Brand Backstory
If you crave formal dinners or luxe accommodations, Adventure Canada, which specializes in small-ship expedition cruises to Greenland and the Canadian Arctic, may not be the cruise company for you. But if you’re keen to connect with local communities, learn about Arctic cultures, hike across the tundra, and bounce over the waves between icebergs and glaciers, then you might consider a trip with this family-run Canadian company.
Two adventurous brothers, Matthew and Bill Swan, and their buddy Dave Freeze, launched the business in 1987 to visit parts of the world that saw few travelers. Matthew Swan’s daughter Cedar currently serves as CEO, and several other family members are involved in its operations.
I traveled on one of Adventure Canada’s Greenland cruises, “Iceland to Greenland: In the Wake of the Vikings,” which began in Reykjavik, crossed the Denmark Strait to Greenland’s eastern shore, then continued along the Greenland coast to the country’s capital, Nuuk. We navigated around sea ice, past craggy snow-topped peaks, and through the narrow scenic waters of Prince Christian Sound. Going ashore in zodiacs, we soaked in a steamy natural spring, swatted aggressive bugs as we hiked to a waterfall, and listened to tales about Viking life at centuries-old historic sites. We visited several small communities, where the vibrant houses were painted bright red, blue, green, or orange-yellow and where many residents earn their living from the sea.
An Adventure Canada trip is about learning, not luxury. The four Greenlandic cultural interpreters on our trip, including Aleqa Hammond, who had served as Greenland’s first woman prime minister, shared insights on everything from Greenlandic history to Inuit cultural traditions to the challenges of becoming an independent nation. Archaeologist Aka Simonsen detailed the many colonizers who had attempted to take over the territory, while Arctic policy specialist Nauja Bianco, in a presentation entitled “That Whole ‘Buying Greenland’ Thing,” taught us that Donald Trump is far from the first American to covet this Arctic nation. Nanna Frederiksen, who was starting her university studies, introduced us to Greenland’s educational system and taught us a few Greenlandic phrases. We learned that Greenlandic is the only Inuit language without swear words.
Onboard naturalists discussed Greenland’s changing climate, how to identify whales and seabirds, and the types of wildflowers we might see onshore. Author Bill Arnott told travel tales from his Gone Viking series, and Steve Burrows shared how he wove his interest in birding and detective stories into his series of “Birder Murder” mysteries. The expedition staff even organized a soccer match between the ship’s passengers and local youth in the South Greenland community of Qaqortaq (it didn’t end well for the Adventure Canada team).
We even had the opportunity to become amateur space suit models. Our trip’s passengers included six “Young Explorers” between the ages of 21 and 30, who had been chosen to pursue a science, art, or conservation project during the voyage, in a program jointly sponsored by Adventure Canada and The Explorers Club. One of the Explorers, Charlotte Pouwels, a Dutch space scientist, recruited passengers to test a new space suit design. About a dozen of us helped assess the suits’ fit and communications capabilities, as we posed for “astronaut” photos amid Greenland’s lunar-like landscapes.
Ship Snapshot
Adventure Canada charters, but does not own, its vessels. I sailed on the Ocean Endeavor, a 198-passenger ship constructed in 1982 that Adventure Canada retired at the end of the 2025 season, replacing it on this itinerary for 2026 with the 75-passenger Ocean Nova. Both ships are comfortable but basic, with modest cabins and spacious lounge areas where passengers gather for lectures, music nights, or drinks.
Onboard Amenities
Guests congregate in the dining room for meals and in the lounges for talks and other activities or to relax between adventures. There’s a small gym, and our cruise offered morning yoga or stretching classes. Passengers can borrow books, many about the Arctic region or Inuit culture, from the shipboard library. In the gear room, each guest is assigned a locker to keep jackets, boots, and lifejackets for shore excursions.
Staterooms
The compact cabins include beds, a desk, a wardrobe and cabinet, en suite bathrooms with showers, and not much else. On the Nova, which was built in Denmark in 1992, all the cabins have a window to the outdoors, which keeps the tiny rooms – ranging from just 86 to 159 square feet – from feeling cramped. The company assumes that passengers will spend their waking hours on excursions, at lectures, in the dining room, or in the lounges, rather than in their cabins, and on my trip, that was certainly true. Lectures, musical performances, even a campy costume party were broadcast into the cabins, so guests who chose to retire early or sleep late could tune in from their beds.
What’s Included
“Iceland to Greenland: In the Wake of the Vikings” embarks from Reykjavik, Iceland, and ends in Nuuk, Greenland. Like most Adventure Canada journeys, the trip price includes all guided shore activities, Zodiac excursions, community visits, onboard educational programs, access permits and entry fees, all onboard meals, and limited Wi-Fi service. Flights to Iceland or from Greenland aren’t included, though the company offers a Nuuk-Toronto charter flight option for US$1,595 per person. All guests receive a complimentary expedition jacket and can borrow rubber boots to wear for water landings.
Food & Drink
Breakfast and lunches onboard were casual buffet meals, and midday often included a special feature; my favorites were the Asian-inspired dishes, such as laksa or noodle stir-fries, that members of the kitchen crew crafted from their home countries. Vegetarian and seafood options were always available, as were Danish cheeses and freshly baked breads. One especially mild day, we enjoyed a barbecue on deck with local fish that had been caught only hours earlier. Most dinners were sit-down, multi-course meals, with several choices for each course. Even in the evenings, wearing a fleece and hiking pants was the norm, rather than anything more formal.
Fast Facts
Location: Iceland and Greenland
Vibe: Educational, informal
Rating: 3
Starting Rate: US$10,995 for a 13-day cruise. Canadian residents can request Canadian dollar pricing.
Room Count: 45 (Ocean Nova)
Our Favorite Thing About The Ship: The dramatic views of glaciers and icebergs from the outdoor decks
Dining: Breakfast and lunch are buffet-style. Dinners are typically plated, multi-course meals, although evening buffets are sometimes offered to accommodate shore landing or zodiac excursion schedules.
Amenities: Small library, gym, medical clinic, limited Wi-Fi (with option to purchase additional time)
Closest Airport: Reykjavik (Iceland), Nuuk (Greenland)
Iceland
