24 Nights The Northwest Passage

24 Nights The Northwest Passage

$38,090.00Price
For the very first time, we invite you to discover the most emblematic but also the remotest sites of the mythical North-West Passage.
 
Aboard the Commandant Charcot, the first hybrid electric polar exploration ship, relive the polar adventures of previous generations of explorers at the heart of this vast labyrinth of icy channels, exploring the three main routes that allow the North-West Passage to be crossed.
 
Leaving from Reykjavik, you will sail along the south coast of Greenland, before reaching the Hudson Strait, named after the English sailor Henry Hudson, who mapped it for the first time in the early 17th Century.
 
Then you will chart a course towards the Fury and Hecla Strait, named after the ships of the explorer William Parry. Constantly covered in ice, this seawater channel, some 1900 metres wide at its narrowest point, represents an impassable obstacle for most ships. When you enter the passage, you will have the privilege of visiting Igloolik, an Inuit village that was only discovered in 1822.
 
A little further on, the Bellot Strait will offer you a unique sailing experience, in the midst of countless icebergs. You will then sail along Banks Island, famous for the wreck of HMS Investigator lying off shore – the ship was tasked to search for Sir John Franklin’s lost expedition, but also for its national park, which is home to extremely rich fauna.

  • Please scroll down and click "Prices and Departures" for departure dates, cabin types and price details.

     

     

    Day 1 Reykjavík

    Embarkation 9/7/2021 from 16h00 to 17h00
    Departure 9/7/2021 at 18h00

     

    Iceland’s capital stretches along the edge of a vast bay in the west of the country. Perlan, the “Pearl of Reykjavík”, a museum located on ’Oskjuhlið hill, offers a panoramic view of the lush, green landscapes. A little further, one can easily spot the signpost showing the way to the evangelical Hallgrímskirkja church, and to the historical centre where one can stroll along the Skólavördustígur and the Laugavegur, two lively streets with charming small shops. For some relaxation just outside of the city, visitors have the opportunity to visit the Reykjanes peninsula and its famous thermal lagoons of the Blue Lagoon.

     

    Day 2 At Sea

    During your day at sea, make the most of the many services and activities on board. Treat yourself to a moment of relaxation in the spa or stay in shape in the fitness centre. Depending on the season, let yourself be tempted by the swimming pool or a spot of sunbathing. This day without a port of call will also be an opportunity to enjoy the conferences or shows proposed on board, to do some shopping in the boutique or to meet the photographers in their dedicated space. As for lovers of the open sea, they will be able to visit the ship’s upper deck to admire the spectacle of the waves and perhaps be lucky enough to observe marine species. A truly enchanted interlude, combining comfort, rest and entertainment.

     

    Day 3-4 Southern Coast Of Greenland

    Set sail in the traces of the Norwegian explorer Erik Le Rouge by travelling along the south coast of Greenland. Your ship will head deep into the longest network of fjords in the region, the Prinz Christian Sund. This sumptuous natural canal, surrounded by craggy mountains and impressive glaciers will offer you stunning landscapes.

     

    Day 5-6 At Sea

    During your day at sea, make the most of the many services and activities on board. Treat yourself to a moment of relaxation in the spa or stay in shape in the fitness centre. Depending on the season, let yourself be tempted by the swimming pool or a spot of sunbathing. This day without a port of call will also be an opportunity to enjoy the conferences or shows proposed on board, to do some shopping in the boutique or to meet the photographers in their dedicated space. As for lovers of the open sea, they will be able to visit the ship’s upper deck to admire the spectacle of the waves and perhaps be lucky enough to observe marine species. A truly enchanted interlude, combining comfort, rest and entertainment.

     

    Day 7-10 Hudson Strait

    Linking Hudson Bay, the second largest bay in the world, to the Atlantic Ocean, the Hudson Strait was identified for the first time by the Venetian explorer Sebastian Cabot in 1517. However, it wasn’t until 1660 that the English sailor Henry Hudson explored this maritime passage as far as the bay. Offering privileged access to the centre of Canada, in the 18th Century the Hudson Strait became a commercial route, notably used for fur trading. Some 800 km in length and congested with ice for most of the year, it will offer you a truly unique sailing experience.

     

    Day 11-12 Fury And Hecla Strait

    At the heart of the Arctic Ocean, set sail in the footsteps of the British explorer W.E. Parris who in 1822, during his desperate quest to find the North West Passage, discovered the Fury and Hecla Strait. The expedition that he led with two Royal Navy vessels, HMS Fury and HMS Hecla, in the hope of crossing the mythical maritime passageway, ended in failure. Trapped in the ice, the two ships were blocked to the north of Foxe Basin, but this allowed them to identify the strait separating the Melville peninsula and Baffin Island. Covered by ice floe for the majority of the year, this narrow stretch of sea is very difficult to access. When you enter the passage, you will have the privilege of visiting the Inuit village of Igloolik.

     

    Day 13-14 Bellot Strait

    A key stage in the North West Passage, the Bellot Strait, crossed by strong currents, promises you an unforgettable sailing experience. The entrance to the strait is dominated by the Ross Cairn. The buildings of Fort Ross also stand not far from here. Separating Somerset Island from the Boothia Peninsula, this 2-km-wide strait was discovered in 1852 by Captain William Kennedy of the Royal Navy, and the Frenchman Joseph-René Bellot, during an expedition in search of Sir John Franklin. Discover a magnificent décor covered in snow, fragmented by large ice floes. As you sail between them, your ship will perhaps be accompanied by a few polar bears.

     

    Day 15 - Day 18 Sailing Ice Floes In The North Of The Arctic Archipelago

    At the far north of the American continent, you will sail in the most northerly part of the Arctic archipelago. Covering some 1.4 million km² and boasting more than 35,000 islands, this region offers spectacular landscapes made up of sheer reliefs and gigantic fjords. Notably characterised by the particularly impressive scale of its channels, sculpted by glacial erosion and trapped in a thick ice floe for most of the year, the region has been little mapped or explored.

     

    Day 19-20 Banks Island

    Located in the north of Canadian archipelago of the Northwest Territories, Banks Island, also known as Banks Land offers landscapes that are as sumptuous as they are spectacular. The island, covering some 70,000 km², offers a landscape of hills and valleys as well as sheer cliffs and canyons, a result of the glacial erosion. To the north of the island, the Aulavik National Park is home to a very rich wildlife mainly consisting of Arctic wolves, muskox, caribou, Arctic foxes, lemmings and many varieties of birds.

     

    Day 21-24 Sailing Ice Floes In Beaufort Sea

    Bordering the north coasts of Alaska and Canada, the Beaufort Sea was feared for centuries because of its extreme climatic conditions. Covered for most of the year with a thick layer of ice, and unexplored until 1914, this part of the Arctic Ocean, named in honour of the British Admiral Francis Beaufort, will reveal to you its sumptuous icy landscapes. Will a bit of luck, maybe you will cross the path of some Beluga, the region being renowned for hosting many colonies of these white whales.

     

    Day 25 Nome, Alaska

    Arrival 10/1/2021
    Disembarkation 10/1/2021 at 07h00

     

    Located along the Bering Strait at the westernmost point of Alaska, Nome offers the rustic charm of a former gold-mining town, set in the middle of magnificent wilderness. As you weave in and out of the brightly coloured houses, you will discover the pioneering legacy that still marks local traditions. Fishing, reindeer rearing, sledge-racing... People here live from their manual labour. The surrounding plains provide stunning vantage points for observing Arctic fauna.