On the Trail of Legends – the Northwest Passage - MS HANSEATIC - HAN1015

Date		Destination
Mon	16 Aug	Charter flight Hanover - Kangerlussuaq Kangerlussuaq/Greenland, departure 18.00 hrs
Tue	17 Aug	Aasiaat (Egedesminde)/Greenland
Wed	18 Aug	Qeqertarsuaq (Godhavn)/Greenland Cruising in Disko Bay
Thurs	19 Aug	Upernavik/Greenland
Fri	20 Aug	Relaxation at sea
Sat	21 Aug	Pond Inlet/Baffin Island/Canada
Sun	22 Aug	Dundas Harbor/Devon Island/Canada
Mon	23 Aug	Barrow Strait (Beechey Island , Resolute )
Tue	24 Aug till 05 Sep	Northwest Passage Adventure - from Lancaster Sound to the Beaufort Sea
Mon	06 Sep till 07 Sep	Alaska (Barrow , Point Hope )
Wed	08 Sep	Relaxation at sea
Thurs	09 Sep	Nome/Alaska, arrival 6.00 hrs Charter flight to Vancouver Overnight stay with breakfast
Fri	10 Sep	City tour Scheduled flight Vancouver - Germany
Sat	11 Sep	Arrival in Germany
= at anchor

The White Island: Greenland
Six times as big as Germany and almost completely covered in ice: yet the biggest island in the world offers you everything but a frosty welcome. After the start of the expedition in Kangerlussuaq you can find out more about the friendly Inuits and their lives in Aasiaat and Qeqertarsuaq, our first stops in Greenland. The famous, ice-covered Disko Bay will offer a different impression: majestic icebergs and one of the world's most active glaciers provide an unforgettable setting, before we step foot on Greenlandic ground for one last time in Upernavik.

Canada's Wild Coast
We will cruise the legendary Baffin Bay, where huge icebergs meet whales, before reaching Pond Inlet on Baffin Island on the Canadian coast. A small Inuit settlement with its colourful houses forms a picturesque contrast to the white of the glaciers surrounding it. Dundas Harbor on Devon Island, in contrast, is nowadays deserted - but just as worth seeing. Come on a walk with us through the Tundra, and with a bit of luck you will spot the local residents, mountain hares and huge musk oxen. On Beechey Island, our next stop, you may see polar bears from the deck - keep your camera ready. Resolute, established as a Canadian-American weather station, is today home to around 200 people, who live an extraordinary, but tranquil life. Our lecturers will take you with them on a journey through time back to the discoverers of past centuries and explain the Thule excavation to you. From Resolute we will set off on a south westerly course through the Peel Sound, the Franklin Strait and the Larsen Sound. Zodiac landings are scheduled (depending on the wind and weather) to bring you even closer to the uniqueness of this habitat. As well as the polar bears a songbird is another popular sight of this region: Jenny Lind Island was named after a Swedish singer, who was known as the "nightingale". On a walk through the Tundra you can observe swarms of wild geese. From the Inuit settlement Cambridge Bay on Victoria Island we will drop anchor and with the Zodiacs we will explore the bay with the wreck of "Maud" the research ship of Amundsen. In the settlement itself we will be greeted with a folklore performance. Ross Point, where you will wander through the Tundra wearing warm Parkas and perhaps even meet the musk oxen who graze here, is also situated off Victoria Island.

In Holman we will admire the paintings, and our lecturers will teach you more about the art history of the Inuits. You will continue on the trail of Roald Amundsen through the gulf named after him and past Pearce Point. The discoverers of the Northwest Passage were just as captivated by the natural phenomenon Smoking Hills as you will be today. The oil shale in the cliffs, which has been burning for centuries, is a unique sight, which acts as a stark contrast to the icy cold world around it. An abandoned whale-catching station should also be part of an expedition through the Arctic, which is why we visit Herschel Island. Amidst the loneliness of the Tundra we will gain an insight into the life led here by the station's inhabitants.

Remote and unrivalled: Alaska
Our expedition through the Northwest Passage will take us to a lonely and extreme place: Barrow, the most northern city in the world, where the mayor will welcome you personally. It is hard to believe but people already lived here in around the year 500 B.C. While exploring the city you will experience the past and present of this unique place. In Point Hope there is an old Inuit settlement to explore, which is in parts built from whale bones. Breathe in the clear air and soak up the pioneer spirit of the Arctic explorers, before your unforgettable adventure draws to a close.

A change in itinerary may become necessary on this expedition to the Arctic. The captain will decide on the best possible alternative depending on local conditions.

Different Terms and Conditions of Travel apply for this cruise. Please refer to the special information under the following link: Special information for the Northwest Passage