Kangerlussuaq - Kangerlussuaq Expedition Canadian Arctic and north-west Greenland: where the logbook reads like an adventure novel

The fascination of the Arctic can hardly be fully grasped through travel reports or films. It must be experienced for yourself – and the HANSEATIC spirit makes it possible. With the Greenlandic greeting “Tikilluarit”, the world’s largest island welcomes you to nature adventures. Your first stop is Uummannaq, with its colourful houses and the striking backdrop of a heart-shaped, reddish-shimmering mountain. From here you continue northwards, visiting places where polar explorers once made history – now you do the same. Draw back the curtain on the Canadian Arctic and coax from it its captivating secrets. The conditions are ideal: the highest ice class for passenger ships and the many years of experience of the captain and crew.

The pioneering spirit of the namesake William Baffin surrounds Baffin Island with deep fjords, high cliffs, lakes, and glaciers that shape the landscape. With the HANSEATIC spirit and its Zodiacs, you experience these impressions up close and actively. Devon Island, the largest uninhabited island on Earth, appears rocky, dry, and with reddish soil. In Dundas Harbor, a deserted station of the “Mounties,” Canada’s mounted police, stands as a silent witness to this isolation. Along striking cliffs, keep watch for polar bears, musk oxen, and snow hares. The HANSEATIC spirit continues its journey northward, reaching the southern coast of Ellesmere Island. Unique Arctic panoramas unfold before you. Heading north, the ship enters Smith Sound between Greenland and Canada. How far can the ship advance here? Should a visit to Pim Island succeed, you can trace the drama of the Greely Expedition, which fell victim to the icy winter on this small rocky island in 1884. With luck, you may once again spot polar bears from the deck. To the north, the Nares Strait marks the route by which polar explorer Robert Edwin Peary reached the North Pole for the first time in 1909.

Hardly any other ship navigates the northwest of Greenland, making it a privilege to discover places hidden from most people. In Qaanaaq, follow in the footsteps of polar explorer Knud Rasmussen, who launched numerous expeditions in the region. Until the 20th century, you could have reached the geomagnetic pole at Etah, though today it lies further west. Still, the deserted settlement exerts a magnetic pull on your pioneering spirit. Knud Rasmussen and Robert Edwin Peary established their base camps here. At Cape York, encounter icebergs against a backdrop of spectacular landscapes.

The Disko Bay offers even more unforgettable experiences: ice sculptures in countless shapes drift slowly across the wide expanse. Enjoy this natural spectacle from your premium deck seat—or get right into the action on a Zodiac cruise. Bathed in sunlight, the ice glows in a fascinating play of colors from white to azure blue. If conditions allow, the journey continues to the world-famous Ilulissat Icefjord. Here you witness one of the most active glaciers in the world releasing majestic icebergs into the fjord—a breathtaking UNESCO World Heritage site. For insights into Nordic life and Inuit culture, the final stop is Sisimiut. By the end, the previously blank pages of your personal logbook will be filled with countless Arctic chapters.