Ship: Kapitan Khlebnikov
Itinerary: Ellesmere Island and Greenland: The High Arctic
click to enlarge
Massive ice formationsPhoto by: Claudio Suter
cabins & deck plans | additional itineraries | cancellation policy | Testimonials
| Day 1 : | Embarkation Day |
|---|---|
| Day 2 : | Devon Island |
| Day 3 : | Coburg Island National Wildlife Area |
| Day 4 : | Grise Fjord |
| Day 5 : | At Sea in Smith Sound |
| Day 6 : | Kane Basin |
| Day 7 : | Fort Conger |
| Day 8 : | Dobbin Bay |
| Day 9 : | 6,500 Years of Human History in the Arctic |
| Day 10 : | Greenland |
| Day 11 : | Melville Bay |
| Day 12 : | Baffin Island |
| Day 13 : | Beechey Island |
| Day 14 : | Resolute |
| Day 15 : | Ottawa, Ontario, Canada |
| Click for full itinerary |
| Days | Dates | Deck + Cabin Type | |||
| Triple | Twin | Suite | Corner Suite | ||
| 15 | Aug 16, 2010 | $13,990 | $18,790 | $21,390 | $23,990 |
| Additional $1,650 per person for Charter Flights | |||||
| Destinations : Arctic, Baffin Island, Canada, Greenland |
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-Request the Twin or Triple Share Program where you are matched with a cabin mate of the same gender. Even if a cabin mate is not found for you, no single supplement will be charged.
-Single supplement of 1.7 times the twin rate for travelers who want to guarantee single room.
-Emergency medical evacuation coverage for a minimum of US$100,000 per person is required. Contact us for details on arranging travel insurance.
Day 1 : Embarkation Day
En route to Resolute - Qausuittuq –the place of no dawn - you will discover that your fellow travelers have a passion for the North equal to your own. In Resolute, well above the Arctic Circle, you will embark the polar –class icebreaker Kapitan Khlebnikov, at anchor in the bay. From this day until you disembark, there will be only a few hours of twilight each night, as you will be sailing under the midnight sun.
Day 2 : Devon Island
The ghosts of Mounties and the ancestors of the Inuit may haunt the activities that we plan for our visit to Devon Island. In the Maxwell Bay region, you will visit a Thule site, where the ancestors of the Inuit lived. You will hike, and cruise in Zodiacs. At Dundas Harbour, be alert for wildlife. Walrus and musk oxen inhabit the area. The ghost settlement you visit was once a Royal Canadian Mounted Police depot. Don’t think of it as abandoned. In the cemetery you will visit, every year a detail of Mounties arrive to tend the graves of fallen comrades.
Day 3 : Coburg Island National Wildlife Area
Wildlife in the Arctic depends on polynyas to survive. They are naturally occurring openings in sea ice that enable whales to rise to the surface to breathe and birds to fish for food. Murres and Fulmars will soar overhead as you cruise in a Zodiac along the base of high cliffs. Thousands of seabirds nest in Nirjutiqavvik National Wildlife Area established to protect wildlife of the Lady Ann Strait polynya along the island’s southern shore. Be sure to carry your camera and binoculars!
Day 4 : Grise Fjord
The only settlement on Ellesmere Island is Grise Fjord. The citizens of Aujuittuq – the place that never thaws – will entertain and educate you with cultural demonstrations that are based on 4,000 years of tradition. The tiny hamlet – the most northerly community in Canada – has only 140 residents – that is slightly more than 1 resident per traveler aboard our icebreaker.
Day 5 : At Sea in Smith Sound
Smith Sound separates Greenland from Ellesmere Island. An international boundary runs up the middle. As the expedition moves northward you will be sailing through Canadian waters. When the ship begins its southbound journey, you will cross the invisible boundary into the home-ruled state of Greenland.
Day 6 : Kane Basin
You should reach the furthest north of this voyage today. We anticipate that you will be about 10 degrees from the North Pole. Now that is the High Arctic!
While pushing northward the Expedition Team will talk about Elisha Kane, after whom the Basin is named. An American from a prominent family, he earned his medical degree, then joined the US Navy, as an Assistant Surgeon. In 1850, he became the senior medical officer of the Grinnell Arctic expedition. His illustrious career as an Arctic explorer had begun. Sixty years before Shackleton, Kane abandoned an icebound ship to lead his men on an 83-day march across the frozen Arctic to Upernavik, Greenland. Although they were carrying invalids, Kane only lost one man on the journey in what is acknowledged as one of the greatest feats of Arctic exploration.
The ice north of the Kane Basin is impenetrable most of the year. Sometimes an icebreaker can push farther north, if the local conditions are just right. Our Expedition Leader will consult with the icebreaker’s Captain to determine if the vessel should attempt a northward push.
Day 7 : Fort Conger
In sharp contrast to the success of Kane, Aldolphus Greeley lost 19 of 25 men. Tales of cannibalism tainted the reputation of the survivors. You will visit Fort Conger, which was established originally by Greeley, and rebuilt by explorer Robert Peary as a base camp for one of his Arctic expeditions. You will explore Fort Conger, and learn of Greely, Peary and others who followed Kane’s route to the Arctic Ocean.
Day 8 : Dobbin Bay
The glacier and landscape of Dobbin Bay have inspired artists and photographers. You will experience it from the deck and from the air. Kapitan Khlebnikov is equipped with two passenger helicopters that are used for ice reconnaissance, shore transfers and, as they will be in Dobbin Bay, aerial sightseeing. There is no extra charge for group transfers and sightseeing by helicopter!
Day 9 : 6,500 Years of Human History in the Arctic
At about the same time as the nomadic tribesmen of Central Asia were domesticating the horse – 4500 BCE – the Dorset People began to populate what is now the eastern Canadian Arctic. The Dorset were replaced by the Thule, who are the direct ancestors of the Inuit, the High Arctic’s indigenous people. On Skraeling Island, you will visit the remains of a Dorset community and learn of the meaning of the name the Vikings gave to the local inhabitants. On Pim Island, you will visit Starvation Camp, where 19 of Greeley’s 25 expedition members died before rescue. In one day, you will travel through six and half millennia of the development of humankind!
Day 10 : Greenland
After sailing across the international boundary, you will enter Greenland, home-ruled under the Danish flag since 1979. Politics play a significant role in the High Arctic of the 21st century. Politics will not be on the program in Qaanaaq. There the local people will introduce you to the distinct culture of the Greenlandic Arctic. Although the language sounds similar to that spoken in the Canadian Arctic, it is different. The broad smiles of welcome, however, are universal.
Day 11 : Melville Bay
There is a stone monument honoring Robert Peary on top of a glacier in Greenland, near Kap York (Cape York). The onboard helicopters will transfer you from the ship to the glacier – this unique opportunity is not possible on ordinary expedition ships, as access to the site is possible only from the air.
Day 12 : Baffin Island
After passing through Canadian Customs, the people of Pond Inlet or Mittimatalik - as it has been called by the Inuit for thousands of years – will welcome you to the Artist’s Co-operative. In addition to the international reputation for the art they produce, the people of “Pond” earn their living fishing for Arctic char. You will have time to take photos, explore the hamlet and hike the nearby tundra, before boarding the icebreaker.
Day 13 : Beechey Island
Lancaster Sound is the eastern end of the fabled Northwest Passage. You will go ashore on Beechey Island, where the first evidence was found that something had gone awry with Sir John Franklin’s search for the route to the orient. Three members of Franklin’s crew were buried on the island. Their grave markers are silent witness to the tragedy that continues to consume the imagination of Arctic travelers to this very day.
Day 14 : Resolute
Bid the land of the midnight sun adieu. You return to the world of night and day in Ottawa, where you will sleep through your first full night of darkness in two weeks.
Day 15 : Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
After breakfast, depart for home from Canada’s national capital.
Ship Description: Kapitan Khlebnikov
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Kapitan Khlebnikov breaking ice
The KAPITAN KHLEBNIKOV was built in Finland in 1981 and is a powerful polar class icebreaker, which has sailed to extremely remote corners of the globe with adventurous travelers since 1992. No other expedition vessel has navigated more polar waters. It was the first ship ever to circumnavigate Antarctica with passengers in 1996-97.
The ship's interior provides passenger facilities necessary for excellent comfort, with accommodations in 54 first class outside cabin and suites. The vessel carries a maximum of 112 passengers.
All cabins are outside, with windows that can be opened for fresh or cooler air. In addition, passengers may control the flow of air into the cabin by adjusting the vent. Each cabin has a private bathroom with shower, toilet and wash-basin. Cabin floors are carpeted. The cabins have ample cupboard and drawer space, and a large desk. The second bed in each cabin is a convertible sofa bed, which is made up each night by the stewardess and converted back into a sofa during the day. Triple cabins have two lower berths and one upper berth. Each cabin is equipped with an 'in-cabin' music system. All cabins have robes for use while on board, which will be collected on the last day of the voyage. These are available for purchase if passengers wish to take one home.
There is ample storage space under the beds to store most luggage. If not, passengers should alert the cabin stewardess who can store it for the duration of the voyage. Hair dryers, quality soap and shower gel are available in each cabin.
Triple135 sq. ft. Cabins include twin bunk beds and a convertible sofa, writing desk, chair, bookshelves, storage box, telephone, and porthole or window |
Twin135 sq. ft. Cabins include one twin bed and a convertible sofa, writing desk, chair, bookshelves, 2 wardrobes, storage box, telephone, and porthole or window |
Suite193 sq. ft. Cabin includes separate living area, TV/VCR, refrigerator, convertible sofa, double bed 2 desks, 2 chairs, bookshelves, storage box, telephone, 2 wardrobes, and picture window |
Corner Suite285 sq. ft. Cabin includes separate living area, TV/VCR, refrigerator, convertible sofa, double bed 2 desks, 2 chairs, bookshelves, storage box, telephone, 2 wardrobes, and picture window |
