Greenland, Svalbard & Iceland
Itinerary
Day 1
Oslo - Longyearbyen
Arrive Longyearbyen this morning and explore this high Arctic capital before embarking the ice-strengthened expedition ship M/S Quest.
Days 2-3
Exploring Spitsbergen
During two days we sample the delights of Spitsbergen's western coast. We hope to land in Hornsund, a favourite area for polar bears. We may also see the Svalbard reindeer and Arctic fox during our time here. This fjord is flanked by jagged mountains covered by thick glaciers and is one of the world`s most beautiful places.
Day 4
The Greenland Sea
We shape a south-westerly course across the Greenland Sea and keep a constant lookout for whales which are often encountered in these waters. Our on board lecturers entertain us with lectures on the area's flora, fauna, glaciology and history of exploration.
Day 5
In Greenlandic pack ice
Today we expect to travel through the pack ice, which embraces Greenlandīs northern coast. Few things in life are as exciting as standing in the bow of a ship breaking through thick floes of pack ice. On the bridge we admire the experienced crew manoeuvring their ship through the massive ice. We may meet some of the many animals that thrive here such as Arctic seals, walrus and the beautiful angel of the Arctic: the ivory gull.
Day 6-12
Northeast Greenland
If ice conditions are favourable we reach the shores of Greenland now. We plan to make Zodiac landings each day and the following are some places we hope to visit:
Daneborg
If ice conditions allow we visit Daneborg, the headquarters of the Danish Sirius patrol. Here we meet the men who manage and patrol the huge Northeast Greenland National Park by dog sleds.
Clavering Island
At Clavering Island we visit a hunter's hut and learn more about the life of a hunter and trapper in these latitudes. We hope to encounter some of the many muskox, which inhabit these shores. Northeast Greenland is one of very few places in the world where we can see these huge, woolly herbivores, weighing up to 400 kilos.
Kaiser Franz Josef Fjord
Today we enter this beautiful fjord system, framed by mountains shooting vertically out of the sea. We cruise along vast glacier fronts and find ourselves dwarfed by their immense size.
Scoresby Sound
As we reach Scoresby Sound, we make a landfall and enjoy the breathtaking view of this immense fjord, largest in the world! Massive glaciers meander their way down to the sea where they give birth to giant icebergs. We keep our eyes open for the gyr falcon and snowy owl, often spotted in this area. Venturing further into this huge fjord system we find Eskimo Bay where we look at the remains of ancient Inuit settlements, dating back to 500 AD. We visit Ittoqqortoormiit, the main town in East Greenland with just a few hundred inhabitants, still living off hunting and fishing. We are guided around the village by some of its friendly inhabitants, who tell us about life in this isolated place 300 miles north of the Arctic Circle.
Day 13
Across the Denmark Strait
We spend hours on deck, keeping a lookout for dolphins and whales. We may encounter humpback, minke, sei and fin whales. Our lecturers continue their extensive program.
Day 14
Keflavik - Reykjavik, Iceland
Today we steam into Keflavik and disembark the M/S Quest. We visit the famous Blue Lagoon and enjoy a bath in the thermal springs. We have dinner here and overnight at a centrally located hotel in Reykjavik.
Day 15
Reykjavik
We wake up in the smallest capital in northern Europe and explore this city after breakfast. In the afternoon we transfer to the airport for the flight home.
