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World View

7/29/2022

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Photos of the Week, July 29, 2022

As National Geographic Resolution heads across the Northwest Passage from Greenland across the northern coast of Canada, we're enjoying spectactular photos of massive ice, gorgeous landscapes, and, of course, polar bears.

World View

7/21/2022

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Photos of the Week, July 22, 2022

In this week's photos from the field, whales wowed guests in the Galápagos and Iceland, brightly-colored birds dazzled in the Amazon, and guests in Alaska spotted a Sitka black-tailed deer and a snacking sea lion. 

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Daily Expedition Reports

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Daily Expedition Reports

8/6/2022

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National Geographic Explorer

Ikerasassuaq & Nanortalik, Greenland

The early risers among us were not as richly rewarded this morning, with views consisting of nothing but fog. However, it was not long before we glimpsed patches of blue sky, the summit of a mountain, the outline of an iceberg…and suddenly, in the most incredible morning light, the entrance to Ikerasussaq (also known as Prins Christianssund) was in front of us.   This spectacular network of fjords that crisscross the southern tip of Greenland was the setting for our morning. It provides a shortcut, a secret passage from the east of Greenland to the west. We cruised below sheer cliffs, glaciers tumbling down into the fjord, and cascading waterfalls. At times, the channel was unbelievably narrow. At every turn (and there were a lot of them!), we observed a different view and exhaled a new “ooh” or “ahh.” The last remnants of the fog provided atmospheric views as distant peaks and glaciers were revealed before being shrouded once more.   We passed by a tiny village, Aappilattoq, which provided our first glimpse of a Greenlandic settlement. Towering peaks in the background dwarfed the colourful houses.   As we left the fjord system, we were once again surrounded by fog, which meant we could eat our lunch without worrying about missing a spectacular sight. After lunch, we escaped the fog and anchored at the village of Nanortalik, Greenland’s eleventh largest settlement with a population of 1,185.   We went ashore to the village, and we were treated to an incredible kayaking display. A local Inuit showed us his skills in handling the craft he made for himself. He demonstrated the paddling technique, rolling, and the balance he can gain from the use of a traditional Greenlandic wooden paddle. There is a fantastic open-air museum in Nanortalik that consists of several buildings, all with different historical uses. In one, there is even a replica of a kayak that you can sit in and practice balancing!   After visiting the museum, we spent the remainder of the afternoon exploring the rest of the village, buying souvenirs, and reflecting on the challenges associated with living in such a beautiful but remote place.   We returned to the ship for our daily recap and cocktail hour, followed by yet another excellent meal from our chefs.   Today was another incredible day on board National Geographic Explorer . We enjoyed spectacular scenery and learned about the fascinating culture. We are looking forward to continuing our journey up the west coast of Greenland.

Daily Expedition Reports

8/5/2022

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National Geographic Explorer

Skjoldunge Sunde, Denmark Sea

The first warm glow of the sun may have woken us, or maybe we simply set our alarms to get up early. Whatever the reason, many of us were up very early on this new day, our first in Greenland. We were richly rewarded; many icebergs were scattered about, catching those warm early rays from the sun. The backdrop, the Greenland coastline, was equally impressive. Polished rocks from glaciation gave way to jagged peaks jutting up into the cool morning air.   During the morning, the ship slowly made her way into the Nørre Skjoldungen Sund. Just after breakfast, she was in position for the morning activity: Zodiac cruises in Nørrevig Fjord.   The Zodiacs ambled up the fjord. We stopped at anything that caught our interest, including plants along the coastline and beautiful pieces of ice. At the end of the fjord, we were treated to a visual feast as the impressive Thryms Gletscher (glacier) stretched before us. This tide water glacier is fed by at least four glaciers farther up the valley, and we were able to see moraines and spectacular arêtes. Up the northern coast, we spotted two hanging glaciers. One of them delighted us with an avalanche of ice. Close to the glacier face and in among ice, telling us of recent calving activity, we observed a good number of feeding glaucous gulls.   By the time we returned to the ship, she had changed her position, moving a little farther into the sound. Behind her was a glacier with many moraines, and ahead, a stunning U-shaped valley. The scene perfectly illustrated how glaciers carve out classically shaped valleys.   Once we were back on the ship, we were encouraged to head back on deck to soak in the surrounding beauty. We sailed through the U-shaped valley; at one point, the passage was very narrow. As the ship took a righthand bend, we spotted a short fjord called Dronning Marie Dal, reputedly the greenest valley in East Greenland.   As we headed farther into the sound, we came upon a spectacular iceberg with an archway. On the other side of the ship, a glacier rewarded us with a calving event.   Just before lunch, the ship nosed gently into Balders Fjord, already into the southern arm of Skjoldungen Sund. An incredible vertical cliff loomed on our forward starboard quarter. This very impressive wall of rock rose some 1000 meters up into the clear blue sky.   With our senses exhausted, we headed for lunch.   Before heading out to sea and at the end of the sound, we were able to catch some views of an abandoned village called Skjoldungen.   For the rest of the afternoon, we were at sea. We enjoyed presentations and, of course, our evening recap and cocktail hour.   Under impressive clouds and beautiful evening light after dinner, we circumnavigated a giant castle iceberg complete with caves and tunnels.   It was a stunningly beautiful day.

Daily Expedition Reports

8/4/2022

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National Geographic Explorer

Denmark Strait

What a whale of a day we had! We set our clocks back one hour the night before and were looking forward to a bit of a lie in this morning, but the sea had a different idea for us! We were roused by the voice of our Expedition Leader, who let guests know that two blue whales were spotted off the bow. Jumping out of bed and pulling on the closest layers, people burst out of their cabins, bleary-eyed but excited with binoculars and cameras in hand. Trekking up to the bow and bridge, we were all delighted to see two of the largest animals to have ever lived on earth as they surfaced.    Throughout the day, we enjoyed wonderful talks given by our natural history staff. Hafsteinn Sæmundsson shared stories of Viking journeys to North America. Amy Malkoski serendipitously talked about the whales at the edge of the Arctic, and it was a treasure to hear about the incredible journeys of Peter Hillary, who hiked to the highest peaks on the seven continents and at the poles.   While there was much to see and learn inside, there was even more action in the waters around us on our crossing of the Denmark Strait. We hugged the ledge of the continental shelf; it is the perfect place to spot deep-water cetaceans. Early birds were treated to short-finned pilot whales, blue whales, and sperm whales. Later in the day, we even saw sei whales!

Daily Expedition Reports

8/4/2022

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National Geographic Sea Bird

Haines, Alaska

Today, National Geographic Sea Bird anchored outside the small town of Haines, Alaska for a full day of activities. Guests chose from a wide selection of options, ranging from flightseeing tours over the Chilkat Mountains and into Glacier Bay National Park, to bike rides, to river floats.

Daily Expedition Reports

8/3/2022

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National Geographic Endurance

Beaufort Sea, Canada

My name is Megan Case, and I joined the Lindblad/National Geographic expedition through the Northwest Passage as a Community Ambassador from Kugluktuk, Nunavut.   At sea, life is different. Time doesn’t move hour to hour but moment to moment. We are living by the currents and planning by the tides. The ocean can be calm or still, rough or rigid, but in the end, it is consistently beautiful. I have always been fascinated by the sea and what’s underneath the deep blue.   The themes of the day were art and science. Both art and science are about observation and interpretation. Together, they are an attempt to understand and explain the world around us. After observing several bears on the sea ice, we listened to Sue Forbes discuss the art of photography, which will help us get great wildlife photos. In the afternoon, Gail Ashton demonstrated environmental DNA analysis: bits of animal DNA found in bodies of water indicate which animals are present. At the same time, I led an informal discussion and Q & A on traditional Nunavut jewelry.   After dinner, we experienced the Filipino Crew Show. I had goosebumps the entire show. There are so many talented people on board. The show truly brought the guests, crew, and naturalists together. I laughed so hard that I fell off a chair, and we all danced. It was an amazing show, and I’m pretty sure everyone had a grand time.   I will be forever grateful that I had this opportunity to join the Lindblad/National Geographic expedition. I realized that life on a ship has no boring moments… from the food to the open air to all the wildlife we saw on our journey through the Northwest Passage. The whole experience of cruising was ‘out of this world,’ in my opinion.