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Itinerary - In Brief
Itinerary - Detailed
Day 1:
Longyearbyen / Embark
Arrive in Longyearbyen, on Spitsbergen, the administrative capital of the Spitsbergen archipelago of which West Spitsbergen is the largest island. Before embarking there is an opportunity to visit this former mining village. The Parish Church and the Polar Museum are well worth visiting, while in the country around the village more than 100 species of plant have been recorded. In the early evening the ship sails out of Isfjorden.
Day 2:
Raudfjord / Moffen Island / Monaco Glacier
Sail into Raudfjord on the north coast of West Spitsbergen, a beautiful fjord with spectacular glaciers. It is home to Ringed and Bearded Seals, seabird colonies and surprisingly rich vegetation. You have good chances of seeing polar bears, for instance near Hamilton Glacier, or more to the head of the fjord. From there continue to Moffen Island on which walrus haul out. If you have not seen bears on this day you may spend another day in Liefdefjord near the Monaco glacier, where bears are often seen.
Days 3-4:
At Sea
Spend these two days at sea, on your way to Greenland, along the impressive East Greenland Ice. Keep watch for fin, humpback, and minke whales, as well as for migrating seabirds, especially the Brünnich’s Guillemots, which swim with their small young from Spitsbergen, along the sea ice to South Greenland.
Day 5:
Myggebugten, Greenland / Kaiser Franz Joseph Fjord
Approaching Greenland you attempt to sail through the sea ice into Foster Bugt, making your first 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 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. An alternative is Sofia Sund, which is much narrower, and where you can see musk oxen from the ship.
Day 6:
Blomster Bugt / Teufelschloss and Ella Ö
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 with young. In the afternoon, sail along Teufelschloss and Ella Ö and maybe land at a beautiful spot in the early evening.
Day 7:
Antarcticahavn
The first half of the day you spend in Antarcticahavn, a wide and extensive valley where you also could see groups of Musk Oxen. At this time of year the autumnal colours of the sparse vegetation make the landscapes even more beautiful.
Day 8:
Scoresby Sund / Volquart Boons Coast / Danmarks Ø
Today you reach the Scoresby Sund and sail in the morning along the ragged and glaciated Volquart Boons Coast, a good place for seeing Narwhal. Here, you may take a Zodiac cruise along one of the glacier fronts of this coast, and have your first landing near a glacier.
Later, land on Danmarks Ø where there are 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 entrances and even bear-proof meat caches to be identified. There are also grave sites. In the evening, sail through the beautiful fjords to the west choked with ice-bergs.
Day 9:
Cape Hofmann Halvø / Eielson Glacier
Go ashore at Cape Hofmann Halvø, a reliable spot for viewing musk oxen. You may also spot rock ptarmigans and great northern divers at sea. The landscape here is particularly beautiful, especially during autumn when the Dwarf Willow and Dwarf Birch change color.
Later, during a Zodiac cruise along the 3km wide face of the Eielson Glacier, you come close to huge icebergs and may also see ringed seals, as well as distant views of musk oxen on shore. In the evening, sail through the fjord towards Scoresby Land, hoping to see narwhal again and enjoying the contrast between the warm autumnal colours of the vegetation on shore, backed by huge dark mountains, and the cold blue of the icebergs.
Day 10:
Scoresby Land / Jameson Land
In Northwest fjord in Scoresby Land in the morning, you encounter huge icebergs, some over 100m high and more than a kilometer in length. Most of the bergs are grounded as the fjord is only about 400m deep here. You 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. You may also land at Gurreholm on Jameson Land. The landscape here is gently undulating, but the climate is harsh. Sometimes snow lies throughout the summer, but some animals (musk oxen and collared lemmings) survive on the meagre vegetation.
Day 11:
Illoqqortoormiut / Blosseville Coast
In the morning, you land in 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. After lunch, you will sail south passing the amazing landscape of the Blosseville Coast.
Day 12:
At Sea
You are the whole day at sea and will have splendid opportunities to see large whales and seabird migration and, in the night, the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights).
Day 13:
Akureyri / Reykjavik / Disembarkation
Arrive in Akureyri (North Iceland) and transfer for the flight home, or take a bus to Reykjavik.
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