Baffin Bay: An Exclusive Cruise with The Explorers Club

Remote, untouched, and seen by few travelers, Baffin Bay on Greenland’s western coast is the kind of destination that piques the curiosity of the most experienced explorers. So it stands to reason that PONANT is collaborating with The Explorer’s Club to bring you to its steel-blue waters and stunning shores. Here’s a preview of its natural and cultural beauty.

Baffin Bay stretches between the west coast of Greenland and the far northern shores of Canada. Despite its seclusion and harsh winters, humans have called it home since 500 BC, while the first Europeans – likely Vikings – are thought to have arrived anywhere between the 10th and 15th centuries. The first European on record to sail its waters, Englishman John Davis, did so in 1585. 

Fast forward to 1612, when a group of English merchants who gave themselves the rather long-winded name, “Company of Merchants of London, Discoverers of the Northwest Passage,” came in search of a route to the Far East. Icy waters prevented the expeditions from going too far north, so attempts to reach Asia were abandoned. But, with a dedication that The Explorer’s Club would have admired had they been established, much of the region was charted for future voyagers. One of those regions was Baffin Bay, named for a pilot of one of those expedition ships, William Baffin.

A Magnificent Untouched Arctic Wilderness

The sheer beauty of Baffin Bay is that much of it remains as unspoiled today as those “Company Merchants of London” found it 400 years ago. On the Canadian side of the bay, ice floes drift on a glassy surface in countless shades of blue and white, casting a magical sheen in the polar light. You’ll enjoy the rare privilege of cruising through these icy waters, perhaps spotting the polar bears that hunt for their next meals on the floating tables of ice. 

Meanwhile, along the coast of Greenland, countless icebergs flow into the smaller Disko Bay from the Ilulissat Icefjord, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Disko Bay forms the mouth of Sermeq Kujalleq, one of Greenland’s few glaciers to reach the sea. Its icy deposits contribute to an ever-shifting seascape that’s as awe-inspiring as it is imposing. 

To be sure, a warmer climate has exposed more flora and basalt rock along the coast of Baffin Bay than explorers of old ever saw. But wildlife still teems in these waters and on these shores. And the icy wilderness, dramatic deep-cut fjords, and otherworldly landscapes still take the breath away. During your PONANT luxury expedition, you’ll set out in Zodiacs and kayaks for a closer look.

Captivating Landscapes

Some have compared the terrain of the desert island of Akulleq to a moonscape. Its ochre, yellow, and orange hues certainly look like they belong on another planet. These rocks and soils are rich in minerals and they strike a stunning contrast with the sky-blue waters that lap at their shores. A hike to the highest point reveals a breathtaking landscape of scenic islands and white icebergs mingling in the bay. More stunning vistas greet you at Orpit, where hardy flora thrives despite a high latitude. Magnificent fjords, rolling hills, islets, and tundra unfurl from this mainland port of exceptional biodiversity.

Historic Sites of Arctic Research and Lore

Near the southernmost tip of Disko Island, the fishing community of Qeqertarsuaq still thrives as it has since the days of the paleo-Eskimo millennia ago. Many of today’s hunters inherited skills across generations, learning lessons passed down from the whaling trade that began here in the 18th century. Today, the tiny village of colorful houses rests on a basalt expanse that’s overlooked by a dramatic table mountain. Nearby, the Arctic Station research center, founded in 1906, hosts naturalists from all over the world.  

Another expedition site, the Paul-Émile Victor base camp, is named for the French explorer. His 1951 survey of Greenland concluded that, underneath the ice sheet, the island is actually composed of three smaller islands. His love affair with Greenland began 20 years before this bold declaration, when he crossed the territory by dogsled. We pause to visit Victor’s shelter, and to view the Eqi Glacier that no doubt fascinated him with its colossal height and its roaring, cracking ice.

Cape York, too, is associated with Arctic exploration. Here, American explorer and Explorer’s Club member Robert Peary (who claimed to have been the first human to reach the geographic North Pole) discovered the Innaanganeq meteorite. In total, its pieces have a mass of 58 tons. Large fragments of the rock are at the American Museum of Natural History and the University of Copenhagen Geological Museum.

Authentic and Traditional Fishing Villages

You’ll witness the daily lives of Greenlanders when you visit rustic Kullorsuaq and Savissivik. The multi-colored wooden houses of these tiny traditional villages are home to some of the last true fishermen and hunters on Greenland. Fur seals, walruses, narwhals, and whales are all hunted here as they have been for generations, helping locals eke out a living in their remote setting. In Kullorsuaq, many also make a living from sewing the furs and skins of the day’s catch. Savassivik, meanwhile, shares a notoriety with Cape York: Fragments of that Innaanganeg meteorite landed here, too. But the real draw of Savassivik is the iceberg graveyard just offshore, the largest in Greenland. Think of this ice-dotted bay as the place where icebergs go to melt. Remarkably, scientists say that the sediment released from the melting ice can teach them about the climatic past.

Join PONANT and The Explorer’s Club as we combine our expertise and reveal the splendid wonders in and around Baffin Bay.