Greenland to Newfoundland in Luxury

Zodiac transfer out to the Silver Explorer, waiting at anchor in the fjord. Attend mandatory safety drill and depart on our North Atlantic Adventure.

Just north of the Arctic Circle, Sisimiut is the second-largest town in Greenland as well as being the northernmost where the port remains free of ice in the winter. Take time to walk in the town and see the sled dog kennels all over the outskirts - this is an area where dogsleds are the primary form of transport in the winter and virtually every family has a sled and dogs.

Visit the interesting museum, which includes an original peat house and maybe taste some typical Greenland delicacies. There are also the remains of an early settlement to the west of the town. We plan to watch a kayak demonstration in Sisimiut's harbour.

In contrast to Sisimiut, Saqqaq is one of the smallest settlements in Greenlad. Here, we will mix with the locals and learn something of their culture and lifestyle. There might even be some beadwork for sale as a souvenir. Later, Zodiac tour of the rugged coastline and the many icebergs that get stranded here after breaking off from the Jakobshavn Glacier.

During the afternoon we will cruise past Arve Prinsens Island to reach one of the glaciers north of Ilulissat. This is where Paul-Emile Victor started in 1948 to reach the icecap. The glacial front still has a length of almost 4 kilometres and calves several times a day. We hope to be there and witness a calving from a safe distance, maybe even from a Zodiac!

One of the highlights of the voyage, Ilulissat is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Here, the Jakobshavn Glacier, known as the birthplace of icebergs, produces millions of tons of ice each day into the fjord and out into Disko Bay. A boardwalk from town takes you to spectacular viewpoints.

Hopefully, we will see a demonstration of ancient fishing methods and enjoy some locally prepared fish. Later, board a fishing boat and navigate amongst the many icebergs at the fjord’s entrance.

Alternatively, guests have the option to purchase an exciting helicopter excursion to see the magnificent Jakobshavn Icefjord by air.

Spend time on deck watching for seabirds and marine mammals; attend informative lectures or just read and relax.

Iqaluit, at the head of Frobisher Bay, is the capital of the Canadian province of Nunavut. Here, depending on tides, we may have a dry (pier) or wet landing. We will visit the Nunatta Sunakkutaangit Museum and the Nunavut Legislative Assembly Building, both housing incredible collections of Inuit artwork. The museum shop has some very interesting local prints for sale. Before returning to the ship, we will enjoy a performance of traditional throat-singing.

Today we look out for Ursus maritimus, the polar bear. These beautiful animals are often seen on the shore rocks at this time of the late summer on these islands off Baffin Island, when the ice has receded.

Take a zodiac cruise through the narrow channels between the islands to search for wildlife among the unusual rocky formations.

Today we explore around remote Akpatok Island at the northernmost tip of the Labrador Peninsula. The steep and sheer limestone cliffs here attract huge amounts of wildlife, most notably the world’s largest population of breeding Brünnich’s Guillemots (Inuktitut name: Akpatok), estimated at well over a million birds. We will see lots of predatoty glaucous gulls and black guillemots and also, hopefully, more polar bears as they wait for the winter ice to form.

Situated on the eastern side of northern Labrador, Torngat is sometimes described as the “Eastern Rocky Mountains”.

This massive park is home to an amazing variety of mountains, valleys and geological features, as well as lots of wildlife. Torngat Mountain and George River caribou migrate to and from their calving grounds and Inuit use the area to hunt, fish and travel throughout the year. Different animal groups will be making their migration at this time and red and Arctic foxes will be looking for lemmings and voles. Harlequin Ducks, Peregrine Falcons, Barrow’s Goldeneye and Short-eared Owls are found within the park. While Minke whales tend to linger in bays, humpback and fin whales like to stay offshore.

As we make our way along the Canada’s scenic coastline, spend some time out on deck keeping an eye out for seabirds, dolphin, seals and migrating humpback, fin or blue whales, or attend listen to additional natural history presentations by our expert staff.

During the morning enjoy a lecture about the Norse voyages from Greenland to Canada and after lunch land like ancient Vikings albeit via Zodiac on the shores of L’Anse aux Meadows (“Jellyfish Bay”). After a short walk with our local guides, we encounter the ruins of an entire Viking village dating back to the year 1000. Norseman Leif Eriksson, son of Erik the Red, established this colony in the New World some 500 years before Columbus and Cabot 'discovered' North America. This village is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Much of the L’Anse aux Meadows’ archaeological site remains natural and unspoilt. Three buildings have been reconstructed near the original site in order to provide visitors insight into the lifestyles of these hardy explorers.

Another World Heritage site for both its exceptional natural scenery and distinctive geological history, Gros Morne National Park provides some of Earth's great geology lessons. This morning we will step on the earth’s mantle and experience the harsh landform, known as the Tablelands and visit Gros Morne’s Discovery Centre to learn more about Newfoundland’s geology, plant and animal life, marine story and human history.

Take a guided 2½ mile round trip hike to the entrance of Winterhouse Brook Canyon or a more leisurely walk to just enjoy the scenery.

We will land on the French-speaking island of Cap-aux-Meules, the gateway to the Madeleine archipelago. Here you can take a walk in Parc des Buck and come to a lookout point that reveals spectacular views of Cap-aux-Meules and the neighbouring islands. West of the town is L’Etang-du-Nord, a village with the second-largest wooden church still existing in North America. Struck several times by lightning it has in part been built from wood retrieved from shipwrecks.

If you are more interested in flora and fauna you can explore the East Point National Wildlife Reserve with its typical dune environment and its bird life. There are two nature trails that will permit you to look for shorebirds and ducks that use the Reserve as an essential stopping point on their migrations.

St Pierre is a little piece of France located just off the coast of Newfoundland, where the inhabitants speak metropolitan, instead of Canadian, French and even use the Euro for currency! This is a great place from which to send a postcard home from the distinctive post office.

Interesting museums here too, including one with the only guillotine to have been used in North America.

Arrive and disembark