We loved the Antarctic trip on Viking’s Polaris so here we go again, this time to the other end of the world: Greenland and the Northwest Passage, sailing on the same Polaris vessel. We’ll have a full complement of naturalists on board to tell us what we’re about to see and then join us in the zodiacs to show us what we’re seeing. This will be a combination of experiencing the scenery of the Arctic Circle region, learning about the Europeans who sought an ice free passage to the Far East in the 1800s and learning about the native Inuit peoples who have lived there for tens of thousands of years. If only the Europeans could have overcome their superiority complexes, the Inuit could have showed the way and taught them how to live in the Arctic.
We’ll visit four villages on the western side of Greenland, then cross the Baffin Bay to the region of Canada that encompasses the Northwest Passage – a direct route from Europe to the Pacific, bypassing Cape Horn at the other end of the globe. We’ll visit four sites, mostly by zodiac landings led by the naturalists . Then back to Greenland and Boston via a charter flight to Baltimore.
The Starting point is Greenland’s administrative center, Nuuk (can’t call it a capitol, even though it is). Turns out Nuuk is one of those “can’t get there from here” places. We have to fly seven hours east from Boston to Copenhagen and then back four hours west to Nuuk. Since an overnight is needed in Copenhagen, we decided to do two nights there to see the sights and allow for flight delays. Time shifts? Gain six to Copenhagen and lose three to Nuuk. Color us even more befuddled than usual.
We leave from Boston on August 21 and return September 6, 2026.
Here’s a map of our itinerary:
As usual, I’ll try to make a blog posting each day, Internet connections and my body permitting. Youi’ll get an email from me each time I make a posting. If you’ve been getting emails from me on previous trips they’ll come automatically. If you’d like to. Be added to the list, or have someone who’d like to come along for the ride, send me the names and emails.If you don’t want the emails, let me know.