Peregrine Adventures offers an 11-day expedition voyage in the wake of epic 19th and early 20th Century explorers Frobisher, Baffin, Amundsen and Franklin, navigating the holy grail of maritime exploration, the Northwest Passage joining the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, departing Heathrow by air 2nd and 22nd August 2005.

A 1000 miles of drifting ice with channels that close as quickly as they open and myriad islands, characterise the inhospitable polar waters of northern Canada. 2005 marks the 160th Anniversary of probably the most famous, though unsuccessful, expedition voyage led by British Naval Officer, Sir John Franklin in 1845. His ships 'Erebus' and 'Terror' were ultimately crushed by the ice, leading to the loss of all 132 hands after three tortuous years of starvation and disease. Only in 1906 was the route finally navigated by Norwegian Roald Amundsen in a 47 tonne second-hand fishing boat �Gj�a� and then not again till 1942!

Peregrine travellers are in good hands however, as they board a private charter jet from Ottawa to Resolute at the southern end of Cornwallis Island to join the reassuringly rugged 6,450 tonne ice-strengthened expedition vessel �Akademik Ioffe� for their 10-day voyage. First land-fall after setting sail is Beechey Island where a short hike visits the winter camp of Franklin�s ill-fated expedition. Later, at Prince Leopold Island, the ship�s highly manoeuvrable Zodiacs take travellers beneath cliffs teeming with birdlife, including Thick-billed Murres, Northern Fulmars, Black-legged Kittiwakes, and Black Guillemots. Crossing Lancaster Sound a further landfall explores the solitude of Navy Board Inlet on the north coast of Baffin Island. At Milne Inlet the almost mythical �unicorn of the seas�, the Narwhal, may often be observed surfacing around the Zodiac inflatables. At Pond Inlet see the remains of Thule houses built by ancient indigenous peoples with rafters of whalebone.

Coming about and heading across Baffin Bay towards Greenland, natural highlights include whales, Polar Bears, seabirds and awesome icebergs. First stop on the Greenland coast is Uummannaq with the proceeding days spent exploring the spectacular coast to Illulissat, cruising among the gigantic icebergs created by Jakobshavn Glacier, the fastest-moving glacier on earth � about 15 to 25 metres a day! The finale is a cruise up the magnificent Sondre Stromfjord, the longest fjord in the world, disembarking at Kangerlussuaq for a return charter jet to Ottawa.

The expeditions cost from �3,160p/p including scheduled flights from Heathrow, private charter flights, pre and post-voyage hotel accommodation in Ottawa, all voyage activities, excursions, education programmes and meals aboard the Akademik Ioffe.

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For more details contact Jarrod Kyte at Peregrine Adventures

tel 01635 872300 Fax 01635 872758

email sales@peregrineadventures.co.uk web www.peregrineadventures.co.uk