Baffin Island and Greenland: Circling the Midnight Sun

Arrive in Iqaluit, the capital city of Nunavut—its name meaning “place of many fish” in Inuktitut. The city overlooks the vast Frobisher Bay where the sweeping tundra meets powerful tides—among the highest in the world—that rise and fall across ancient rock and glistening flats. This is Inuit Nunangat, the homeland of Inuit, where land and sea move to the same enduring rhythm. 

As you transfer to the ship by Zodiac, the scale of the tides becomes unmistakable. The air hums with anticipation, carrying the promise of new horizons and the enduring stories of this northern coast. 

Sail through waters once charted by the English explorer Martin Frobisher—though the land and sea long predate any human map. The story of this place is written in stone: ancient seabeds folded by time, valleys sculpted by ice, and mineral veins that catch the light like whispers from the Earth’s deep past. Watch for seabirds and seals, perhaps even the smooth rise of a whale breaking the stillness. The bay’s wide horizons invite quiet reflection—an introduction to the scale and rhythm of the North. 

Spend the day on the nuna—the land itself—where Arctic summer reaches its full bloom. Walk through carpets of moss and tiny flowers that defy the elements, their colours intensified by endless daylight. Inuit and scientific guides share insights into ecology, cultural history, and the interwoven life of tundra and sea. Amid this vibrant landscape, time slows; every footstep connects you to deep continuity. 

Enter the broad sweep of Cumberland Sound, once a gathering place for generations of Inuit and a crucial link in the early search for the Northwest Passage. The Cumberland Peninsula forms its northern flank, a rugged landscape of cliffs and valleys descending toward the sea. 

During the nineteenth century, these same waters drew whalers from afar, whose presence intertwined—sometimes harshly—with Inuit life and trade. Remnants of old whaling stations still linger on the coast, quiet witnesses to that turbulent era. Explore the coves and islands by Zodiac and foot. The surrounding mountains rise like sentinels, framing a landscape alive with history. 

Archaeological sites and ancient hunting grounds tell of Inuit and their ancestors who thrived here for millennia. Polar bears roam the shorelines, and beluga whales travel the cold, blue-green channels. 

Nestled between snow-capped peaks and a winding river valley, Panniqtuuq—known locally as Pang—is a community of art, resilience, and breathtaking beauty. Visit the Angmarlik Visitor Centre to learn about both Thule and modern Inuit life, or the Uqqurmiut Inuit Arts Centre to see weavers and printmakers at work. In the luminous light of the fjord, every thread and carving seems to carry a reflection of the surrounding land. 

Along the Atlantic side of the Cumberland Peninsula, the land rises steep and solemn, its cliffs carved by ice and sea into cathedral-like walls. Glacial valleys pour into fjords where turquoise meltwater mingles with the tide. Here the air carries the scent of salt and stone, and the light changes by the hour—from pearlescent dawns to gold-shot haze. This is a coast of raw geometry and silence, where mountains seem to lean toward the ocean, and every ridge tells of slow transformation through ice, wind, and time. 

As we cross the Davis Strait, the ship becomes a moving classroom. Through stories, workshops, and performances, Inuit team members share knowledge rooted in generations of experience. Try your hand at Inuit games or join a conversation about community, resilience, and change in the modern Arctic. Out on deck, whales and seabirds accompany the ship as the sun lingers above the horizon—its glow deepening the bond between sea, sky, and spirit. 

Welcome to Kalaallit Nunaat—Greenland—where mountains rise straight from the sea, their bases braided with rivers of ice. Landings offer a chance to hike the tundra, wander through wildflower meadows, or photograph the play of light on stone. Every moment brings contrast: the immensity of glaciers beside the delicacy of Arctic poppies, the silence of a fjord broken by the crack of calving ice. With naturalists and Inuit cultural educators as companions, discovery deepens into understanding. 

In Ilulissat, meaning “icebergs,” the power of creation is visible in motion. Walk the boardwalk to the Ilulissat Icefjord Centre, where stories of ice, climate, and community intertwine. From shore, gaze upon the immense flow from the Sermeq Kujalleq, one of the world’s fastest-calving glaciers. Each iceberg that drifts into Disko Bay gleams with its own palette of blues and silvers under the midnight sun. In town, explore museums, craft shops, and cafés alive with Greenlandic culture and hospitality. 

Sail through Kangerlussuaq Fjord—one of the world’s longest—its cliffs glowing gold in the low-angle light. This dramatic passage marks the closing chapter of the journey. As we disembark for the charter flight to Toronto, the memories remain: the sound of ice fracturing, the laughter of shared stories, and the boundless light of the Arctic summer lingering long after the voyage ends.