Northwest Passage

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Itinerary

1. 1

   Day 1 London to Seattle, USA.

   Fly by scheduled flight. Arrive this afternoon and transfer to our airport hotel for an overnight stay.

2. 2

   Day 2 Seattle to Seward.

   After breakfast in the hotel return to the airport for our scheduled flight to Anchorage. On arrival transfer to the Hanseatic Spirit moored in Seward and embark. In 1906, Roald Amundsen navigated the entire Northwest Passage for the first time. Now we begin to tackle this pioneering feat ourselves as we sail this evening.

3. 3

   Day 3 At Sea.

   Spend the day at sea as we prepare for our epic voyage. Our lecture programme commences as we learn about the journey ahead. We start our journey on the coast of the Alaska Peninsula. As you cruise off Kak Island, the cliffs teeming with birds will stir up your anticipation of what lies ahead. Chignik means “strong wind” in the Alutiiq language. Gain an insight into life in this small fishing town, which has around 80 residents, as we land and take a stroll. The volcanic island chain of the Aleutian Islands stretches into the Pacific like a great arc. During our time here we will visit Popof Island, where bison roam the land and bald eagles rule the skies. Your gaze will instinctively be drawn upwards when you hear their call above Unalaska Island. The settlers in Dutch Harbor looked to the heavens for different reasons, as can been seen from the oldest Russian Orthodox church in North America with its white towers topped with onion domes.

4. 7

   Day 7 St Paul Island, Pribilof Islands.

   Arrive today on St Paul Island, the largest of the five Pribilof Islands. A colony of northern fur seals might welcome you as you hike the island with the experts – a taste of the encounters that await with the diverse fauna of this remote region.

5. 8

   Day 8 At Sea.

   As the expedition continues through the Bering Sea, keep a lookout for whales from the excellent vantage point offered by the many open deck spaces. Just like rich experiences have drawn you to this region, it was gold that was the magnet in Alaska in the early 1900s.

6. 9

   Day 9 Nome.

   Originally populated by the Inupiat people, the town of Nome grew in the late 19th century by the discovery of gold at Anvil Creek in 1898. By the early 1900s the population had grown to over 20,000 and today we can see the town is still shaped by these bygone times, with disused steam trains, tracks and gold dredges. The excitement on board grows as the expedition continues through the Chukchi Sea and Beaufort Sea and draws nearer to the lifelong dream and magnet for countless adventurers and explorers. For the next 14 days we will cruise through the Northwest Passage. The manoeuvrable Hanseatic Spirit is perfect for navigating safely through these regions and you will enjoy an exceptionally up-close experience of the fascinating Arctic. Although the route is carefully planned, the weather and ice often determine the actual course, with captain and the crew adjusting the details each day. During our passage we hope to visit Herschel Island, a frozen paradise located in the Beaufort Sea just two kilometres off the coast of the Yukon, within the Ivvavik National Park. During a long mapping expedition in 1826, Sir John Franklin was the first European to lay eyes on these unique places and their inhabitants, the Inuvialuit, the Nordic cousins of the Inuit. It was during this trip that he named the island after one of his friends, John Herschel a brilliant British astronomer and scientist. With a little luck, rough-legged buzzards will herald your arrival and the timid Arctic fox might even make an appearance. Franklin Bay is enveloped by the history of Franklin the explorer and the phenomenon of the Smoking Hills. The smoky effect is caused by layers of rocks within the hills that contain pyrite and have ignited themselves. A Zodiac ride offers unique perspectives of this mystical spectacle. On Victoria Island, named after the British queen, you might have the chance to see mighty musk oxen or possibly polar bears. We can also receive insights into the way of life and history of the Inuit. For centuries, the area around Cambridge Bay was the summer meeting point for the “Copper Eskimo” families – named after their copper tools. The wreck of Roald Amundsen's research ship Maud bore silent witness to his bravery from its resting place in the ice here for around 90 years before being taken back to Norway in 2018. A great voice echoes on Jenny Lind Island, which owes its name to a Swedish opera singer from the 19th century lovingly known as the “nightingale”. You may find yourself surprised by four-legged residents such as Arctic hares, Arctic foxes and caribou. As the ship cruises in Victoria Strait, the dramatic scenery will reflect the moving history of this area. For a long time, the lost ships of the Franklin expedition, which tried and failed to find the Northwest Passage in 1845, were thought to be at the entrance to the strait. One of them, the Terror, was discovered in 2016 in Terror Bay, around 100 kilometres further south than expected. Find out about the fate and the unflinching courage of those who braved the forces of nature back then from the onboard experts. The ice conditions will determine whether the adventure continues by cruising in Peel Sound where Zodiac rides and landings are possible throughout the habitat of whales, seals and polar bears. Follow in the footsteps of past explorers on Beechey Island. A walk to the graves of members of the Franklin expedition will bring its historic significance to the fore. The world's largest uninhabited island, Devon Island, welcomes you with its vast wilderness. An abandoned station of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police reinforces the impression of remote silence. As the ship then sets sail from Lancaster Sound for Greenland, you will have completed the feat and are among the few people who can say they have conquered the Northwest Passage.

7. 27

   Day 27 At sea.

   Enjoy a relaxing day at sea as we cross to Greenland. The final chapter in your adventure takes us along the west coast of Greenland. Small, but perfectly formed, Uummannaq nestles at the foot of a spectacular heart-shaped mountain. The splendid Jakobshavn Glacier near Ilulissat is the “birthplace” of around 10 % of Greenland's icebergs. Marvel at the glistening ice masses that gather here with a hike to the ice fjord. This is followed by an amazing natural spectacle: in the glittering splendour of, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where mighty icebergs drift majestically through the water – an event that you can watch unfold around you from the deck and in a Zodiac. Sisimiut, Greenland's second largest town and located 40 kilometres into the Arctic Circle provides an atmospheric end to the expedition, with its beautiful church and houses dotted across several hills.

8. 31

   Day 31 Kangerlussuaq to London.

   Disembark and join the specially chartered flight from Kangerlussuaq to Germany. Connect here with your onward scheduled flight to London and arrive this evening.

The Ship

Hanseatic Inspiration / Spirit / Nature

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