L'Austral baffin bay cruise canada

Baffin Bay Secrets

  • Overview

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    Set sail aboard L'Austral for a memorable 14-day expedition cruise to the discovery of Baffin Bay. You will embark in Kangerlussuaq for an unforgettable journey in the heart of the most magnificent Arctic landscapes.  

    The first destination is the North-West coast of Greenland which will welcome you with its majestic icebergscolourful villages encircled by mountains and its basalt formations. This is the ideal opportunity for meeting the local population and learning about Greenland Inuit culture.  

    The North of Greenland will then reveal its remote villages of peat houses where the last bear hunters and narwhal fishers live in the middle of the Arctic tundra according to their ancestral traditions. You will also see the remains of ancient Inuit civilisations and will discover Savissivik, the largest “iceberg graveyard” in Greenland.

    During the last days of your cruise, L'Austral will sail along the eastern coast of Baffin Island, in the Nunavut, Canada. With its immense cliffs, bird colonies and fjords, this destination will definitely delight you.

    Duration: 14 days
    Passengers: 260 passengers
    Embarkation Point: Paris, France
    Disembarkation Point: Paris, France
    Physical rating: Soft Adventure
    Fly/Cruise: Mandatory extra flight
    Single Supplement: Unavailable
  • Itinerary
    • Day 1 - Kangerlussuaq, Greenland

      From 1941 to 1992, the town of Kangerlussuaq in Greenland was home to an American military base. Nowadays, thanks to its international airport, it has become a transit point for travellers seeking adventure in the Far North. Located to the north of the Arctic Circle, this town is the starting point of magnificent discoveries surrounded by unspoiled nature. Indeed, just a few dozen kilometres from there it is possible to get close to the Greenland ice sheet, the largest body of ice in the Northern Hemisphere. From Kangerlussuaq, admire also the superb landscapes of tundra in autumnal colours, where Arctic hares, musk oxen, Arctic foxes, reindeer, falcons and eagles live.

      *** Please Note: This voyage begins and ends in Paris, France ***

    • Day 2 - AT SEA

      During your day at sea, make the most of the many services and activities on board. Treat yourself to a moment of relaxation in the spa or stay in shape in the fitness centre. Depending on the season, let yourself be tempted by the swimming pool or a spot of sunbathing. This day without a port of call will also be an opportunity to enjoy the conferences or shows proposed on board, to do some shopping in the boutique or to meet the photographers in their dedicated space. As for lovers of the open sea, they will be able to visit the ship’s upper deck to admire the spectacle of the waves and perhaps be lucky enough to observer marine species. A truly enchanted interlude, combining comfort, rest and entertainment.

    • Day 3 - PAUL-ÉMILE VICTOR BASE CAMP, EQI GLACIER & Ilulissat

      "The most beautiful place in the Arctic" is how Paul-Émile Victor described Greenland, a land of great table icebergs and of towering ice formations calved by the giant glaciers of the polar ice cap. The Eqi Glacier is one of the region’s most impressive sights. Here, the silence is broken only by the roaring and cracking of the ice. It is impossible to know if one is shivering from cold or from the sheer thrill of being here... Imagine the vast outline of a glacier, its translucent crystals glowing with an ice-blue fire in the sunlight. Paul-Émile Victor’s shelter cannot be overlooked; it was from here that the French Polar Expeditions’ anthropological and geographic explorations set off in the 1950s.

      At the heart of Disko Bay - a UNESCO World Heritage Site - the Ilulissat Icefjord provides an extraordinary spectacle of almost surreal beauty, with the largest icebergs of the northern hemisphere. The sculptural icebergs continue their timeless journey, shimmering with their eternal light. Vast pieces of ice break off from the bergs and rejoin the inexorable movement of the sea. Close by lies the town of Ilulissat, the region’s principal destination. Encircled by icebergs, it has retained a unique mix of traditional Arctic life, with multicoloured wooden houses, huskies and the leather tanners who still work today using the ancient methods of their ancestors.

    • Day 4/5 - UPERNAVIK FJORD & KULLORSUAQ

      Well beyond the Arctic Circle, in the majestic landscapes of Greenland’s Northwest, you will find the village of Kullorsuaq, the last bastion of Greenland’s traditional hunters. Here is where you will find Greenland’s true character… Vast mineral expanses, sumptuous mountains, impressive glaciers and, above all, the local population which still lives off fishing and seal or bear hunting. Hospitality and respect for nature are essential elements in the daily lives of these men, who live an austere life. When we drop anchor in this remote part of the world, set off to discover these friendly people who are also talented craftsmen, deftly sewing the furs and skins of marine mammals. This will be a unique and authentic experience.

    • Day 6 - SAVISSIVIK

      Some places in this world are so magical that their beauty cannot be described in words… Savissivik, a small Inuit village with less than a hundred inhabitants, is one such place. Rightly considered to be the biggest iceberg graveyard in Greenland, it is a stunning sight to behold. During your Zodiac® outing, you will sail between these icy giants. Once on land, you can hike to a viewpoint from which to enjoy breathtaking views over these icebergs, which come in an incredibly diverse range of shapes and colours. Photographers will love it. Savissivik Bay attracts many bears and is also known for having been the home of one of the world’s biggest meteorites, but the latter has now been moved to a museum in New York.

    • Day 7 - QAANAAQ (THULE)

      Welcome to Greenland’s northernmost town. With some 600 inhabitants, Qaanaaq, which is also called “New Thule”, perfectly illustrates the quintessence of Inuit culture. Shrouded in darkness during the long winter months, this town, where most people get around by dog sled, was created in the 1950s. The Inuit, who at the time lived some one hundred kilometres further south, were forced to settle here after an American air base was created in their home village.

    • Day 8 - Pond Inlet, Nunavut

      On Baffin Island, located in northern Canada at the mouth of the famous NorthWest Passage, there is a small Inuit settlement at the very bounds of infinity. To get there, cross the Arctic Circle, the imaginary line that separates man from lands of mystery and wonder. It’s not so much the way of life that sets Pond Inlet’s inhabitants apart, so much as the setting. Snow-capped mountains, fjords and glaciers combine in a dazzling natural environment that fills space and expands time. Some discoveries change you forever: this is one of them.

    • Day 9 - SAM FORD FJORD, NUNAVUT

      All around you is a raw landscape of spectacular beauty. Nothing seems to want to disturb the silence. You are in the Sam Ford Fjord, on the east coast of Baffin Island. Located only a few kilometres away from the Inuit community of Clyde River, this fjord has the kind of world’s end appearance that only the Arctic lands can offer. From your ship, allow yourself to be dazzled by the series of vertiginous cliffs plunging into the waters of the fjord. These impressively high walls of rock, known worldwide to climbing enthusiasts, are reflected in the waters of the fjord, as though to completely shift perspectives and blur the lines between land and sea.

    • Day 10 - ISABELLA BAY, NINGINGANIQ WILDLIFE AREA

      Welcome to the kingdom of the cetaceans! Here, those who love the giants of the Arctic won’t know where to look. Isabella Bay is in fact part of the Ninginganiq National Wildlife Area, one of the finest places to observe bowhead whales. From your ship, watch the sumptuous ballet performed by these impressive mammals. With undersea faults over 300 metres deep, Isabella Bay, located on the north-east coast of Baffin Island, attracts cetaceans which come here to feed. In addition to the bowhead whales, the uncontested stars of these parts, the Ninginganiq Wildlife Area is also home to ringed seals, narwhals, polar bears, king eiders, little auks and northern fulmars.

    • Day 11 - KIVITOO, NUNAVUT

      Located on the east coast of Baffin Island, in Nunavut, Kivitoo is a simultaneously calm and unsettling place that you will explore with your naturalist-guides. This former Inuit camp lying in the heart of a heathland landscape was abandoned in 1923. Here you will pass before a broken-down cabin surrounded by metal tanks that stored whale oil at the time when cetacean hunting was in full swing. You will see walrus skulls and the graves of Inuits, revealing their past presence. Kivitoo had its days of technological glory in the 1950s, with the installation of an American radar station on top of the mountain overlooking the area.

    • Day 13 - SISIMIUT

      During your cruise, we invite you to discover Sisimiut, founded in 1756 and the second largest town in Greenland. This small town is typical of Greenland, boasting bewitching panoramas: here and there, colourful stilt houses dot the undulating landscape, and the small fishing port stands as the gateway to an icy realm. As for the town centre, it is home to a number of historic buildings, a small church and a museum which retraces the history of the Inuit people, as well as many craft shops. When your ship drops anchor here, you will set out to meet the locals in a typically arctic atmosphere.

    • Day 14 - Kangerlussuaq, Greenland

      Disembark and board a charter flight to Paris.

      Flights included in the voyage;

      1) Flight Paris / Kangerlussuaq
      2) Flight Kangerlussuaq / Paris

    Please consider that our voyages are expeditionary in nature. This means, that there are no concrete itineraries, your captain and expedition leader will utilise their vast experience to chart the best course for your expedition depending on the climatic and environmental conditions. Mentioned highlights and wildlife cannot be guaranteed.

  • Adventure Activities

    Inspiring Inuit communities

    Baffin Island Inuit live on Baffin Island, the largest island in the Arctic Archipelago and in the territory of Nunavut. Baffin Island has been inhabited by the Inuit for thousands of years. Inuit from Baffin Island are descendants of the Thule, who expanded eastward across Canada from Alaska in the 12th and 13th centuries. The Baffin Island Inuit (like other modern Inuit) share biological and cultural links with their Thule ancestors.

  • Inclusions

    Dynamic Cabin Pricing

    Cabin prices on board this vessel are dynamic, that is the cabin pricing fluctuates with changes in bookings and exchange rates. Cabin prices below are not guaranteed and are subject to change and availability at the operators discretion. Please feel free to contact us for the most accurate pricing on this voyage.

    Expedition Gear

    Expedition boots and a specially designed high quality polar expedition jacket are provided on board.

    Charter Flights

    Return economy class charter flights are provided Paris-Kangerlussuaq-Paris with this expedition

    Inclusions / Exclusions

    Included in your Expedition

    Not included in your Expedition

    - Massage services
    - Gratuities
    - Internet and Wifi expenses
    - Airfares unless stated in the itinerary
    - Bar expenses
    - Laundry expenses
    - Mandatory waterproof gear not provided
    - Baggage / cancellation / interruption and medical travel insurance
    - Passport and Visa expenses
  • Map
    Screen shot 2017 07 05 at 2.16.28 pm
  • Gallery
  • Vessel

    L'AUSTRAL

    This superb mega-yacht with 132 cabins is the result of the expertise of the Italian Fincantieri shipyard and French sophistication, as interpreted by designer Jean-Philippe Nuel. L'Austral remains faithful to our philosophy - to create a unique atmosphere, a subtle blend of luxury, intimacy, and well-being. A sleek silhouette softened by elegantly smooth contours and large, arched windows opening up to the sea and the light: so many features come together to give L’Austral her distinctive shape. Precious materials, discreet elegance and a perfect balance between chic and casual, combine to make you feel as if you are on your own private yacht. A design blending tradition and innovation, where a nautical mood has been subtly recreated. A welcoming atmosphere of relaxed sophistication revolves around shades of grey, taupe, white and ivory enlivened by touches of cinnamon, caramel, and tan.. So many personal touches create the spirit of a “private yacht.” You will encounter unique itineraries, calls inaccessible to large ships, chic and elegant yacht-like ambiance, refined and personalized service as well as gastronomic cuisine.

    Features & Facilities
    • Luxury accommodation
    • Open air bar
    • Sun deck
    • Pool
    • Internet
    • Library
    • Panoramic Lounge
    • Panoramic Deck
    • Live entertainment
    Key Facts
    Luxury star rating: 5
    Guests #: 200
    Crew #: 136
    Ice Class: 1C
    Speed: 16
    Refurbished:
    Technical Specs
    Year built:
    Length: 142m
    Width: 18
    Draft:
    Tonnage: 10944
    Registry: France
    Elec Outlets: 220V / 2 Round Pin
Check Voyage Dates, Pricing and Availability
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Ready to book your expedition?

We understand that the trip of a lifetime takes planning, so we make the financial commitments easy to manage.

  • Confirm your booking today with just USD$ 1,000 per passenger.
  • Pay your 25% deposit 5 day later.
  • Final payment due 120 days prior to departure.