Devon Island, Nunavut, offers a polar port experience unlike any other, where your ship drops anchor in the shadow of a landscape that feels more like a science fiction set than a typical cruise stop. Step ashore rarely, but when you do, signature experiences await: dawn expeditions to the Devon Ice Cap with helicopter or overland viewpoints, guided snowshoe and cross-country treks across frost-glazed plateaus, and intimate zodiac cruises along towering icebergs and the island's stark coastlines. A centerpiece is the western realm of the 14-mile-wide Haughton impact crater, where guided field trips reveal 39-million-year-old geology and a Martian ambience that has drawn scientists for a decade studying how humans might live on another world. The destinations here emphasize isolation, science, and scenery—the ice-scraped eastern flank and crater rims offering otherworldly panoramas, dramatic fjords, and wildlife glides bathed in Arctic light. Fleet features on a Devon Island voyage include ice-strengthened expedition ships built for polar navigation, shallow drafts for intimate shore landings, nimble Zodiacs for close-to-shore encounters, and optional helicopter transfers to high-overflights of ice-cap horizons or crater viewpoints. Onboard services fuse discovery with comfort: expert polar naturalists and planetary scientists host interactive lectures, real-time mapping and photography workshops, and stargazing sessions, while dining showcases Arctic flavors and sustainable seafood, creating a luxe, educational frontier experience that redefines what a port call can be in Canada’s far north.
