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HIGHLIGHTS
A quick look about this trip!
DURATION
16 DAYS
COMFORT
LANGUAGE
RATING
  • Retrace the paths of early polar explorers on the ultimate Arctic paddling adventure 
  • Intermediate kayaking with some intermediate day hikes 
  • 13 nights wilderness camping in tents, 2 nights hotel (hotel cost on your own)
ACTIVITIES ON THIS TRIP
Primary: Hiking, Sea Kayaking, Camping
Other: Glaciers, Wildlife
$10590USD
Prices vary by date. Make sure to pick your departure date.
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8 SPOTS AVAILABLE
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ONGOING PROMOTIONS
"Get 5% off when you book with AdventureLink before May 31st, 2012!"
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Applies to Departures Between:
4/25/2012 and 1/1/2013
Promotion lasts :
From 4/25/2012 To 6/1/2012
TRIP MAP
See the locations you'll visit!

Canadian Arctic: Kayaking the Fjords of Ellesmere

Ellesmere is one of the world's most pristine wilderness areas. In this dramatic fjordland, located northwest of Greenland at nearly 80° North latitude, we retrace the footsteps of the earliest polar explorers, and in our kayaks we travel as the ancestral Inuit might have done.
During the past 25 years we have conducted many kayak expeditions on Ellesmere Island, and we remain convinced that this trip is the ultimate adventure for sea kayakers and Arctic aficionados alike. Ellesmere is one of the world's most pristine wilderness areas. In this dramatic fjordland, located northwest of Greenland at nearly 80° North latitude, we retrace the footsteps of the earliest polar explorers, and in our kayaks we travel as the ancestral Inuit might have done. Paddling among calving glaciers and icebergs, our expeditions pass by numerous habitation and hunting sites of prehistoric peoples. Strewn along this coast are myriad ruins of the Thule culture, people who lived along these shores a thousand years ago. Only wildlife lives on this land now, and we may see musk oxen and Arctic fox. 

The region is a polar desert, with dry, mild summers despite the extreme latitude. Twenty-four-hour sunlight enhances the photographic potential of the landscape, with magical backlighting of delicate woolly flowers or the glistening spray plumes of walrus and narwhal blowing in the fjords during the wee hours of dawn. Glacial valleys are a colorful counterpoint to the rock and ice, a summer carpet of green tundra, sedges, willows and bright Arctic poppies. 

Despite the remoteness of Ellesmere, it abounds with captivating human history. In 1991 we were the first modern-day adventurers to visit Cape Sabine, the profoundly stirring site where polar explorer Adolphus Greely overwintered with his 25 starving U.S. soldiers in 1883-84 (the National Geographic Society commemorated this site with a bronze plaque in 1923). 

A few of our trips have visited the memorial cairn of the sole expedition member lost during Otto Sverdrup’s four years of High Arctic exploration. 

 The Royal Canadian Mounted Police also have a colorful history in this part of Ellesmere, beginning in the 1920s with the Polar Inuit. These Greenland Inuit, descendants of the prehistoric Thule culture, were assigned as special constables in the police force, patrolling across Ellesmere and foraying south to Grise Fiord by dogsled to get mail and supplies. Today the RCMP installations are abandoned, but the buildings and campsites remain as a testament to the fortitude of the Mounties. 

Nothing is more striking than the raw landscape of the Ellesmere fjordlands. No place surpasses its sheer, wild beauty and profound stillness. The two weeks we spend among these spectacular ice-choked waters, hanging glaciers, crystalline air and Arctic wildlife are often life-changing. 

Physical Activities: This trip is rated intermediate. Our expert guides excel at determining how and where to travel with your safety and comfort paramount. On most days, we will paddle to our next camp. This means we will pack up camp each morning and move our kayaks to the water. Day hikes are optional. Hikes take place on an Arctic tundra landscape with no defined trails. In some places, frost heaves have created hummocks on the terrain that will make walking somewhat awkward. The trip is designed to include lots of unstructured time and personal space to absorb the peace and beauty of our remarkable surroundings. 

Our Fjords of Ellesmere expedition utilizes two-person Prijon and Necky plastic kayaks. These kayaks are remarkably stable and seaworthy craft that are specially designed for expeditionary travel in ocean environments. By using double kayaks, we are able to balance the group with respect to paddling power and experience, as it is of utmost importance on any expedition that the group stick together. This is an important safety feature, and similarly enhances the enjoyment for the entire group. 

All of our kayak expeditions begin with a comprehensive introduction from the guides. During this orientation guides review equipment, safety measures and rules, demonstrate paddling strokes, and discuss rescue procedures. After this introduction, we find that people adapt to the paddling skills required. Every individual will with launching and beaching the kayaks. We pride ourselves on helping first-time sea-kayakers fall in love with the sport! 

Trip participants must expect the possibility of paddling for sustained periods (4 to 5 hours per day on average, although time will depend on water conditions). Our progress may be blocked by sea ice for hours at a time, and participants are advised that wind or sea ice may interrupt our kayak travels at any point during the course of this expedition. 

These trips are inherently exploratory in nature and require from participants a commitment to group unity and a willingness to face the unexpected and overcome challenges. While we never intend to kayak during rough conditions, we cannot guarantee that we will not encounter such conditions while out on the water. All participants must be prepared for adverse conditions such as strong winds and temperature fluctuations. The individual and collective success of this expedition depends upon each applicant assessing his or her own abilities to decide whether participation in a trip of this nature is appropriate. If you have any questions or doubts about your suitability for this trip, please give us a call.
Day 1: Arrive Resolute Bay, Nunavut
We fly north together as a group from Ottawa to Resolute Bay (cost of flight not included). Upon arrival we transfer to our lodging. Resolute Bay was established in 1947 as a weather station and military airfield and today is a small Inuit hamlet of about 200 people. The second most northerly community in the world (only Grise Fjord on Ellesmere Island lies farther north), Resolute Bay sits at 75 degrees North on Cornwallis Island along the Northwest Passage.
Day 2: Resolute Bay to Ellesmere Island
Weather, pilot hours and aircraft permitting, we will board a chartered Twin Otter plane for a 3-hour flight to our drop-off site near Buchanan Bay on Ellesmere Island. On arrival we’ll have an orientation and set up camp.
Days 3 – 13: Sea Kayaking and Hiking the Fiords of Ellesmere
Ice conditions permitting, we will kayak along the coastline from our drop-off site to another site approximately 80 miles away. Our direction of travel each day will be governed by such factors as wind, ice, and tides, but some of the things we hope to see include the fantastic Thule winter village sites on Skraeling Island, as well as walrus hauled out on ice pans. We’ll paddle among a myriad of picturesque icebergs, then pull ashore to explore inland, looking for musk oxen and Arctic hare. Throughout the course of the trip our expert guides will provide informal commentary on the flora, geology, birdlife, and geographical features of the High Arctic.
Day 14: Ellesmere Island to Resolute Bay
Weather permitting, the group will be picked up by Twin Otter plane and flown back to Resolute Bay. Overnight Resolute Bay.
Day 15: Flights Home from Resolute Bay, Nunavut
As a group we are transferred to the airport for the flight south to Ottawa, where you will likely overnight before catching your flight home.
Day 16: Depart
TRIP INCLUDES
  • Expert leadership and support personnel  
  • Meals as noted (B=breakfast, L=lunch, D=dinner)   
  • Group airport transfers and Twin Otter charter as noted  
  • All group equipment including sea kayaks, paddles, survival suits, tents, cooking gear and safety equipment
TRIP DOES NOT INCLUDE
  • International airfare (R/T to Resolute Bay, Nunavut)  
  • Any extra expenses incurred due to delayed departures of chartered or scheduled flights   
  • Insurance of any kind including mandatory evacuation insurance or suggested cancellation insurance 
  • Any costs associated with an emergency evacuation from the trip  
  • Excess baggage charges  
  • Personal belongings and gear per ‘Clothing and Equipment List’
CANCELLATIONS: 20% cancellation fee applied if cancelled 60 days prior to departure. Cancellations within 60 days are 100% non-cancelable

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