Baffin & Greenland & Solar Eclipse
aboard Akademik Loffe

Duration:	13 days/ 12 nights
Dates:	July 22 - August 3, 2008
Cost:	starting at $4,500 pp. USD

ITINERARY Day 1 - Embarkation: Iqaluit You can add charter air transportation from Ottawa to Iqaluit to your package. If you do so, a transfer from a pre-arranged location in Ottawa to the airport is included. Day 2 - Monumental Island If there is pack ice near the island, then we’ll be on the alert for walrus and polar bear. The survival of both marine mammals depends on the presence of pack ice. Day 3 - Pangnirtung, Baffin Island Inuit art is coveted by art collectors around the world. Our exploration of “Pang” includes a visit to the Artists’ Co-op to learn the importance of print-making and weaving to the local economy. Pangnirtung is the only community on the shores of Cumberland Sound, which is about 250 km (155 miles) long and 80 km (49 miles) wide. Belugas and orcas frequent the massive sound, so we’ll be keeping watch. Day 4 - Davis Strait Our Adventure Ship will sail across Davis Strait to Greenland. En route, we will cross the Arctic Circle to enter a world of virtually continuous daylight. Some of the deepest waters in the Eastern Arctic are in southern Davis Strait, which is name for John Davis, who explored the area nearly 425 years ago. Days 5-7 - From Sisimiut to Uummannaq, Greenland Perhaps the most significant difference between the Canadian Arctic and Greenland is the production of icebergs. More are produced in Greenland than any other area in the Arctic. Ilulissat – Greenlandic for iceberg – one of the island’s most productive icefjords has been designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. We plan to explore the town at the head of the fjord as well as cruise among the icebergs. Days 8-9 - Baffin Bay While we sail to Greenland via Baffin Bay our Expedition Team will deliver illustrated presentations about Arctic wildlife, its indigenous peoples, and the life cycle of ice. Days 10-11 - Devon Island and Solar Eclipse At Dundas Harbour, we will explore an abandoned Royal Canadian Mounted Police outpost, nestled among tundra covered hills. The Expedition Leader will be reviewing charts and weather reports to identify the best location to view the solar eclipse. According to NASA, the event should occur August 1, 2008 at 04:20. Our goal will be to go ashore on the northeastern tip of Somerset Island, near Port Leopold. From there we hope to get an excellent northerly view of the eclipse. The event should occur just above the horizon, northwest of Port Leopold. Following the eclipse and a morning nap, we will visit Prince Leopold Island’s towering limestone cliffs. They are renowned as a breeding ground for many species of Arctic seabirds. If the conditions are right, we’ll see thousands of birds in flight or at rest on the cliffs. Day 12 - Beechey Island In 1845, three members of Sir John Franklin’s expedition in search of the Northwest Passage died on Beechey Island. Their grave markers are silent reminders of the sacrifice explorers made to find the northern sea route to the Orient. Day 13 - Disembarkation: Resolute NOTE All rates are per person in US dollars based on twin occupancy (except rate for single occupancy). Please ask about our request share program. Triple cabins are identical to twins but with a third pull down berth. RATES INCLUDE · Voyage aboard the Akademik Loffe as indicated in the itinerary. · All meals throughout the voyage aboard the ship. · All shore excursions and activities throughout the voyage by Zodiac. · Program of lectures by noted naturalists and leadership by experienced expedition staff. · All miscellaneous service taxes and port charges throughout the program. · Comprehensive pre-departure materials and Arctic handbook. · Detailed post-expedition log. NOT INCLUDED Airfares to or from the gateway city, whether on scheduled or charter flights; passport and visa expenses; government arrival and departure taxes; meals ashore and supplement for single hotel accommodations; baggage, cancellation and personal insurance (which is strongly recommended); excess baggage charges and all items of a personal nature such as laundry, bar and beverage charges and telecommunication charges; and the customary gratuity at the end of the voyage for stewards and other service personnel aboard (guidelines will be provided).