Upon arrival in Oslo, a representative from Aurora Expeditions will greet you and take you to your group hotel. Stop by the Aurora Expeditions hospitality desk at the hotel to pick up luggage cabin tags and chat with the ground operations team for any pre-embarkation details. After that, you can spend the rest of your day as you wish. Meals for the day will be at your own expense.

This morning, please ensure your cabin luggage has cabin tags clearly labeled with your name and cabin number. Enjoy breakfast at the hotel before transferring to the airport for your charter flight to Longyearbyen for embarkation. Any valuables or personal items should be kept on you throughout the day. In Longyearbyen, explore the town on a guided tour.  

After the tour, transfer directly to the pier to embark in the late afternoon. Settle into your cabin before attending important safety briefings and enjoy the thrill of departure as you set sail.

Svalbard offers arctic wilderness at its best. The members of your experienced Expedition Team, who have made countless journeys to this area, will use their expertise to tailor your itinerary, choosing the best options based on the prevailing weather, sea-ice conditions, and opportunities for wildlife encounters. 

Phenomenal fjords, magnificent mountain ranges, and a polar desert rich in fossils set the stage for heroic tales of early exploration. See walruses hauled out on sea ice or beaches. On land, stretch your legs on walks across tundra carpeted in brightly colored wildflowers. Visit towering cliffs noisy with nesting guillemots and puffins and scree slopes that hold Svalbard’s largest little auk colonies.  

If you have chosen an optional activity, such as kayaking, you can enjoy that activity when conditions allow. For those enthusiastic about participating in a polar plunge, as soon as conditions are suitable, you can hear the announcement to prepare for an exhilarating dip – a memory you can savor for years.

As you sail towards the coast of East Greenland, you may encounter whales feeding in the rich waters of the north. As you approach East Greenland, be prepared to discover more pack ice and perhaps spot seals and a variety of seabirds, including the northern fulmar and Brünnich’s guillemot.

The strong, icy currents have isolated East Greenland from the Polar Basin, attracting large numbers of fish, seals, and whales. Climatic conditions and the concentration of ice in the vicinity often create thick morning fog that only vanishes in the presence of the midday sun. The experts will inform and entertain you with fascinating discussions on plants, animals, ice, and heroic tales of exploration.

The approach to Jan Mayen is spectacular. The huge 2,277-meter (7,470-foot) Beerenberg volcano is the northernmost active volcano in the world, and it last erupted in 1985. The northern part of the island is a great place to look for whales and dolphins and contains impressive glaciers, some of which reach the sea. If the weather is favorable, you can try to land at Kvalrossbukta, a relatively sheltered bay on the island's west coast. This is one of the landings used to supply the weather station Olonkinbyen, situated on the island's eastern side.

In the coming days, a host of choices are available to you, and depending on ice and weather conditions, the east coast of Greenland is yours to explore. The experienced Expedition Team, who have made countless journeys to this area, will use their expertise to tailor your itinerary daily. This allows you to use the prevailing weather, ice conditions, and encounters with wildlife. You generally attempt up to two landings or Zodiac excursions daily, including cruising along spectacular ice cliffs and following whales feeding near the surface.   

East Greenland contains some of the Arctic's most impressive scenery. Deep fjords and narrow channels, flanked by sharp ice-clad peaks up to 2,000 m (6,562 ft) high. Gigantic icebergs calved from glaciers drift throughout the fjord system, creating breathtaking scenery. The landscape is filled with multi-colored tundra, home to musk oxen and arctic hares. Ancient Thule archaeological sites, historical trappers' huts, and modern Inuit hunters' cabins are throughout the area.  

A highlight is visiting the Inuit village of Ittoqqortoormiit, the region's most isolated and northernmost permanent settlement, with approximately 500 inhabitants. Here you can explore the village, the fascinating museum or sit in the beautiful Lutheran Church. The locals are friendly, and the shy young children are keen to say hello and practice their English from underneath their Arctic fox fur jackets. The community boasts an excellent museum, gift shop, an abundance of Greenlandic sled dogs, and the opportunity to meet Inuit people.   

Thanks to the fertile volcanic soil mountains that protect areas from the strong winds, the area is rich in wildlife. You may spot everything from muskox and arctic foxes to mountain hares and even reindeer near the fjord. Look skyward, and you could catch a glimpse of birds, including common eider, glaucous gull, black-legged kittiwake, northern fulmar, and arctic terns gracefully gliding or plunging into icy bays for zooplankton.

The day builds with excitement as you set sail toward your prime viewing position within the totality path. Enjoy lunch onboard while the crew expertly navigates the ship toward the perfect spot to witness the eclipse. As anticipation mounts, gather on deck with fellow eclipse chasers in preparation for the celestial event. The drama unfolds as the moon starts to take a bite out of the sun, slowly plunging the landscape into an ethereal twilight. Then, the grand finale arrives. Totality transforms the day into night for a breathtaking 2 minutes and 18 seconds. The sun peeks through as the totality recedes, creating a stunning diamond ring effect. Relax and relive this unforgettable experience with your fellow travelers over a celebratory dinner.

Continue to explore Greenland's fjord systems, each encompassing several smaller fjords and sounds. The area is rich in wildlife thanks to the fertile volcanic soil and the surrounding mountains offering protection from strong winds. You may spot everything from musk oxs and arctic foxes to mountain hares and even reindeer near the fjord. Look skyward, and you can glimpse birds, including the glaucous gull, black-legged kittiwake, northern fulmar, common raven, and common eider. 

There are great hiking options in the area, where flowering tundra plants, scattered bones of whales, and muskox from centuries of hunting by the Inuit and fumaroles can be found. In these areas, heated groundwater boils to the surface, creating bubbling pools and mineral formations as the water reacts with the atmosphere.   

The area also boasts some of the most striking sedimentary sandstone, shale, and siltstone formations imaginable. The layers of sediment here are estimated to have taken about 4,000 years to be laid down, and the alternating colors and patterns in the layers of rocks are stunningly beautiful.

Crossing the Denmark Strait to Iceland, search for whale blows and photograph the many seabirds that trail your ship in the ever-present arctic winds.

During the early morning, cruise into Reykjavik and disembark at approximately 8.00 am. Farewell to your Expedition Team and fellow passengers as you continue your journeys. Transfer to Keflavik airport.