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CANADA’S REMOTE ARCTIC

Northwest Passage to Ellesmere and Axel Heiberg Islands

ARCTIC 2021 | INAUGURAL SEASON Contents

1 Overview 2 Itinerary 6 Arrival and Departure Details 8 Your Ship 10 Included Activities 12 Adventure Options 13 Dates and Rates 14 Inclusions and Exclusions 15 Your Expedition Team 16 Meals on Board 17 Possible Excursions 20 Packing Checklist Overview ’s Remote Arctic: to Ellesmere and Axel Heiberg Islands

Here, at the top of the world, nature has created unique wonders in astonishing EXPEDITION IN BRIEF variety. Our game-changing new expedition vessel Ultramarine, equipped with two Search for iconic Arctic wildlife, such as twin-engine helicopters and 20 quick-launching Zodiacs, enables you to explore this polar bears, walrus and muskoxen breathtaking environment from brand new perspectives. You’ll experience the same Learn about indigenous culture from Inuit sense of wonder felt by early explorers as they navigated the region’s formidable bays, guides onboard and ashore inlets and channels. Enjoy unforgettable flightseeing and heli-landings aboard Ultramarine’s two On this exciting itinerary, we follow the natural guides of sea and ice to showcase the helicopters region’s cultural, historic and geographic treasures, aiming to approach the farthest Zodiac along the face of an active glacier stretches of this rugged, rarely visited landscape. Ultramarine’s unprecedented range Channel your inner explorer as we set out of Adventure Options, including activities such as helicopter flightseeing, gives you to reach Canada’s most northerly islands: an unrivalled polar experience. You’ll be able to view the magnificent wildlife that Axel Heiberg and make their home in this forbidding region, including polar bears, whales, seals, walrus, polar bears, muskox and possibly the elusive arctic wolf. From soaring cliffs to mummified forests, spectacular glacial formations to stunning alpine vistas, expansive waterways to sheltered shores, Canada’s Remote Arctic provides the definitive experience of a mysterious, magical region few ever get to see.

Call your Travel Professional or a Quark Polar Travel Adviser at 1.888.892.0073 | Visit QuarkExpeditions.com for additional details 1 Itinerary

DAY 1 | ARRIVE IN DAYS 3 – 10 | EXPLORING Axel Heiberg TORONTO, CANADA CANADA’S HIGH ARCTIC Island Ellesmere Your Arctic expedition begins in Cruising around the remote islands Island Toronto. Explore this vibrant city on of the Canadian High Arctic aboard

Hell Gate your own before spending the night Ultramarine, the newest ship in our Grise Fjord at your well-appointed hotel. fleet, you’ll navigate the same icy inlets, channels and bays that fascinated Resolute Croker Bay DAY 2 | FLY TO RESOLUTE & EMBARK Beechey IslanIslandl d legendary explorers of long ago. BanBan BayBay This morning, board your charter flight Designed to give polar adventurers ArcticArcAArcticcttticic BayBay to Resolute, . Upon arrival, unprecedented access to the hardest- you may have a chance to check out Ba nBa n IslandIsland to-reach places on the planet—and TO/FROM some of the town’s sites before being equipped with two onboard twin- transferred to your ship via Zodiac or engine helicopters for unparalleled helicopter (depending on ship location NUNAVUTNNUNAVUT access to areas only Quark Expeditions (Canada(Canada)) and weather conditions). Approximate limit can bring you—this one-of-a-kind ship, of exploration area in its inaugural year, will take you beyond the familiar in polar CANADA’S REMOTE ARCTIC Nunavut featuring Ellesmere and Axel Heiberg Islands Onboard the Ultramarine Flights between Toronto and Resolute

Call your Travel Professional or a Quark Polar Travel Adviser at 1.888.892.0073 | Visit QuarkExpeditions.com for additional details 2 exploration. Throughout your journey, daily Zodiac cruising, land excursions, a remote landscapes you will be traveling your Expedition Team will keep an eye robust education program, a community through the ancestral homelands of this toward immersing you in the best the visit and wildlife viewing opportunities. ancient culture, illuminated in person Arctic has to offer, including reaching And thanks to our onboard helicopters, by Inuit guides onboard and ashore. Canada’s most northerly islands: Axel you’ll also discover the ultimate polar Nunavut is an Inuktitut word meaning Heiberg Island and the rarely visited expedition experience: As stunning as “our land” and the Nunavummiut (the Ellesmere Island, at the top of the world. polar landscapes are from your ship, people of Nunavut) are renowned they’re even more striking from the for their incredible resourcefulness, Remember that no two polar voyages air! Conditions permitting, you’ll enjoy hospitality, good humor, and a deep are alike, since each expedition presents ultra-immersive activities like flightseeing knowledge of the land and animals that new opportunities and different weather (short sightseeing flights around your has allowed them to thrive in the far and ice conditions. While this voyage ship and surrounding areas) and heli- north for millennia. has no fixed itinerary, our objective is to landings (flying to places we could not visit as many of the incredible highlights Ultimately, your Expedition Team will otherwise access for shore excursions), this season has to offer, using the keep its eye northward, hoping to follow two breathtaking options that are unique opportunities provided by the weather in the footsteps of the lucky few polar to Ultramarine and give you an awe- and ice to give you the best experience. adventurers who have transited through inspiring polar experience like no other. Each day, your highly skilled Expedition the famous Hell Gate to reach the top Team will read the conditions and choose While this waterway is known to of the world, the spectacular Ellesmere the best course to set, but despite their European cultures as the Northwest Island. If conditions are right, the extensive expertise in these areas, each Passage, this area has nurtured and soaring, ominous snow-capped peaks of visit brings something new to discover. sustained the Inuit and their predecessors this polar desert will come into focus as That said, our expeditions will have who have called these shores home for we approach. The northernmost island some elements in common, including almost 5,000 years. Moving through these in the Canadian ,

Call your Travel Professional or a Quark Polar Travel Adviser at 1.888.892.0073 | Visit QuarkExpeditions.com for additional details 3 Ellesmere is one of the most remote Wildlife sightings are almost guaranteed, such as snow geese, thick-billed murres places on the planet, a land of deep as many of the areas we hope to explore (Brünnich’s guillemots) and kittiwakes. fjords, jagged mountains and massive are home to a surprising number of Occupied by Inuit and Thule cultures ice shelves. If we’re fortunate enough to birds and mammals that thrive in this for almost 5,000 years, this traditional reach here, you will be among the rarest challenging environment. It’s likely that community is also an ideal spot to go of polar explorers. you’ll see polar bears, muskoxen and ashore and learn more about the Inuit several bird species, such as gyrfalcons culture, sampling the local cuisine and One of this expedition’s objectives, and dovekies (little auks). If you’re lucky, mingling with artists, perhaps picking weather and ice conditions allowing, is you may even spot the elusive up carvings or other handicrafts as a to visit the famous fossil forest on Axel or arctic wolf, though sightings of these memento of your polar adventure. Heiberg Island, Canada’s second most iconic creatures in the wild are rare, even northerly island. Dating back more than Devon Island is another possible locale in these areas where we have the highest 30 million years, the large mummified for wildlife encounters, as walrus, polar chances of encountering them. stumps were discovered in 1985 after bears and muskoxen inhabit the area, erosion swept them clean. The original Coburg Island, for instance, is a wildlife which is also the location of the remains forest that was here flourished, with reserve for such birds as snowy owls and of a Royal Canadian Mounted Police some trees reaching as high as 115 feet peregrine falcons, while the impressive outpost, established at Dundas Harbour (35 meters) and growing for 500 to vertical cliffs of Prince in 1924 to curb foreign whaling and 1,000 years. Birders will want to have are dotted with nesting seabirds like other activities. Nearby is a small their binoculars and cameras at the ready, northern fulmars and black guillemots. cemetery, one of Canada’s most as the island also affords opportunities The sheltered shores and steep cliffs northerly, still maintained by the RCMP for sightings of snow buntings, of Arctic Bay, a hamlet located off of to this day. Another exciting excursion ptarmigans, jaegers and arctic terns, Admiralty Inlet, provide an ideal nesting your Expedition Team might offer, among others. habitat for various High Arctic birds conditions permitting, is the opportunity

Call your Travel Professional or a Quark Polar Travel Adviser at 1.888.892.0073 | Visit QuarkExpeditions.com for additional details 4 to fly up to explore the , There is no shortage of natural beauty, one of the largest in the Canadian Arctic. wildlife and history in Canada’s High EXPEDITION SPIRIT History buffs will also be intrigued by the Arctic. Each day, you’ll discover Embracing the unexpected is part chance to visit an abandoned Hudson’s something new and inspiring, whether of the legacy—and excitement—of Bay Company trading post at Fort Ross, it is admiration of the tundra flora to expedition travel. When traveling at the southern end of Somerset Island, survive the rugged environment, a rare in extremely remote regions, your and pay their respects to the ill-fated bird species soaring overhead, a polar Expedition Team must consider the Franklin expedition of 1845–46 at the bear on the hunt in its natural habitat, or sea, ice and weather to guide the route gravesite of three crew members on the remains of a century-old hut. and itinerary details. This itinerary is , one of Canada’s most a tentative outline of what you may DAY 11 | DISEMBARK IN RESOLUTE, significant Arctic sites. experience on this voyage; please be CANADA & FLY TO TORONTO aware that no specific itinerary can be You may have the opportunity to cruise After disembarking in Resolute, you’ll guaranteed. By the same token, wildlife in a Zodiac along the face of an active be transferred to your charter flight to encounters as described are expected, glacier near Croker Bay and possibly Toronto, where you’ll spend the night at but not guaranteed. Your Expedition even witness the wonders of calving your included hotel. Team will use their considerable ice, at a safe distance. Listen closely experience to seek out wildlife in for the steady crackle and loud roars DAY 12 | DEPART TORONTO known habitats, but the presence as pieces of ice break off and crash into Today, make your way to the airport to of any particular species of bird or the water below. You’ll also want to be catch your homeward flights, or spend marine wildlife is not guaranteed. on the lookout for the walrus that are the day exploring this fascinating city. often seen in the area.

Call your Travel Professional or a Quark Polar Travel Adviser at 1.888.892.0073 | Visit QuarkExpeditions.com for additional details 5 Arrival and Departure Details

Arrival Day and Embarkation ARRIVING IN TORONTO You may arrive in Toronto at any time during Day 1 of the itinerary and make your own way to the included hotel, near the airport. On arrival at the hotel, you will receive a welcome letter outlining the departure information for the following day’s flight. An agent representing Quark Expeditions® will be available in the lobby of the hotel this evening to answer any questions about the charter flight(s) scheduled for the following morning. PLEASE NOTE EMBARKATION IN RESOLUTE There is a strict luggage limit of 44 lbs Your flight to the Arctic is expected to depart from Toronto to Resolute on Day 2 (20 kg) checked luggage and 11 lbs (5 kg) of the itinerary in the morning. The scheduled flight time will be communicated in cabin baggage on the flights between your welcome letter, and you will be transferred from your hotel to check in at the Toronto and Resolute. Should you have airport. Upon arrival in Resolute, you will be transferred to the ship by Zodiac. additional luggage, it can be stored at the hotel in Toronto. There is NO option to pay for additional luggage.

Call your Travel Professional or a Quark Polar Travel Adviser at 1.888.892.0073 | Visit QuarkExpeditions.com for additional details 6 Final Day and Included Hotel Arrival and Departure Departure Accommodations Transfers DISEMBARKATION IN RESOLUTE Your included accommodation begins on TORONTO AIRPORT TRANSFERS Your ship is scheduled to arrive in Day 1 of your itinerary, and the specific Arrival and departure transfers in Resolute between 7am and 8am local hotel(s) will be indicated in your final Toronto are not included; however, time. After breakfast, and once the ship voyage confirmation. If you are arriving if you like, your Polar Travel Adviser has anchored, you will have time to bid prior to Day 1 of your expedition or are can arrange them for you. staying after the disembarkation day and farewell to your Expedition Team and In order to facilitate your transfers, we request shipmates before taking one last Zodiac would like help booking a pre- or post- that you provide your flight details to Quark ride to shore. After disembarkation, you stay, please contact your Polar Travel Expeditions® at least 30 days prior to traveling. will be transferred to the airport for the Adviser or travel professional for hotel return charter flight to Toronto. options. As accommodation space is limited, you are encouraged to request DEPARTING FROM TORONTO any extra nights as early as possible. Upon arrival in Toronto, there will be a group transfer to your included post- expedition hotel. After breakfast the following morning, you may make your way to the airport to connect with your homeward flight, or stay longer if you have booked additional accommodation.

Call your Travel Professional or a Quark Polar Travel Adviser at 1.888.892.0073 | Visit QuarkExpeditions.com for additional details 7 Your Ship: Ultramarine

NEW! ULTRAMARINE Ultra Suite Deck Owner’s Suite

The newest ship in our fleet,Ultramarine is designed to Penthouse Suite go beyond the familiar in polar exploration, to discover Terrace Suite

    Library new places, and to immerse you in the best the region WC Deluxe Balcony Suite WC

WC WC Deck  WC E has to offer.     E Balcony Suite FitnessFFitittnneesss CenterCeenntteere SpaSppa Saauunna Explorer Suite Equipped with two twin-engine helicopters,       Explorer Triple             EL Cabin Ultramarine offers the most robust portfolio of Solo Panorama BridgBrrididgdggee Deck  E     adventure activities in the industry, and features the E           Interconnecting Suites category’s most spacious suites, breathtaking public spaces, and more outdoor wildlife viewing spaces than

WC other expedition ships its size, complemented by an RReeesstattaauurarraannt Deck  E innovative mix of sustainability features that exceed WC E WC all industry standards.                        With all this and more, Ultramarine is perfectly Deck  E        E          positioned to deliver the ultimate polar expedition       experience. Ro Hospital om                  ReRecceceptioncepepttiotiioon

SHIP SPECIFICATIONS: ClinicCCllinliinnicniic Deck 

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PolarPoPolaollaar Guests: 199 BoutiqueBBooutouutttiqtiiquiqiquequuee Lifeboats: 4, fully enclosed ZODIAC EMBARKATION ReadyReeadadydy Ice Class: PC6 RRoooom

ZODIAC Deck  EMBARKATION E Visit QuarkExpeditions.com to view deck plan details. WC E Expedition ReadyReeadadydy Ready RRoooom Room

ZODIAC EMBARKATION All images are artist's renderings.

Call your Travel Professional or a Quark Polar Travel Adviser at 1.888.892.0073 | Visit QuarkExpeditions.com for additional details 8 Deluxe Balcony Suite

Sauna Suite Bathroom

Fitness Center Main Restaurant

All images are artist's renderings. Call your Travel Professional or a Quark Polar Travel Adviser at 1.888.892.0073 | Visit QuarkExpeditions.com for additional details 9 Included Activities

Ready for a little adventure beyond your HELI-LANDING ship? Each Quark Expeditions® voyage You will be transferred from Ultramarine’s offers a variety of recreational activities heli-decks via our two twin-engine to enhance your polar experience. helicopters to a pre-selected Arctic destination. You’ll have time to explore FLIGHTSEEING the location, accompanied by Quark While polar landscapes are spectacular Expeditions team members, after which from the sea, they’re even more stunning you’ll be picked up by the helicopters from the air, a view you can enjoy while in the same location and returned to seated in one of the two twin-engine Ultramarine. Note: heli-landings are helicopters stationed on Ultramarine. dependent on weather conditions and Typically in groups of 7 to 9, you will logistics. experience an unforgettable aerial tour of the Arctic during a 10- to 15-minute ZODIAC CRUISING flightseeing excursion that’s included Zodiacs are the workhorses of polar in the cost of the voyage. Additional expeditions, taking you to places the helicopter activities may also be available ships can’t access, allowing you to for purchase on board. Please note: all reach remote shorelines, explore shallow helicopter operations are weather- and inlets and search for unique wildlife. logistics-dependent. Expedition staff make stepping in and out of them safe and comfortable, and your Zodiac drivers will provide active interpretation, making the landscape come even more alive.

Call your Travel Professional or a Quark Polar Travel Adviser at 1.888.892.0073 | Visit QuarkExpeditions.com for additional details 10 HIKING Led by experienced staff, exploring on foot is the best way to appreciate the polar landscapes. Our guides are able to accommodate a range of skill levels to suit every passenger. Walking poles are provided at each landing for your convenience. As there are a limited number of poles available, please bring your own if you require them on every landing. Some landing sites will offer more demanding options than others.

PRESENTATIONS Enjoy daily chats with and presentations by our world-class onboard polar experts—guides, scientists, naturalists, historians and other special guests who will introduce you to the fascinating history, biology, ornithology, and glaciology of the region, and much, much more.

POLAR PLUNGE This rite of passage, scheduled only once per expedition, gives you the chance to jump safely into the bracing Arctic waters under the watchful eye of our staff—and just about every single camera on board!

PHOTOGRAPHY Documenting your voyage so you can take the memories home is a rewarding experience. Our photography guides will help you hone your skills to capture the beauty of the polar regions.

Contact your Polar Travel Adviser or your Travel Professional for more information about your Included Activities and Adventure Options, including the necessary experience, physical requirements and cost.

Call your Travel Professional or a Quark Polar Travel Adviser at 1.888.892.0073 | Visit QuarkExpeditions.com for additional details 11 Adventure Options

SEA KAYAKING PADDLING EXCURSION Imagine gliding across the surface of If you’re interested in kayaking but a bay in the presence of icebergs and would like to try something a bit less glaciers. Our Sea Kayaking program is demanding than Sea Kayaking, you’re a great way to intimately explore your the perfect candidate to sign up for a surroundings. A small group of kayakers one-time paddle on our stable sit-on- will plan to go out multiple times top kayaks—perfect for anyone with per voyage as an alternative to shore minimal or no kayaking experience. landings or Zodiac cruises. Small groups of passengers will be taken out on calm days, with our expert guides The number of opportunities to kayak always present to provide instruction is weather dependent, and will be and help you connect with the polar conducted only during calm conditions. sea. Two outings will be pre-booked, Prior kayaking experience is required, and once successfully completed, any and you must be able to do a wet exit subsequent outings will be offered via to participate. Beginners interested in lottery on board. kayaking should consider participating in the Paddling Excursion.

PLEASE NOTE For all paid activities pre-booking is required. We recommend booking early as spaces fill quickly. Please see your pre-departure book for a list of provided gear for each Adventure Option.

Call your Travel Professional or a Quark Polar Travel Adviser at 1.888.892.0073 | Visit QuarkExpeditions.com for additional details 12 Dates and Rates Canada’s Remote Arctic: Northwest Passage to Ellesmere and Axel Heiberg Islands

ULTRAMARINE Deluxe Solo Explorer Explorer Balcony Terrace Penthouse Owner’s Ultra Dates Days Start / End Balcony Panorama Triple Suite Suite Suite Suite Suite Suite Suite ARCTIC 2021 AUG 22 – SEP 2, 2021 12 Toronto $13,995 $9,995 $12,995 $14,495 $16,995 $17,495 $18,995 $23,495 $25,995

Adventure Options Transfer Dates Days Start / End Package ARCTIC 2021 AUG 22 – SEP 2, 2021 12 Toronto $1,995 $695 $195 Included Included

Call your Travel Professional or a Quark Polar Travel Adviser at 1.888.892.0073 | Visit QuarkExpeditions.com for additional details 13 Inclusions and Exclusions

Inclusions Exclusions RATES INCLUDE: RATES SPECIFICALLY • Leadership throughout your voyage by our • Formal and informal presentations by our DO NOT INCLUDE: experienced Expedition Leaders, including shore Expedition Team and guest speakers as scheduled • Mandatory Transfer Package* landings and other activities • A photographic journal documenting the expedition • International airfare • All Zodiac transfers and cruising as per the daily • A pair of waterproof expedition boots on loan for • Arrival and departure transfers in Toronto program landings and Zodiac cruising excursions • Passport and visa expenses • All shore landings as per the daily program • An official Quark Expeditions® parka to keep • Canadian eTA required for non-Canadian or • Shipboard accommodation with daily housekeeping • Hair dryer and bathrobes in every cabin U.S. visa-exempt passengers • All meals, snacks, soft drinks and juices on board • All miscellaneous service taxes and port charges • Government arrival and departure taxes not throughout your voyage (Please inform us of any throughout the program mentioned above dietary requirements as far in advance as possible. • All luggage handling aboard the ship • Meals ashore unless otherwise specified Unfortunately, the ships’ galleys cannot prepare • Emergency Evacuation insurance for all passengers kosher meals.) • Baggage, cancellation, interruption and medical to a maximum benefit of USD 500$ ,000 per person travel insurance—strongly recommended • Select beer and wine during dinner; and coffee, tea and cocoa available around the clock • Excess-baggage fees on international flights • Mandatory waterproof pants for Zodiac cruising, or any other gear not mentioned *MANDATORY TRANSFER PACKAGE INCLUDES: • Laundry, bar and other personal charges unless • One night’s pre-expedition hotel accommodation in Toronto specified • Group transfer from the Toronto hotel to the airport on Day 2 • Phone and Internet charges • Charter flights between Toronto and Resolute • Voluntary gratuity at the end of the voyage for • Group transfers between the Resolute airport and the ship shipboard staff and crew • Group transfer from Toronto airport to hotel on disembarkation day • Additional overnight accommodation • One night’s post-expedition hotel accommodation in Toronto • Adventure Options not listed in Included Activities PACKAGE PRICE: $1,995 USD

Call your Travel Professional or a Quark Polar Travel Adviser at 1.888.892.0073 | Visit QuarkExpeditions.com for additional details 14 Your Expedition Team

Our Expedition Leaders and their teams bring diverse expertise in subjects as varied as polar history, marine biology, glaciology, ornithology and photography. Their knowledge and enthusiasm will greatly enhance your immersion into the polar environment and further deepen your connection to the Arctic.

With over 30 years of experience bringing passengers to remote polar regions and an industry leading staff-to-guest ratio, we know how to safely handle the unexpected. Ensuring this hard-earned experience is passed on, our new expedition staff receive comprehensive training in Quark Academy, which provides hands-on polar expedition training prior to any staff member’s first voyage as well as ongoing training for experienced staff.

Call your Travel Professional or a Quark Polar Travel Adviser at 1.888.892.0073 | Visit QuarkExpeditions.com for additional details 15 Meals on Board

If there is one constant on board, it is that you’ll enjoy delicious meals daily. While meal times may change due to landings and wildlife encounters, you’ll always be served three well-prepared meals per day. Most dietary restrictions can be accommodated by letting us know prior to your expedition. Breakfasts and lunches are normally served buffet style, while dinners are served plated. À la carte meals are made at the time of your order, allowing our chefs to prepare each dish to your individual needs, ensuring you receive top-quality meals during the course of your expedition. Soft drinks and juices are available during meals and when the bar is open; beer and wine are served with dinner; and coffee, tea and water stations are available around the clock – all included in the cost of your package. Spirits, premium wines and champagne are available at extra cost which can be billed to your shipboard account. The well-stocked bars on the ship are open to enjoy with your fellow shipmates in late morning, afternoon and evening.

Call your Travel Professional or a Quark Polar Travel Adviser at 1.888.892.0073 | Visit QuarkExpeditions.com for additional details 16 Possible Excursions

When traveling in extremely remote ARCTIC BAY regions, your Expedition Team must This community has periodically been consider the sea, ice and weather to occupied by Inuit hunters during the past guide the route and itinerary details. 5,000 years. The protective high hills and The following sites are a sample of sheltered shores of this hamlet make for what you may experience on your an ideal nesting habitat for various Arctic expedition, whether by ship, Zodiac birds, including thick-billed murres, cruise, or shore landing. snow geese, kittiwakes, ivory gulls and Ross’s gulls. Seals, and bowhead Canada whales make their home in these waters. ADMIRALTY INLET Situated on ’s most northerly shore is Admiralty Inlet, whose steep Most famous for its mummified forest coastline soars 1,500 feet (460 meters) dating back over 30 million years, the above the icy waters of Lancaster Sound. island is home to several bird species, Just off the inlet’s northeastern shore lies including arctic terns, geese, jaegers, Arctic Bay, a Inuit community we partner snow buntings and ptarmigans. It’s with to curate authentic experiences that named after Axel Heiberg, the sponsor of highlight the best this area has to offer. the 1897–1902 Norwegian expedition led Narwhals and polar bears are known to by Otto Sverdrup to explore and name frequent the fjord. Flanked by towering unchartered areas of the Arctic. Today, cliffs, Admiralty Inlet—thought to be the island is the location of one of the one of the world’s longest fjords—is longest-operating seasonal field research a memorable destination for anyone facilities (est. 1960) in the High Arctic. fortunate enough to experience it.

Call your Travel Professional or a Quark Polar Travel Adviser at 1.888.892.0073 | Visit QuarkExpeditions.com for additional details 17 BEECHEY ISLAND a popular stop during the 1800s, when a ELLESMERE ISLAND Named after Frederick William Beechey, path to the Pacific (the Northwest Passage) The most northerly point of land in an explorer with the Royal Navy, this is was at the forefront of Arctic exploration. Canada, this island at the top of the one of Canada’s most important Arctic world features dramatic glacier-capped DEVON ISLAND sites and has been deemed a Canadian peaks that soar over 8,200 feet (2,500 Located at Dundas Harbour on Devon National Historic Site. During the meters). It is the third-largest island in Island are the remains of a Royal Franklin expedition of 1845–46, two of the country and the 10th largest in the Canadian Mounted Police post. The Franklin’s ships, HMS Erebus and HMS world. Those fortunate to visit Ellesmere RCMP cemetery there is tended annually Terror, anchored here with perilous will be among the rarest polar explorers by a contingent of Mounties sent there results. Three of Franklin’s crew died on the planet. for the purpose. Other evidence of here and are buried at a marked gravesite. human habitation found nearby is FORT ROSS COBURG ISLAND centuries older. In 1937, the Hudson’s Bay Company A well-known nesting ground, Coburg established a trading post, named Fort DUNDAS HARBOUR Island is a wildlife reserve with a Ross, on the coast of Somerset Island. Located on Devon Island, there are diverse avian community. Greater snow Due to the harsh conditions and isolation remains of a Royal Canadian Mounted geese, snowy owls, peregrine falcons of the post, it was closed in 1948. The Police post here, dating back to 1924. and gyrfalcons thrive in the protected store and manager’s house still stand. Historically, this area has been settled environment at certain times of the year. for more than 3,000 years by Inuit and GRISE FJORD CROKER BAY pre-Inuit cultures. Its original name The traditional name for this Ellesmere A nearby glacier actively calves off in Inuktitut is Talluruti, meaning “a Island hamlet means “place that never chunks of ice, creating a birthing place woman’s chin with tattoos on it.” Be melts.” From April to August, the for icebergs at Croker Bay. The bay was alert for wildlife, as walrus, polar bears residents of Canada’s most northerly Inuit and muskoxen inhabit the area. community experience continuous daylight.

Call your Travel Professional or a Quark Polar Travel Adviser at 1.888.892.0073 | Visit QuarkExpeditions.com for additional details 18 HELL GATE WINTER HARBOUR, MELVILLE ISLAND Known as the gateway to the mysterious Winter Harbour is the overwintering site EXPEDITION SPIRIT Norwegian Bay, this narrow waterway of legendary explorer Sir William Parry’s Embracing the unexpected is part runs alongside North Kent Island and famous 1819–20 expedition to find the of the legacy—and excitement—of sits between two of Canada’s most Northwest Passage. The first recorded expedition travel. When traveling beautiful islands: Ellesmere Island and voyage to this region, it predates the in extremely remote regions, Devon Island. Transiting the channel later exploration of Sir your Expedition Team must is a rite of passage for any High Arctic and others by over 20 years! The site is consider the sea, ice and weather explorer, as passing through it takes home to a large sandstone rock known to guide the route and itinerary you to one of the most spectacular as Parry’s Rock. Designated a National details. This itinerary is a tentative yet seldom-visited parts of our planet, Historic Site of Canada in 1930, this outline of what you’ll experience Ellesmere Island. A natural convergence, natural monument bears an inscription on this voyage; please be aware that no specific itinerary can be channeling currents, drifting ice and by the ship’s surgeon of the expedition’s guaranteed. By the same token, marine life between its shores, Hell vessels and their captains, as well as wildlife encounters as described Gate supports a higher concentration a plaque marking when Canada took are expected, but not guaranteed. of wildlife, including polar bears and possession of the Arctic Archipelago. Your Expedition Team will use their northern fulmars, compared with the considerable experience to seek out surrounding areas. wildlife in known habitats, but the presence of any particular species of bird or marine wildlife is not Impressive, near perfectly vertical cliffs guaranteed. surround part of this small island. This creates an ideal environment for nesting seabirds, and they nest here in vast numbers—more than 500,000 strong! Thick-billed murres, black guillemots and northern fulmars are most commonly seen here.

RESOLUTE One of Canada’s most northern settlements, Resolute has everything from a grocery store and cable TV to a Royal Canadian Mounted Police station and a handful of hotels. It also has an airport, which is your gateway back home. About 200 people live in Resolute throughout the year. Hunting is a major source of income, while in the summer months, tourism contributes to the community’s stability.

Call your Travel Professional or a Quark Polar Travel Adviser at 1.888.892.0073 | Visit QuarkExpeditions.com for additional details 19 WEATHER CONDITIONS & TEMPERATURES Polar weather is very variable; temperatures may Packing hover around the freezing mark and winds can be strong. The continuous daylight warms sheltered areas so that you may sometimes find it warm enough for t-shirts. However, you may encounter snow squalls, fog and white-outs during an expedition Checklist and should be ready for any conditions.

WHAT TO BRING! Packing for the polar regions doesn’t have to be daunting, and to make it easier for you, all Quark voyages include an expedition parka to keep, and a loan of insulated waterproof boots. Additional suggested items include:

FOR SHORE LANDINGS SUGGESTED ITEMS  Base layers (wool, synthetic or a blend)  Waterproof, lightweight backpack or dry sack  Mid-layer warm/fleece top  Swimsuit (for the Polar Plunge!)  Mid-layer warm/fleece pant  Binoculars   Wool and synthetic sock (3 to 4 pairs) Camera with charger and extra batteries  Extra memory cards  Neck warmer or balaclava  Earplugs  Warm hat that covers ears  Eye masks for sleeping  Waterproof pants (mandatory for every Zodiac ride)  Moisturizer and lip balm (polar air can be drying)  Waterproof gloves and glove liners  Seasickness, indigestion, headache  Sunscreen or other medicines as required  Sunglasses with UV protection  Voltage converters and plug adapters  Spare set of gloves (220V/European outlets)  Bug spray and bug nets  Ski goggles (for Zodiac cruising on snowy or windy days)

FOR ON BOARD  Comfortable casual clothing (pants/jeans, shirts, sweaters)  Lighter shirts (in case the ship gets warm)  Comfortable non-slip closed-toed unheeled shoes (NOTE: Flip flops, sandals or slip-on shoes should not be worn on board due to safety concerns)

For more packing and gear-related info, visit the Quark Expeditions® online Polar Boutique at Shop.QuarkExpeditions.com

Call a Quark Polar Travel Adviser at 1.888.892.0073 or your Travel Professional | Visit QuarkExpeditions.com for additional details 20 TO BOOK YOUR NEXT ADVENTURE Contact your Travel Professional or a Quark Expeditions® Polar Travel Adviser

TOLL FREE AND LOCAL NUMBERS: North America (Toll Free) 1 888 332 0008 U.K. Tel +44 203 514 2712 U.K. (Toll Free) 0 808 120 2333 Australia Tel +61 280 155 028 Australia (Toll Free) 1 800 812 855 France Tel +33-1 80 14 01 05 France (Toll Free) 08 05 08 66 46 QuarkExpeditions.com

PHOTO CREDITS: Acacia Johnson; David Merron; Nicky Souness; Samantha Crimmin; Michelle Sole; Sue Flood; Cindy Miller Hopkins; Abbey Weisbrot; EXPEDITION BROCHURE Hugo Perrin; Grange Productions; Focus Productions; Adobe Stock May 2020