Global expedition cruise company HX Expeditions has teamed up with elders of Canada’s Inuit community to develop a new excursion programme for Arctic Canada.
Involving community elders, local residents, and staff born and raised Inuit, this new programme marks the first time that a global cruise company has introduced a community-driven initiative of this scale in the region.
Launching in summer 2025, the community-led excursions will be offered on HX’s 25-day Northwest Passage sailings: westbound from Greenland to Alaska aboard MS Fridtjof Nansen, HX’s newest hybrid-powered vessel, and eastbound from Alaska to Greenland aboard MS Roald Amundsen, the world’s first battery hybrid-powered cruise ship.
This new line of community-led excursions will debut in Gjøa Haven, Pond Inlet, and Cambridge Bay, communities in the eastern Canadian Arctic that can be visited only during a short summer window.
The people powering the programme
A key member of the development team for these new experiences is Mariah Erkloo, an HX Product Planner and Inuk who was born and raised in Pond Inlet.
Erkloo helped shape the concept and strengthen relationships between HX and local partners.
As she puts it: “This kind of collaboration is exactly what’s needed in Arctic tourism. It’s encouraging to see it begin in a way that centers Inuit voices and priorities. From the community side, if this model continues to grow with care, it will strengthen the experience for both locals and visitors. I look forward to seeing how it evolves and the lasting positive impact it will have for our communities and the people who travel through them.”
Each excursion was created in partnership with Inuit hosts to offer guests a rare opportunity to engage with daily life, culture, and traditions in the Canadian Arctic through the perspective of the people who live there.
According to chief expedition officer Alex McNeil: “These intimate excursions are an opportunity for travellers to create meaningful personal connections with local residents and experience the beauty of Inuit hospitality like never before. By keeping excursions to an average of ten to 12 guests, we ensure each experience is personal and rooted in genuine exchange, offering a level of access, connection, and cultural integration you won’t find with other cruise lines.”
HX worked hand-in-hand with Inuit to create experiences that invite guests to share in the day-to-day life of those who call these shores home.
A game-changer for Arctic travel
This summer, HX guests sailing through the Northwest Passage will have the opportunity to take part in locally created, community-led experiences.
The Northwest Passage is a route so remote, it has been transited fewer than 450 times by ship in recorded history.
Among the experiences unique to this curated voyage are:
- Guided hikes to local landmarks with Inuit storytelling
- Participating in the lighting of the traditional Qilliq and learning its cultural significance
- “Arctic Conversations”: small-group discussions with community members about life in the North
- Arctic char fishing with local harvesters using traditional weir techniques
- Visiting summer cabins to learn how Inuit continue to live off the land
- Collaborative art-making sessions using techniques and materials unique to each region
- Storytelling with respected Elders sharing personal experiences and ancestral knowledge
- Joining community events like bingo, card games, or demonstrations of Arctic sports
These excursions offer a rare and meaningful opportunity to connect with life in the Arctic, designed not just to inform, but to foster genuine connection between guests and hosts.
