Quark - TANQUARY FJORD, ELLESMERE ISLAND AND GREENLAND

TANQUARY FJORD, ELLESMERE ISLAND AND GREENLAND

15 nights
Departure: 15 August 2006
Ottawa to Ottawa
Ship: Kapitan Khlebnikov (Icebreaker)

Tanquary Fjord, Ellesmere Island and Greenland - map

Venturing to 81º north, just a few hundred miles from the North Pole, this unique voyage takes maximum advantage of our polar-class icebreaker the Kapitan Khlebnikov. Our goal is Tanquary Fjord on Ellesmere Island, but en route you’ll enjoy incredible detours in Canada’s High Arctic.

Follow 19th-century explorers into a world of towering mountains, deep fjords and glaciers tumbling to the sea – with abundant wildlife on every shore.

Itinerary

Days 1 & 2 - Ottawa to Resolute
	Arrive in Ottawa and head independently to the Fairmont Château Laurier for an overnight stay in Canada’s historic capital. Next morning we fly to Resolute and board the Kapitan Khlebnikov, which departs in the evening.
Day 3 - Lancaster Sound to Baffin Bay
	Sailing eastward through Lancaster Sound along the south coast of Devon Island, we enter Croker Bay. Our onboard presentations get under way with talks on Arctic wildlife, geology and history. In Dundas Harbour, a short fjord bounded by steep mountains on Devon’s southeast coast, you make your first landing – a fascinating tundra walk to an old RCMP post and a site of the early Thule people. As we continue east to Baffin Bay, keep a lookout for narwhals, seals, beluga whales and an array of seabirds.
Days 4 & 5 - Coburg Island & Hell Gate
	An early-morning Zodiac excursion takes us to Coburg Island National Park, whose cliffs are home to an estimated 30,000 pairs of black-legged kittiwakes and some 160,000 pairs of thick-billed murres. The sight of newly fledged murre chicks diving into fish-filled waters is unforgettable. We continue on to Cape Sparbo on Devon Island for another tundra walk to archeological sites and chances to see musk ox. If time and weather allow, we pay an evening visit to the community of Grisefjord, then carry on deeper into Jones Sound. The next morning we round the southwest corner of Ellesmere Island through Hell Gate, a narrow passage where currents prevent freezing even at the height of winter and have been navigated by only a handful of vessels. As we keep pushing north through spectacular Norwegian Bay, the Kapitan Khlebnikov will be doing some more heavy icebreaking – while you scan the floes for polar bears.
Days 6 to 9 - Tanquary Fjord & Ellesmere Island
	Exploring the Bjorne Peninsula and Strathcona Fjord, we reach our goal: Tanquary Fjord and Ellesmere Island (Quttinirpaaq) National Park, which includes Canada’s northernmost point. The fjord extends from a mountain valley with glaciers cascading down to the water. On walks ashore you find amazingly lush vegetation, including mountain avens, saxifrage, poppies, cotton grass and white bell heather. You’re likely to see Arctic hares, musk ox and endangered Peary caribou, plus polar bears and Arctic whales on the coast – and, if you’re lucky, an Arctic wolf. Weather permitting, we take helicopter flights over Ellesmere’s dramatic glaciers and tundra. As ever, the length of our stay depends on ice conditions and park regulations.
Days 10 & 11 - Eureka Sound
	Leaving Tanquary Fjord, we sail south into Eureka Sound, visiting an isolated weather station on Sidre Fjord. Our plans call for helicopter flights over Ellesmere’s western coast to view the remains of a petrified forest. Next is an expedition day on beautiful Axel Heiberg Island, with more helicopter flights and excellent chances to spot musk ox, wolves and Arctic hare.
Day 12 - Norwegian Bay & Belcher Channel
	Heading south to Norwegian Bay and Belcher Channel, we expect to battle some of the toughest ice in the Arctic; while the Kapitan Khlebnikov is up to the challenge, as usual our route must be flexible. We continue south via the Penny Strait to Queens Channel and hope to stay overnight in McDougall Sound for more chances to sight walrus, polar bears and other wildlife.
Days 13 & 14 - Somerset, Devon & Beechey Islands
	Be on the lookout for walrus as we explore the edge of Cornwallis Island, then carry on south to Somerset Island, where beluga whales frequently feed. We cross the Parry Channel by night and in the morning pass the bird cliffs of Prince Leopold Island National Park. At Radstock Bay on Devon Island, you combine a tundra walk to an ancient Thule site with incredible helicopter flights. Our final landing is on Beechey Island, where Franklin and his men wintered in 1846–47 before disappearing. Their tragic end gains poignancy as you walk the desolate coast to the Franklin Memorial.
Days 15 & 16 - Resolute to Ottawa
	Having sailed to Resolute Bay during the night, we disembark the Kapitan Khlebnikov in the morning and fly back to Ottawa for a final night at the Fairmont Château Laurier, continuing home after breakfast on Day 16.

Note: Please read this itinerary as a guide only. Our exact program will depend on local permissions and will vary to take best advantage of local weather and ice conditions and opportunities to experience wildlife. This is an expedition into a very little traveled area and flexibility is the key to the success.

Departure Dates and Prices

Prices are per person for 15 nights and do not include international flights.

Departure Date	Prices per person
15 August 06	£8200

Price Includes:
Voyage as indicated in the itinerary. Flights as indicated in the itinerary. Pre- and post-cruise hotel accommodations in a shared twin room with breakfast as indicated in the itinerary. All meals throughout the voyage aboard the ship. All shore excursions and activities throughout the voyage by Zodiac and helicopter (as included in group excursions with no specific amount of helicopter time guaranteed). Program of lectures by noted naturalists and leadership by experienced expedition staff. Transfers and baggage handling between the hotels, airports and ship as indicated in the itinerary. All miscellaneous service taxes and port charges throughout the program. Comprehensive pre-departure materials and handbook.
Price Excludes:
International flights. Passport and visa expenses. Government arrival and departure taxes. Meals ashore. Supplement for single hotel accommodations. Baggage, cancellation and personal insurance. Excess baggage charges. All items of a personal nature such as laundry, bar and beverage charges and telecommunication charges, and the customary gratuity at the end of the voyage for stewards and other service personnel aboard (guidelines will be provided). Any possible helicopter flying time in excess of that offered for the group will be charged at an hourly rate to be announced onboard.