It is hard to believe that a place as beautiful as Seward exists. Surrounded on all sides by Kenai Fjords National Park, Chugach National Forest, and Resurrection Bay, Seward offers all the quaint realities of a small railroad town with the bonus of jaw-dropping scenery. This little town of about 2,750 citizens was founded in 1903, when survey crews arrived at the ice-free port and began planning a railroad to the Interior. Since its inception, Seward has relied heavily on tourism and commercial fishing. It is also the launching point for excursions into Kenai Fjords National Park, where it is quite common to see marine life and calving glaciers.

Chignik is a fishing village on the Alaskan Peninsula and home for just under 100 year-round inhabitants. Most of the houses in the community are connected by a boardwalk that fringes a local stream and neighborhood kids can be seen riding their bicycles back and forth on its length. In the summer months the population doubles, as the fishing gets better and the town supports a couple of fish-processing plants. Chignik is a remote outpost at the doorstep of the Aleutian Island chain and offers up a true taste of Alaskan outback life.

In 1906, Roald Amundsen achieved the first complete passage of the Northwest Passage. Now, you too can take on this pioneering endeavour with the HANSEATIC inspiration. The first chapters of your expedition weeks lie along the coast of the Alaskan Peninsula. Cruising by Kak Island, the bird rock ignites your anticipation for upcoming adventures. "Strong wind" is the meaning of Chignik in the Alutiiq language. Gain insights into life in this small fishing village with its roughly 80 inhabitants. The volcanic island chain of the Aleutians stretches in a wide arc into the Pacific. Here, on Popof Island, you will visit the home of bison. Bald eagles, however, reign supreme in the skies. Their distinctive call over Unalaska Island invariably draws your gaze upward.

A colony of northern fur seals may greet you during a hike with your experts on St. Paul Island – a tantalising preview of further intense encounters with the surprisingly diverse wildlife of this remote region.

As you journey through the Bering Sea, keep a keen eye out for whales, which can be easily observed from the expansive open deck areas.

Nome is located on the edge of the Bering Sea, on the southwest side of the Seward Peninsula. Unlike other towns which are named for explorers, heroes or politicians, Nome was named as a result of a 50 year-old spelling error. In the 1850's an officer on a British ship off the coast of Alaska noted on a manuscript map that a nearby prominent point was not identified. He wrote "? Name" next to the point. When the map was recopied, another draftsman thought that the “?” was a C and that the “a” in "Name" was an o, and thus a map-maker in the British Admiralty christened "Cape Nome." The area has an amazing history dating back 10,000 years of Inupiaq Eskimo use for subsistence living. Modern history started in 1898 when "Three Lucky Swedes”, Jafet Lindberg, Erik Lindblom and John Brynteson, discovered gold in Anvil Creek…the rush was on! In 1899 the population of Nome swelled from a handful to 28,000. Today the population is just over 3,500. Much of Nome's gold rush architecture remains.

As you navigate through the Chukchi Sea and the Beaufort Sea, the excitement on board rises, for now lies before you the lifelong dream and magnet for countless adventurers and explorers…

Including Herschel Island/ Canada, Smoking Hills, Victoria Island, Jenny Lind Island, cruising in the Victoria Strait, cruising in Peel Sound, Prince of Wales Island, Beechey Island, Devon Island.

The Northwest Passage Adventure: To this day, captivating legends surround this famous sea route. The journey commences with the rarely visited Herschel Island. Depending on local conditions, you'll explore the former whaling station. With a bit of luck, you might be greeted by rough-legged hawks, and perhaps even catch a glimpse of the elusive Arctic fox. In Franklin Bay, alongside the history of the eponymous polar explorer, you will encounter the phenomenon of the Smoking Hills. These hills owe their name to pyrite-containing rock layers that have self-ignited. A Zodiac ride offers you unique perspectives on this mystical spectacle. On Victoria Island, named after the British Queen, you may be fortunate enough to observe imposing musk oxen, weighing up to 400 kg. Will you spot polar bears here as well? Look forward to astonishing insights into the lifestyle and history of the Inuit. For centuries, the area around Cambridge Bay was a summer meeting place for families of the “Copper Eskimos,” named after their copper tools. As a silent witness to the daring of Roald Amundsen, the wreck of his research ship “Maud” lay here in the ice for around 90 years before being returned to Norway in 2018. The echo of a great voice resonates on Jenny Lind Island: The island is named after a 19th-century Swedish opera singer lovingly called the “Nightingale.” Here, you may be surprised by northern residents like snow hares, Arctic foxes, and caribou. Cruising in the Victoria Strait, the dramatic landscape becomes a mirror of moving history. At the narrow entrance, the long-lost ships of the Franklin Expedition, which unsuccessfully sought the Northwest Passage in 1845, were once suspected to lie. One of these ships, the “Terror,” was located in Terror Bay in 2016, about 100 km further south than previously assumed. With your experts on board, you’ll delve into the fate and relentless courage of those who braved the elements back then. Whether your journey continues through Peel Sound will be decided by the ice – it sets the pace as the HANSEATIC inspiration safely navigates through the island labyrinth to the next destinations. Only a few ships are capable of this, requiring top-notch equipment and an experienced crew. Zodiac rides and landings in the habitats of whales, seals, and polar bears are always possible. Prince of Wales Island, for instance, invites you to a hike in pristine nature. Follow in the footsteps of former explorers on Beechey Island. A stroll to the graves of the Franklin Expedition members makes the historical significance palpable. On the largest uninhabited island on Earth, Devon Island, you are greeted by vast wilderness. An abandoned Royal Canadian Mounted Police station enhances the sense of quiet seclusion. Once the ship sets course for Greenland from Lancaster Sound, you’ve done it: You are among the few who can claim to have conquered the Northwest Passage.

The name Kangerlussuaq means "Big Fjord" in the local Kalaallisut language. The settlement of about 500 people is located in western Greenland on flat land at the head of a fjord with the same name. Kangerlussuaq is the site of Greenland's largest commercial airport and most of the economy here is dependent on the air transportation hub and tourism. The rugged lands around the settlement support terrestrial Arctic fauna including muskoxen, caribou, and Gyrfalcons.