EXPLORE THE FABLED NORTHWEST PASSAGE, WHERE WILDLIFE IS BOUNTIFUL

12-09-2008

AND WHERE AN ICEBREAKER BECOMES YOUR HOME

 

RESOLUTE, CANADA - Discover the Northwest Passage, the legendary northern seafaring route from North America to Asia.  It's an adventure that takes you aboard a comfortable ice-breaker into the "High Arctic,"

well north of the Arctic Circle. 

 

You'll visit the site where in 1845 Sir John Franklin, on an ill-fated search for the "Passage," was compelled to abandon ship and where Franklin and all 128 members of his crew lost their lives.  The expedition's two ships became trapped in the ice in Victoria Strait near King William Island.

 

 There's even the opportunity to kayak these waters, should you wish. Or simply pick a spot on deck to observe the region's bountiful wildlife.

 

Considered by some to be "The Serengeti of the Arctic," the Lancaster Sound is rich in exotic wildlife. Expect to see Narwhal, beluga, bowheads, polar bear and all sorts of birds. Many feed off the estimated 30,000 tons of cod known to exist in this area. Should conditions permit, the ship will follow a polar bear through the ice as it tracks ringed seals. This is a time to keep your binoculars handy to view the thousands of seabirds that feed in open stretches of water.

 

You'll be traveling aboard a luxurious modern ship, built to handle adverse ice conditions and with stabilizers to help deliver a comfortable ride. You'll learn that search for the Northwest Passage coincides with the history of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Hudson's Bay Company. A shipboard historian relates stories of the redcoats, the fur trade and the merchants who governed the Canadian Arctic for nearly two centuries.

 

Choose from two different itineraries, one of about a week's duration, the other providing a two-week vacation. Both have departures set for late August 2009.

 

These programs are offered by The Great Canadian Travel Company, North America's foremost experts in travel to the "Top of the World." It has spent more than a quarter of a century compiling unmatched expertise and "insider"

contacts for travel to off-the-beaten-track northern destinations such as Greenland, the Faroe Islands and Iceland.

 

A nine-day/eight-night itinerary is priced from US$5,895 per person (based on double occupancy), plus round-trip air charter Montreal/Resolute (US$1,795).

Accommodations are aboard the Lyubov Orlova, built in 1976 and upgraded in 2002. This spacious, comfortable, ice-strengthened motor vessel carries a maxim of 110 passengers and has passive stabilizers for smooth sailing. Also included are all shipboard meals, onboard lectures, shore excursions and Zodiac cruises, sightseeing with an English-speaking guide and group transfers and baggage handling throughout. Port dues are included. 

Departure is August 28, 2009.

 

Not included are five percent GST tax on cruises rate, round-trip airfare between Montreal and your home city and air taxes and fees. 

 

A 15-day/14-night itinerary is priced from US$6,990 per person (for twin shared facilities, US$7,390 (for twin semi-private) and US$7,990 (for twin private). Outboard charter flight Ottawa/Resolute and return Resolute/Edmonton, is priced at US$1,650; sea kayaking is an extra, priced at US$495.

 

Included is one night's accommodation (with breakfast) prior to departure at the legendary Fairmont Chateau Laurier in the heart of Canada's capital and an overnight stay at Edmonton, Alberta, prior to your flight home.

Accommodations are aboard the Akademik Ioffe, Scandinavian-built for the Russian Academy of Science.

 

Designed to travel quietly during hydro-acoustic research, the ship is exceptionally stable, yet maneuverable. The ice-breaker, with its reinforced hull, can carry up to 110 guests, with all cabins providing exterior views.

There is a dining room with unreserved seating, theater-style presentation room and lounge and bar, open late afternoon and evening with a wide selection of wine and spirits. A library has a collection of polar-themed books.

There is a gym, sauna and swimming pool.

 

Included are shipboard meals, shore excursions, helicopter transfers and aerial sightseeing according to each day's program. Passengers can take advantage of the expertise and local knowledge of an expedition team and are free to use loan equipment such as waterproof expedition boots for shore landings and expedition parkas.  Departure is August 24, 2009.

 

Reservations and additional information are available from Great Canadian Travel Company, 333 North Michigan Avenue, Suite 712, Chicago, Illinois 60601, 800-661-3830, www.greatcanadiantravel.com.

 

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