Arctic Cruise Greenland to Newfoundland via Wild Labrador | CA-AC1501

After you arrive at the international airport on the former U.S. airbase of Kangerlussuaq, our guides will drive you along the longest road in Greenland (just 20 km!) to our embarkation point. We’ll hop on special Zodiacs that will take us to the grand Ocean Endeavour. You’ll get a chance to stretch your legs in your cabin and then it’s time to set sail! From there, 168 km of superb scenery await us as we cross spectacular Søndre Strømfjord, one of the longest fjords in the world.

The region is known for its towering cliff faces, massive glaciers, 300 days of clear sky per year, and access to the Greenland Ice Cap. As the local saying goes, you’re never without a friend in Kangerlussuaq, as friendly faces abound. The same goes for the curious arctic rabbits, foxes, caribou, great white-tailed eagles, and a population of around 10,000 musk oxen.

Turning south at Simiutaq Island, we hug the coast of Greenland.

As we move along the West Coast of Greenland, we’ll pass the region’s complex and stunning coastline. Take note of incredible glaciers, islands, and fjords against a towering mountain backdrop as we sail by the coastal landscape.

Here, we’ll have the opportunity to get up close and personal with West Greenland’s beautiful landscape via our ship and Zodiac.

Day 3 marks our sailing into Nuuk, the main city of Greenland and the world’s northernmost capital! Nuuk comes from the Kalaallisut word for “cape,” and is located at the mouth of a gigantic fjord system. Established as the first official town of Greenland in 1728, Nuuk remains the bustling heart of the country. 

We’ll have a guided orientation around the city and its history. Nuuk is home to the University of Greenland, historical whaling houses, a cathedral that dates back to 1849, and Greenland’s National Museum, where we’ll have a chance to study the famous Qilakitsoq mummies. 

Then it’s some free time to walk around and explore on your own. You may have the chance to spot humpback whales in the fjords, reindeer roaming the hills, and birds soaring above.

Our presentation series will kick into full swing as we steam across the Davis Strait and into the Arctic Ocean, towards landfall in Canada. While out on deck, keep your eyes peeled for minke, humpback, and other marine mammals, as well as the seabirds that are sure to mark our passage. 

The strait was named after John Davis, an explorer on the hunt for a Northwest Passage. By the 1650s, it was a popular whale-hunting spot. Once notorious for its fierce tides, our modern cruise ship is well-equipped to handle the pull of the ocean. 

If we’re lucky, we’ll spot narwhal, bowhead whales, belugas, and seabirds on our voyage. 

We sail past Ungava Bay off the coast of Labrador. The Torngat Mountains have been home to the Inuit and their predecessors. As the spiritual homeland of the autonomous region of Nunatsiavut, Torngat (Inuktitut for “place of spirits”) is a place of sublime beauty. 

We’ll explore this natural paradise’s hiking trails and archaeological sites. If we’re lucky, we'll spot caribou, peregrine falcons, foxes, and golden eagles. 

We’ll also hop on a Zodiac for a boat ride through some of Canada’s most dramatic vistas. The fjords here reach deep into the mountains, bounded by cliffs peaking at 1,700 meters – the highest point of land in Labrador. There are also over 100 small glaciers in the mountains.

We’ll leave the rugged Torngat landscapes and head to the museum town of Hebron, Labrador. 

Once a thriving Inuit community after the local Moravian missionaries departed in 1959, the government forced the locals to relocate. 

In August 2009, a monument was erected with an inscribed apology by the provincial government. We’ll visit the ghost town and the cultural interpretation center that stands as a testament to this difficult past. 

Another attraction, the Moravian Church, is a Protestant denomination that originated in the Kingdom of Bohemia. From 1771, they set up missions across Labrador and formed the mission in Hebron in 1831. The original mission still stands in remarkable condition, maintained by Inuit volunteers. 

Today, we’ll explore the vibrant Inuit community of Nain — the administrative capital of Nunatsiavut. Nunatsiavut is an autonomous Inuit area created in June 2005 and led by the Nunatsiavut Assembly. 

The Labrador Inuit, or Labradormiut, are descendants of the ancient Thule people, who expanded east from Alaska to the Canadian Arctic around 1000 c.e. They followed the migrations of whales and harp seals, even traveling as far as the Gulf of St. Lawrence and Greenland. 

Nain is the northernmost community in Labrador and a town that very few people have explored. Established in 1771 by Moravian missionaries, it is one of the oldest permanent Inuit settlements in Canada.

We’ll have a chance to enjoy a warm Inuit welcome and check out the Moravian Church, the traditional building constructed with Labradorite stone and the newly finished Torngâsok Cultural Center. Expect music, food, and handicrafts at this dynamic visit.

The Labrador Coast boasts ten microclimates, including subarctic tundra, high boreal forest, string bog and coastal barrens. The magnificent Mealy Mountain Range peaks at 1,000 meters (3,280 ft), and most of it makes up a part of the National Park Reserve. 

We’ll land our Zodiacs at the stunning 56 km beach known as the Wonderstrands. 

This shoreline is said to have been mentioned in the Icelandic manuscript Erik’s Saga. According to the story, on his way to Greenland, Leif Erikson blew off course and made land at various locations in Canada. 

Scholars theorize that the so-called Helluland (Flat-Rock Island) might be Baffin Island and Markland (Forest Land) may be Labrador. When hiking around the area, you might just be walking in the footsteps of Vikings.

Our next landing point is the world-renowned UNESCO World Heritage Site and National Historic Site, L’Anse aux Meadows. As the only confirmed Norse settlement in North America, archaeologists have dated the remains to around 1000 c.e. The location of the ruins was determined by scholars dissecting the Viking sagas. 

We’ll check out the visitor’s center and the painstaking reconstruction of Norse-style buildings, a must for anyone visiting Newfoundland. 

Located on the tip of the Great Northern Peninsula, the remains of nine peat-turf buildings were found by Norwegian archaeologists in the 1960s. Their resemblance to the characteristics discovered in medieval sites in Greenland and Iceland rendered the settlement an international sensation. It establishes it as the earliest known European community on the North American continent.  

The northeast coast of Newfoundland is known for the dozens of picturesque villages that dot its rocky shores. We’ll find harbor in one of these unique communities. 

We look forward to a characteristically warm Newfoundland welcome upon our arrival. Photographers will have their work cut out for them capturing all the special charm of classic island communities and picturesque coastlines.

Sailing into the port of St. John’s has to be experienced to be believed. Watch for locals waving from Signal Hill as we take on our pilot and enter the world-famous Narrows to North America's oldest city. The colourful houses of The Battery are always a hit with shutterbugs!

Today we disembark the Ocean Endeavour. We will say our farewells and the expedition team will be on hand to assist you with luggage and transportation arrangements.

Our vessel for this voyage is the Ocean Endeavour. A 1B ice-class sailing boat that holds a maximum of 198 passengers and is outfitted with 20 Zodiac boats, our ship is perfect for expedition cruises. Facilities include a top deck observation room, swimming pool, outdoor dining, sauna spa, library, and top-class navigation equipment.

Our three onboard lounges are excellent public spaces for our educational seminars, workshops, and entertainment. Launched in 1982, the Ocean Endeavour has been upgraded many times, most recently in 2010 and 2014. At 137-m (450 ft) in length and 21-m (69 ft) in breadth, it’s the pride of our cruises in Canada and beyond.

Learn more about the Ocean Endeavour.

No Single Supplement! Solo Adventurers are welcome. Our cruises have no single supplement on a limited quantity of cabins in categories 3 to 7. Once these cabins are sold, the single supplement fee is 1.5x the cost of the berth.

Temperatures run around 8-15° Celsius (46-60° Fahrenheit) on average. That said, guests have been known to enjoy a day of shorts and t-shirts in the Canadian Arctic! Do note that temperatures can fall below zero (especially at night) and snowfall could happen at any time.

This program features activities such as walking, wildlife viewing, and Zodiac cruising, all at a relatively easy to moderate level of exertion. The majority of shore landings are undertaken using Zodiacs. Zodiac embarkations involve descending gangway stairs with double handrails and stepping into the Zodiac from a small platform at water level (assistance is provided).

If you wish to add on a charter flight from Toronto, Ontario to Kangerlussuaq, Greenland, this is available for an additional cost.