Northwest Passage

Many tried and failed, some such as Sir John Franklin on his tragic 'lost expedition' of 1845 paying the ultimate price, but it was not until 1906 that Roald Amundsen - the same man who would later beat Robert Falcon Scott to the South Pole - completed the Passage in a 47-ton fishing boat called Gjoa to claim this holy grail of exploration. He only realised that he had done so when he met another vessel approaching from the west!

This absorbing 2-week journey from Resolute to Amundsen Gulf, which marks the end of the Northwest Passage, defines the history of the Canadian Arctic. Franklin, Amundsen, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Hudson's Bay Company all played their part, and as you sail south to King William Island then west through the shallows of the Simpson Strait into the Northwest Territories, the ship's resident historian will bring this era of heroic exploration and pioneering adventure to life.

Sample cruise itinerary

Day 1:  Resolute, Canada - embarkation.  2:  Beechey and Prince Leopold Islands.  3-4:  Fort Ross, Bellot Strait and King William Island.  5-6:  Simpson Strait and Gjoa Haven.  7-9:  Holman and Smoking Hills.  10-12:  Bernard Harbour and Victoria Island.  13:  Cambridge Bay, Canada - disembarkation.

Ships:  Akademik Ioffe