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Itinerary

Spitsbergen & Greenland by Small Ship
14 days - Sep - From US $ 4,020

DISCLAIMER:  All itineraries are for guidance only. Programs may vary depending on local ice and weather conditions and in order to take advantage of opportunities to see wildlife.  Flexibility is paramount for expedition cruises.

Day 1: You will arrive in Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen, the administrative capital of the Spitsbergen archipelago of which West Spitsbergen is the largest island. Before embarking, there will be an opportunity to visit this former mining village. The Parish ChurchPolar Museum are well worth visiting and, around the village more than 100 species of plants have been recorded. In the early evening the ship will sail out of Isfjorden.

Day 2: The ship will sail into Raudfjord. On the north coast of West Spitsbergen, it is a beautiful fjord with spectacular glaciers. It is home to ringed and bearded seals, seabird colonies and surprisingly rich vegetation. You will have a good chance to see polar bears near Hamilton Glacier or more to the head of the fjord. From there, the ship will continue to Moffen Island, on which walruses haul out. If you do not seen any polar bears on this day, the ship may spend another day in Liefdefjord near the Monaco glacier, where polar bears can often be seen.

Day 3-4: At sea, on your way to Greenland, the ship will sail along the impressive East Greenland Ice. You should watch for fin whales, humpback whales, minke whales, and migrating seabirds--especially the Brünnich’s guillemots, which swim with their small young from Spitsbergen, along the sea ice, to South Greenland.

Day 5: Approaching Greenland, the ship will attempt to sail through the sea ice into Foster Bugt, making a landing at Myggebugten. Beyond the old hunters’ hut (in the first half of last century Norwegian trappers hunted here for polar bears and Arctic foxes) there is extensive tundra populated by musk oxen and Arctic hares. The small lakes are home to geese. You will sail through Kaiser Franz Joseph Fjord, a magnificent fjord with towering mountains on both sides, its inner reaches choked with huge icebergs and an excellent place to encounter narwhal. Alternatively, you may sail through Sofia Sund, which is much narrower, and where you can see musk oxen from the ship.

Day 6: You will land at Blomster Bugt to view the beautiful geological formations. Arctic hares are usually seen here and there is a lake with great northern divers. In the afternoon, the ship will sail along Teufelschloss and Ella Ö and may land at a beautiful spot in the early evening.

Day 7: The first half of the day will be spent in Antarcticahavn, a wide and extensive valley where you may also see groups of musk oxen. At this time of year, the autumnal colors of the sparse vegetation will make the landscapes even more beautiful.

Day 8: Today you will reach the Scoresby Sund, and the ship will sail in the morning along the ragged and glaciated Volquart Boons Coast, a good place to see narwhal. Here, a zodiac cruise along one of the glacier fronts of this coast may be organized, with a landing near a glacier.

Later, the ship will land at Danmarks Ø where you can see the remains of an Inuit settlement abandoned around 200 years ago. The circular tent rings of stones indicate the summer houses, while the winter houses can be seen closer to a small cape. The sites are excellently preserved, allowing for the identification of entrances and even bear-proof meat caches. You will also see grave sites. In the evening, the ship will continue sailing through the beautiful fjords to the west, choked with icebergs.

Day 9: You will go ashore at Cape Hofmann Halvø, a reliable spot for viewing musk oxen. You can also spot rock ptarmigans and great northern divers. The landscape here is particularly beautiful, especially during autumn when the dwarf willow and dwarf birch change color. Arctic blueberry and crowberry add their own colorful touch--the berries are tasty, too!

Later, during a zodiac cruise along the 3 km (1.8 miles) wide face of the Eielson Glacier, you will come close to huge icebergs and also see ringed seals as well as musk oxen on shore. In the evening, the ship will sail through the fjord toward Scoresby Land, creating a chance to see narwhals again, and an opportunity to enjoy the contrast between the warm autumnal colors of the vegetation on shore backed by huge dark mountains, and the cold blue of the icebergs.

Day 10: In the morning, on the way to Sydkap in Scoresby Land, you will encounter huge icebergs, some over 100 m (328 ft.) high and more than a kilometer (.6 miles) in length. Most of the bergs are grounded, as the fjord is only about 400 m (1312 ft.) deep here. You will land near Sydkap to view the remains of the Thule culture winter houses. As many as 20 people lived in these tiny houses, hunting Greenland whales and using their vertebrae to build the houses. Also, you will land at Gurreholm on Jameson Land. The landscape here is gently undulating and the climate is harsh--sometimes snow can be seen throughout the summer--but some animals, such as musk oxen and collared lemmings, survive on the meager vegetation.

Day 11: In the morning, the ship will land at Illoqqortoormiut, the biggest settlement in the Scoresby Sund, with about 500 inhabitants. At the post office, you can buy stamps for your postcards, or just wander around to see the sledge dogs and the drying skins of seal, musk ox and polar bear. Before lunch you will sail south to Iceland, passing the amazing landscape of the Blosseville Coast.

Day 12: At the mouth of Nansen Fjord, you will spot Gunnbjørns Fjeld. At 3,700m (12,138 ft.), it is both the highest peak in Greenland and also the highest mountain north of the Arctic Circle. You will sail into Nansen Fjord--another magnificent landscape with an enormous calving glacier front, which the ship can easily approach. At the inner side of the fjord along the northern shore, there will be ample landing and zodiac cruising opportunities. You may see the often tame rock ptarmigans and, on the ice floes, bearded seals. This area will give you the best chances to see polar bears in Greenland on this voyage.

Day 13: The whole day will be spent at sea, and there will be splendid opportunities to see large whales and seabird migration and, during the night, the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights).

Day 14: You will arrive in Keflavik and be transferred for your flight home.