The North West Passage trip on LAustral, Ponant, was a fabulous experience. There was a very special mix of wildlife, landscape, Inuit culture, and history.
Compared to the Antartic penninsular, where the wildlife is easy to find, in the NW Passage it has to be sought out and cannot be guaranteed. However, the Captain made great efforts to ensure we saw as much as possible and what we did see was extraordinary. From polar bears swimming near the ship, to dozens of narwhals, belugas and walrus, with a couple of grey whales and musk ox, and some bearded seals, the photographers on board were going crazy.
The landscape is spectacular,so being able to land and walk on the tundra, and islands where Franklin and others landed, is a great experience. Icebergs and ice flows were also seen, though with global climate change the ice flows are much reduced.
Intuit culture and life style were highlights and vists to two villages, one in Greenland and one on Canada, gave a glimpse into the challenges they face and how the climate has dictated their way of life. In fact this trip really makes you appreciate the impact of climate change and the adverse effect on Inuit life and the pressure on wildlife with reduced numbers of polar bears and other species that rely on ice. We, and our governments, urgently need to look at how we reduce our carbon output significantly.
Finally, the history of early explorers, particularly Frankins ill fated voyage and the many attempts to find him, was fascinating.
All this was enhanced by the excellent talks given by the expedition team members who were also on hand to help at the landings and on the walks.
The luxury on board LAustral with first class food and service was as you would expect.