SEATTLE — Quark Expeditions is celebrating the launch of its 2022 Canadian Arctic season with the successful inaugural voyage of the Ultramarine.

On Aug. 1, 2022, the new vessel embarked on the 17-day Northwest Passage: In the Footsteps of Franklin voyage, one of the operator’s five expeditions that explore the Canadian High Arctic. Highlights include stops in Greenland, traversing the Davis Strait to the northern tip of Baffin Island, and a visit to the Inuit hamlet of Pond Inlet where guests will meet Inuit guides and community members to learn about traditional way of life.

The comprehensive itinerary retraces the steps of polar explorer Sir John Franklin who departed the shores of England in May 1845 with a crew of 24 officers and 100 men and never returned. The doomed expedition remains one of the most enduring mysteries of Arctic exploration.

“We’re so excited to have kicked off our Canadian Arctic season with the 17-day Northwest Passage: In the Footsteps of Franklin itinerary,” said Thomas Lennartz, Vice-President of Sales and Customer Service for Quark Expeditions. “Not only does it herald our return to the much-beloved Canadian Arctic, but this voyage also marks Ultramarine’s inaugural voyage in the Canadian North, which includes the fabled Northwest Passage. Guests get to enjoy the amenities of this technologically-advanced ship while steeped in polar history and wilderness.”

To learn more about the Northwest Passage: In the Footsteps of Franklin itinerary and Quark Expeditions four other Canadian High Arctic voyages offered in August and September, click here.