Welcome to Reykjavik! The team got you a hotel room to rest and prepare for your Arctic adventures. If you have the energy, you can explore the city, like the Perlan observation deck, Hallgrímskirkja church, and cozy houses with colorful tin roofs. You can also go shopping or see the Whales of Iceland exhibition. When it comes to dinner, there are tons of options for you to try out Icelandic food.

After breakfast at your hotel, the morning is yours to explore the city. Your expedition starts in the afternoon. Transfer to the pier, where your expedition team will offer a warm welcome aboard your comfortable vessel, M/V Sea Spirit. Get settled into your spacious cabins and explore the ship — It’ll be your home away from home during this extraordinary adventure. After departure, kick off your adventure with a full schedule of info briefings and introductions from the expedition staff. After a sumptuous dinner, step out onto the open decks to admire the spectacular views as you sail through Faxaflói. Keep your eyes open for whale encounters!

Today, explore the beautiful Vestfirðir (Westfjords) of Iceland. This remote and sparsely populated region of crenulated coastlines, voluminous waterfalls, and rugged mountains sees only 10% of Iceland’s visitors. Deep fjords are home to whales, while estuaries abound with seals and birdlife.

From Iceland, head toward East Greenland, crossing the Arctic Circle. Presentations and workshops by the expert staff and 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 and exterior stateroom windows and balconies.

This is expedition cruising at its most authentic. Your itinerary and exploration opportunities in East Greenland depend on weather and sea ice conditions. Again, you can be sure that the experienced captain and expedition leader will take advantage of every opportunity to experience excellent wildlife viewing, discover incredible scenery, and go ashore wherever possible. 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. The team anticipates exploring these fjord systems to the extent made possible by ever-changing ice conditions.  

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. The vast, open, and seemingly untouched landscape since the beginning of time is a hikers’ paradise. You can also find ancient Thule archeological sites, historical trappers’ huts, and modern Inuit hunters’ cabins throughout this area. 

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 the opportunity to meet Inuit people.

After your amazing time in East Greenland, head toward Svalbard. All along the way, remain vigilant for sightings of marine mammals such as whales and seals.

In Svalbard, the High Arctic wilderness comes alive, offering an authentic expedition experience. Your route and exploration opportunities depend on the ever-changing weather and sea ice conditions. With the skilled captain and expedition leader, they adapt the itinerary to seize the best opportunities Nature presents in this remote and untamed corner of the Arctic.

The team anticipates exploring 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. Immense tidewater glaciers calve icebergs into turquoise waters. Fields of flowering tundra are home to grazing reindeer and playful Arctic foxes. Bountiful inshore and offshore waters are home to various marine mammals. Polar Bears can be spotted anytime, anywhere in and around Svalbard. 

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

After filling up with one last buffet breakfast on board, bid farewell in Longyearbyen, and transfer to the airport or a central location is provided. By this time, you may already be planning your next fantastic trip to the polar worlds with the team!