Svalbard Greenland & Iceland

Welcome to Longyearbyen, the administrative center of Svalbard and starting point of your Arctic expedition! At the Longyearbyen airport, you will be greeted by staff and transferred to a quality hotel, which has been arranged in advance and is included in the price of the itinerary. You will then be free to explore the charming, walkable town center.

After breakfast at your hotel, the morning is yours to enjoy Longyearbyen. Take in the views of icy fjords and glaciated mountains surrounding this historic former coal-mining town. Take advantage of shopping for souvenirs or some last-minute necessities such as cold-weather gear. Just remember, you will soon receive your very own parka to keep and waterproof boots to borrow on board the ship. For lunch, Longyearbyen offers quick and easy meal options including the most northerly pizzas and kebabs in the world.

In the afternoon, you will be transferred to the pier where you will be warmly welcomed aboard a deluxe expedition ship.

Svalbard is a true High Arctic wilderness and this part of the voyage is a real expedition.

The plan is to explore the northwestern part of the island of Spitsbergen. This area contains the archipelago’s most impressive scenery and some of the Arctic’s best wildlife viewing opportunities. Deep fjords and narrow channels are flanked by jagged snowy mountain peaks. Bountiful inshore and offshore waters are home to a wide variety of marine mammals. Polar Bears can be spotted anytime, anywhere in and around Svalbard.

Also in this area is Ny Ålesund, a former mining town that is now home to an international community of Arctic researchers, complete with museum, gift shop, and post office. This was also a staging area for historic attempts to discover the North Pole.

From Svalbard you head southwest across the Greenland Sea toward East Greenland. In these far northern latitudes it is possible to encounter sea ice any time of the year. All along the way we remain vigilant for sightings of marine mammals such as whales and seals.

This is expedition cruising at its most authentic. The itinerary and exploration opportunities in East Greenland are dependent on weather and sea ice conditions.

The Franz Josef Fjord and Kong Oscar Fjord systems are part of Northeast Greenland National Park, the world’s largest national park. Scoresby Sund is the largest and longest fjord system in the world.

This whole area contains some of the Arctic’s most impressive scenery. Deep fjords and narrow channels, flanked by ice-clad peaks up to 2000 meters high, reach far into the mountainous heart of Greenland. On shore, fields of multicolored tundra are home to musk oxen and Arctic hare. Throughout this area we also find ancient Thule archeological sites, historical trappers’ huts, and modern Inuit hunters’ cabins.

The Inuit village of Ittoqqortoormiit is the only permanent settlement in the region. The community boasts an excellent museum, a gift shop, a post office, an abundance of Greenlandic sled dogs, and of course the opportunity to meet Inuit people.

After an amazing time in East Greenland you cross Denmark Strait toward Iceland, crossing the Arctic Circle on the way. Presentations and workshops by expert staff, as well as a range of onboard recreation facilities, ensure that this day at sea is not idly spent. Seabird viewing and whale sightings can be enjoyed from panoramic open decks as well as exterior stateroom windows and balconies.

After breakfast we say farewell in Reykjavík, the capital of Iceland and ending point of your expedition. A transfer to the airport or to the city center is provided if you wish to spend another day or more in Iceland before flying home.