The Lower Savage Islands are uninhabited. Located in the Gabriel Strait, an arm of Davis Strait, the islands are part of Nunavut.
Our day began with much anticipation to hike and get in the water with the kayaks at York Sound, Baffin Island. We arrived in the morning to York Sound. This beautiful fjord is located at the southern tip of Baffin Island and Frobisher Bay. It is home to an attractive camping ground for the local Inuit population that live in Iqaluit, the capital of Nunavut, which is located right at the top of Frobisher Bay. The area is usually not very accessible due to being unprotected from the larger swells from the North Atlantic seas. This place is fantastic for seeing polar bears, caribou, arctic foxes, wolves, and for the locals in the area: a large proportion of arctic char! Without delay, two polar bears were spotted swimming towards National Geographic Explorer before we got anyone in a kayak. This gave us a fantastic experience with a curious young male that swam very close to the ship’s bow for quite some time. The encounter with the bears forced us to move onto our next destination: the Lower Savage Islands! We were greeted with heavy fogs and calmer waters. More polar bears were spotted lining the inlets of the many channels that fill the archipelago. Many seals, including harp and bearded seals, were graciously playing about. The heavy fog provided a dramatic and memorable landscape for the guests. Icebergs popped out of seemingly nowhere as we took Zodiac cruises around the area before heading to our next destination.
