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19 Night In the Heart of the Northwest Passage

From Kangerlussuaq to Kangerlussuaq

L'Austral

Ponant Cruises

Cruise #: 13933068
Departs: Mon, Aug 31, 2026
Returns: Sat, Sep 19, 2026

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Oceanview		$23,470
Balcony		$25,200
Suite		$41,210

*Prices are per person based on double occupancy

Includes taxes & fees

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Itinerary Summary

Day by Day Details

Cruise Segment of Itinerary

Monday - Aug 31, 2026

Day
1

Kangerlussuaq, Greenland
Depart: 19:00:00

From 1941 to 1992, the town of Kangerlussuaq in Greenland was home to an American military base. Nowadays, thanks to its international airport, it has become a transit point for travellers seeking adventure in the Far North. Located to the north of the Arctic Circle, this town is the starting point of magnificent discoveries surrounded by unspoiled nature. Indeed, just a few dozen kilometres from there it is possible to get close to the Greenland ice sheet, the largest body of ice in the Northern Hemisphere. From Kangerlussuaq, admire also the superb landscapes of tundra in autumnal colours, where Arctic hares, musk oxen, Arctic foxes, reindeer, falcons, and eagles live. ...
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Tuesday - Sep 1, 2026

Day
2

Sisimiut, Greenland

During your cruise, we invite you to discover Sisimiut, the second-largest town in Greenland founded in 1756 and. This small town is typical of Greenland, boasting bewitching panoramas: here and there, colourful stilt houses dot the undulating landscape, and the small fishing port stands as the gateway to an icy realm. As for the town centre, it is home to a number of historic buildings, a small church, and a museum which retraces the history of the Inuit people, as well as many craft shops. When your ship drops anchor here, you will set out to meet the locals in a typically arctic atmosphere. ...
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Wednesday - Sep 2, 2026

Day
3

Kitsisarssuit, Greenland

The Dutch were the first to come and hunt whales on this island they called "isle of dogs" - Kitsissuarsuit in Greenlandic. Indeed, when they arrived there in the summertime, the inhabitants had left the island, leaving behind their dogs, and moved to the neighbouring fjords for a season of fishing. Kitsissuarsuit is considered to be the larder of the small town of Aasiaat, which is further away from the fishing areas, and the villagers still live self-sufficiently thanks to the marine resources, while trying to keep their age-old traditions alive. ...
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Thursday - Sep 3, 2026

Day
4

Cruising Ilulissat / Disko Bay, Greenland

Cruising Ilulissat / Disko Bay, Greenland

To the east of Baffin Bay, discover Disko Bay, scattered with countless icebergs produced by the Ilulissat Icefjord, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. From your ship, admire the majestic ballet of these ice giants as they slowly drift across the dark waters. This site is a natural marvel of Greenland, and is also renowned as an observation point for the region's many humpback whales. The encounters with wild fauna and stunning landscapes in the heart of this spectacular and fragile nature will be pure moments of wonder for you. ...
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Friday - Sep 4, 2026

Day
5

At Sea

During your journey at sea, make the most of the many services and activities on board. Treat yourself to a moment of relaxation in the spa or stay in shape in the fitness center. Depending on the season, let yourself be tempted by the swimming pool or a spot of sunbathing. As for lovers of the open sea, they will be able to visit the ship's upper deck to admire the spectacle of the waves and perhaps be lucky enough to observe marine species. A truly enchanted interlude, combining comfort, rest, and entertainment. ...
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Saturday - Sep 5, 2026

Day
6

Pond Inlet, Canada

On Baffin Island, located in northern Canada at the mouth of the famous Northwest Passage, there is a small Inuit settlement at the very bounds of infinity. To get there, cross the Arctic Circle, the imaginary line that separates man from lands of mystery and wonder. It's not so much the way of life that sets Pond Inlet's inhabitants apart, so much as the setting. Snow-capped mountains, fjords, and glaciers combine in a dazzling natural environment that fills space and expands time. Some discoveries change you forever: this is one of them. ...
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Sunday - Sep 6, 2026

Day
7

Queen Harbour, Nunavut, Canada

Monday - Sep 7, 2026

Day
8

Dundas Harbor, Canada

On the southern coast of Devon Island, Dundas Harbour, a Royal Canadian Mounted Police post in the early 20th century, keeps watch over the entrance to the Northwest Passage. This site has been frequented for centuries by the Inuit, who call it Talluruti - or "woman's chin with tattoos on it" in Inuktitut - in reference to the lines of the landscape which are reminiscent of their traditional tattoos. Its hills, covered in taiga reflecting greens, browns, and golds, are edged by the deep navy waters of a bay dotted with white and turquoise ice floe glistening in the sunlight. ...
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Crocker Bay, Canada

Tuesday - Sep 8, 2026

Day
9

Port Leopold, Canada

The Canadian Arctic Circle is home to one of the planet's best preserved natural sanctuaries: Somerset Island. This immaculate northern desert is renowned for its phenomenal landscapes, its midnight sun, and its huge tundra, where musk oxen roam. Covering 24,786 square kilometers (15,400 square miles), it is the Arctic Archipelago's ninth-largest island. Vegetation is rare except in some hollows and lowlands, where Peary caribou are common. ...
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Wednesday - Sep 9, 2026

Day
10

Fort Ross, Canada

Discover Fort Ross, the last trading post established by the Hudson's Bay Company. Constructed in 1937, it was used as a fur and whaling trading post at the same time. Fort Ross, located on a small island at the entrance to the Bellot Strait, is still home to this former store as well as the house for the manager and staff. The interior of these two buildings has been damaged over time and by the presence of polar bears. After a short walk towards the summits of the island, you will be able to enjoy a breathtaking panoramic view over the Bellot Strait and surrounding area. ...
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Cruising Bellot Strait, Canada

A key stage in the Northwest Passage, the Bellot Strait, crossed by strong currents, promises you an unforgettable sailing experience. The entrance to the strait is dominated by the Ross Cairn. The buildings of Fort Ross also stand not far from here. Separating Somerset Island from the Boothia Peninsula, this 2-kilometer-wide strait was discovered in 1852 by Captain William Kennedy of the Royal Navy, and the Frenchman Joseph-Rene Bellot, during an expedition in search of Sir John Franklin. Discover a magnificent decor covered in snow, fragmented by large ice floes. As you sail between them, your ship will perhaps be accompanied by a few polar bears. ...
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Thursday - Sep 10, 2026

Day
11

Coningham Bay, Canada

At the heart of the legendary Northwest Passage, discover the sheltered Coningham Bay in the south-east of Prince of Wales Island during an exceptional sailing. The surrounding waters, rich in nutrients brought in by the tides and currents, are home to cetaceans including beluga whales. The polar bear, lord of the Arctic, has also established its realm on this hunting ground where food tends to be abundant. When conditions are favorable, extraordinary encounters with the wildlife are possible in these isolated lands. ...
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Friday - Sep 11, 2026

Day
12

Prescott Island, Nunavut, Canada

Prescott Island is located between Somerset Island and Prince of Wales Island, in the heart of Peel Sound, and its shorelines provide a perfect playground for belugas. However, the opportunity to observe and listen to these "sea canaries" is not the only reason to scan the horizon: here, between the icebergs and the dramatic landscapes, you may also be able to spot polar bears, as well as summon up memories of Sir John Franklin, who was the first to cross Peel Sound in 1846 during his expedition in search of the Northwest Passage, followed in 1903 by Roald Amundsen, who was the first to find a route through that passage! ...
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Saturday - Sep 12, 2026

Day
13

Beechey Island, Canada

Beechey Island, at the eastern end of Resolute Bay, will call to mind some of the most important moments of Franklin's expedition. Sir John set off in 1845 in search of the mythical Northwest Passage and was forced to take shelter in Erebus Harbour for two long years, while he waited for the ice floes to recede and allow him a way through. It is a spectacular location; seeing the three wooden grave markers, bleached by the sun (indicating the burial places of at least three of Captain Franklin's men), and visiting the memorial that has been erected in memory of Franklin and his men can only reinforce the hushed sense of reverence. If the surrounding wilderness impresses us, the ochre and yellows of the rocky desert soften the landscape. ...
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Devon Island, Canada

Located in Baffin Bay, Devon Island is part of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Anchored on the Arctic Cordillera, its rocky surface, similar to that of Mars, is of great interest to scientists. Robert Bylot and William Baffin were the first Europeans to sight Devon Island in 1616 but it would be mapped two centuries later by the British sailor William E. Parry, who named it after the eponymous English region. Around 1920, the Hudson's Bay Company set up a fur-trading outpost there, until the departure of the Inuits in 1936. A new attempt to populate it was made at the beginning of the 1950s. Only a few buildings in ruins, vestiges of that time, remain today. ...
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Sunday - Sep 13, 2026

Day
14

Arctic Harbour, Aulitiving Island, Nunavut, Canada

Arctic Harbour is on the small island of Aulitiving, barely 15 km long and 5 km wide, at the entrance to Isabella Bay. A major whale hunting site, this small natural harbour still has remnants from those times, notably some whaler graves. This port of call will be the opportunity to go for a lovely hike in the heart of the Arctic tundra, and perhaps to reach the highest point of the island, located at an altitude of 410 metres. ...
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Monday - Sep 14, 2026

Day
15

At Sea

Tuesday - Sep 15, 2026

Day
16

North Arm Fjord, Antarctica

The ship makes its way deeper into the fjord, leaving you free to admire the spectacular geological formations that plunge abruptly into the emerald-green waters of Baffin Bay. When the temperature rises and the ice begins to melt, Nunavut becomes of the best places in the world to observe the wildlife of the Arctic. Be on the lookout for polar bears, which hide away amongst the scree to seek out the freshness of the permafrost. On the water's surface, you could get the chance to glimpse the tusk of a narwhal, or perhaps the silhouette of an orca or a bowhead whale. And in the sky, it is not uncommon to see a colony of Arctic fulmars with their impressive wingspan gliding near the ship. ...
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Wednesday - Sep 16, 2026

Day
17

Icy Arm Fjord, Canada

The east coast of Baffin Island is a real lacework of fjords. Among them, in the north, is the spectacular Icy Arm Fjord. As you sail these parts, you'll be dazzled by the immense cliffs that are sometimes over 1,000 metres high. This is a paradise for base jumping (parachute jumping from the top of the cliffs). During your stop here, you will have the opportunity to hike at the feet of these mountains and within the glacial valleys. Keep your eyes open when you get back on your boat: you'll probably get the chance to observe marine mammals, such as whales, orcas, and even narwhals. ...
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Thursday - Sep 17, 2026

Day
18

At Sea

Friday - Sep 18, 2026

Day
19

Evighetens Fjord

Your ship glides slowly along the water towards the west coast of Greenland to enter Evighedsfjorden, just a few kilometres south of Kangerlussuaq. Evighedsfjorden means "the fjord of eternity", and for good reason: just when you think you've reached the end of this stretch of sea measuring over 100 kilometres in length, it seems to go on forever, as though to bring even more pleasure to those sailing in it. The spectacular scenery ranges from glaciers to tundra with an abundant flora, and jagged cliffs where numerous bird species have taken up residence. Take the time to observe the white-tailed eagles and the colonies of seagulls and black-legged kittiwakes flying overhead in the area. ...
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Saturday - Sep 19, 2026

Day
20

Kangerlussuaq, Greenland

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