Northwest Passage

Why Join This Cruise:

• Tread in the footsteps of the early explorers as you venture into the mythical and elusive Northwest Passage


• Travel aboard the Akademik Ioffe, an impressive former Russian research vessel boasting state-of-the-art engine silencing and stabilising equipment


• One of the world's great historical sea journeys
• Accompanied throughout by your knowledgeable expeditionary crew, with specialist knowledge of Arctic history, geology and biology

Trip Overview
The Northwest Passage - a route almost across the roof of the world - was long sought by the traders and explorers and military strategists of Europe, Russian Asia and America. It's now possible to undertake a similar journey to that first completed by Roald Amundson, navigating a course through the Arctic that very few people manage to achieve. These waterways are renowned for tricky navigation, rapidly changing ice conditions and for supporting a diverse population of wildlife, as well as vestiges of former expeditions, including the most notorious of all, the ill-fated Franklin expedition of 1845.

Daily Itinerary

Day 1 Edmonton/ Cambridge Bay
Embark the chartered air fare from Edmonton to Cambridge Bay in Nunavut, where you embark the ship for the beginning of your expeditionary cruise aboard the Akademik Ioffe.

Days 2 - 4 Queen Maud Gulf to Amundsen Gulf
The history of the Canadian Arctic is also the history of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Hudson's Bay Company. Our shipboard historian will relate stories of the redcoats, the fur trade and the merchants who ruled the Canadian Arctic for nearly two centuries. We will be on the alert for musk oxen, prehistoric looking beasts with shaggy coats and massive heads.

Day 5 Smoking Hills, NWT
Witnessing an extraordinary natural phenomenon will be our goal for the day. The bituminous shale of the Smoking Hills has been burning spontaneously for centuries.

The phenomenon has affected the local vegetation and the acidity of the tundra ponds in the vicinity.

Day 6 Holman, Northwest Territories
You enter the second of Canada's three Arctic territories today, the Northwest Territories (NWT). We plan to visit the tiny community of Holman, where the indigenous people have established a print shop and artists' cooperative.

Days 7 - 8 Jenny Lind Island
Moving sea ice, shallow water and limited charts make it impossible to predict in advance exactly which beaches we will explore and in which bays the Zodiacs will be lowered.

That is the exhilaration of expedition style travel, every day begins with the element of the unknown.

Day 9 Simpson Strait and Gjoa Haven (Usqsuqtuuq)
Amundsen spent a winter in the small Inuit village of Usqsuqtuuq, which he renamed Gjoa Haven after his ship. Nearby is the Northwest Passage Territorial Park, with an interpretation center that pays tribute to Inuit culture and depicts the impact of European exploration on the region.

Simpson Strait, a shallow waterway that continues to defeat many ships, was the route taken by Amundsen during his first successful transit of the Northwest Passage. We will attempt to follow in his wake, if local conditions permit.

Day 10 King William Island
Near Coborg Island, Franklin's ships HMS Erebus and Terror were beset in ice for two winters. The ships were abandoned in 1848, north-northwest of Victory Point. Ten years passed before remains of the expedition were found under a cairn at Victory Point.

Unlike the men of Franklin's expedition, Raold Amundsen easily followed the westerns shore of King William Island, stopping to make scientific observations en route.

Day 11 Bellot Strait
Bellot Strait is a narrow channel that separates the mainland of North America from Somerset Island.

Halfway through the Strait we will sail past Point Zenith, the northernmost point of mainland North America.

Day 12 Lancaster Sound
The search for the Northwest Passage captured the imagination of explorers for centuries. Many risked fortunes, and some their lives to be the first to find the route to the Orient.

Perhaps the most tragic expedition was that of Sir John Franklin. Today, on Beechey Island you might visit the graves of three who lost their lives during in pursuit of Franklin's dream.

Day 13 Resolute/ Ottawa
Disembark the boat in Resolute and fly to Ottawa by charter flight for overnight or onward travel home

Note
All itineraries are for guidance only. Programs may vary depending on local ice and weather conditions and in order to take advantage of opportunities to see wildlife. Flexibility is paramount for expedition cruises.



The Boat

The following boat operates this cruise:

Akademik Ioffe

Cruise dates for 2008
6th - 16th September

**The itinerary on the second departure operates in reverse

Guide Price for 2008

	Prices from:
Triple cabin	£2,305pp*
Twin cabin with shared bathroom	£3,050pp*
Twin cabin with semi private bathroom	£3,230pp*
Superior cabin	£3,470pp*
Superior plus	£3,685pp*
Suite	£3,895pp*
Cook Suite	£4,110 pp*

*Please note: These prices exclude International flights and are subject to exchange rate fluctuations.

What's included

• Shipboard accommodation from embarkation to disembarkation


• Zodiac cruising per the daily program


• Shore landings per the daily program Formal and presentations by members of the Expedition Team

What's not included

• All flights and travel arrangements getting to and from the points of embarkation/ disembarkation


• Pre/ post hotel accommodation in Ottawa and Edmonton


• Gratuities, laundry and drinks onboard ship


• Fuel Surcharge

Single Supplements on board
Please contact the office for a quotation

To discuss this trip, for further details or to check boat availability, please either:

Call 01285 880981
Email voyages@steppestravel.co.uk

Steppes Travel cruise destinations include: Alaska, Amazon, Antarctica, Arctic, Baja Mexico, Galapagos, Papau New Guinea, Nile