COVER STORY
Bears, Bergs and Birds
The Glories of Canada’s High Arctic
Ginger Dingus takes a rare adventure
voyage beyond the Arctic Circle with Cruise North Expeditions
W 18 WORLD OF CRUISING I Winter 2010 / 2011
hen you think of a sun-splashed, island-hopping cruise, travelling north to Canada’s remote high Arctic prob- ably isn’t the first image that comes to
mind. Yet, beyond the Arctic Circle, eastern Canada is a maze of pristine islands surrounded by emerald seas. True, there are no swaying palms, just tiny Arctic wil- lows leafing out above the nearly frozen tundra. But, at the height of summer, the sun shines 24/7. “Are you going to sleep in a teepee? My gawd, it’s the end of the world up there.” The taxi driver taking me to the Montreal airport for Cruise North Expeditions’ charter flight to the waiting ship seemed shocked. As I chatted with him about my upcoming adventure, I assessed my own reasons for venturing past the tree line for a 10-night cruise.
Above all, I hoped to see polar bears lounging on giant icebergs. I might see walruses, musk ox, even a rare narwhal (a unique whale with a long spiral tusk). Learning fascinating facts about the Inuit way of life, including seal-hunting and igloo building, was practically a given.
“I’ll be sleeping on a cruise ship,” I assured my startled driver. That ship, the 122-passenger Lyubov Orlova, is unique. She is operated by Inuit-owned Cruise North. The six-year-old line was created to explore Canada’s far north, thus helping preserve the indigenous culture in two of Canada’s four Inuit regions, Nunavik and Nunavut. As an added perk, young Inuit trainees join each cruise to mingle with passengers as they learn new job skills
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