p.m. local time.