Iceland, Jan Mayen & Svalbard Expedition

This morning, ensure any cabin luggage is fitted with cabin tags and take it down to hotel reception. Luggage will be collected from the hotel and transferred directly to port for clearance and delivered to your cabin ahead of embarkation. Keep any valuables or personal items with you throughout the day.

Check out and enjoy a classic tour of Reykjavik to experience the city’s unique architecture and culture before transferring to the pier for embarkation. Settle into your cabin before attending important safety briefings and enjoy the thrill of departure as the crew “throws the lines” and sets sail with spectacular views of Reykjavik. This evening, get to know your fellow expeditioners and the friendly expedition team and crew at the captain’s welcome dinner to celebrate the start of a thrilling adventure.

Over the next three days, explore the Westfjords region featuring outstanding landscapes with jaw-dropping views of dramatic fjords carved by ancient glaciers, sheer table mountains that plunge into the sea and pristine North Atlantic vegetation.

In genuine expeditionary style, the itinerary is flexible to allow for spontaneity. There are countless fjords to explore in the region. The experienced expedition team will determine the day-by-day itinerary based on the unpredictable weather conditions of the region.

Hornstrandir peninsula is located here and is one of Iceland’s remotest and most pristine regions filled with many deep and dramatic fjords, towering bird cliffs, stunning natural beauty and opportunities for wildlife encounters. Enjoy the bountiful silence and magnificent landscapes while sailing past this stunning region seen by the few adventurers that make their way here.

At Patreksfjordur, take a coach bus to Latrabjarg cliffs. As Europe’s largest bird cliff, Latrabjarg is home to millions of seabirds, such as puffin, razorbill, fulmar and guillemot. Enjoy the impressive variety of natural wonders and unspoiled nature. Latrabjarg also happens to be the westernmost point in Europe, east coast of the North American continent on the other side of the Atlantic.

Possibly visit places such as Isafjordur and Djupavik, where kayakers can paddle in the peaceful waters surrounded by towering mountains while others can enjoy walks and hikes of varying levels of difficulty, soaking in the stunning surrounds including impressive waterfalls and deep fjords. Hope to sample some local delicacies or perhaps visit an abandoned herring museum converted into an exhibition and gallery space.

Sail across the Denmark Strait to Jan Mayen Island accompanied by sea birds while keeping a close watch for whales. Enjoy informative and entertaining lectures and presentations from the ship’s team of experts, get to know your fellow expeditioners, stay active at the gym or treat yourself to a massage in the wellness center.

The approach to Jan Mayen is spectacular. The huge 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, 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 eastern side of the island. Today’s plan is to land in front of the Norwegian station at Olonkinbyen, stop to visit the weather station before embarking on a three-hour hike (weather permitting) to the other side of the island where your ship will be waiting for you in Kvalrossbukta. The trusty Zodiacs will transport you back to the ship.

The sea around Jan Mayen offers excellent whale-watching opportunities (bottlenose, fin and perhaps bowhead whales in the pack ice). Sail toward Svalbard, searching for the ice edge as you continue north, retracing the route of Dutch explorer Willem Barents who discovered Spitsbergen and the Barents Sea, named after him. It is breeding season for the harp seals, look for them breeding on sea ice. As you approach Svalbard, the focus will be on spotting polar bears hunting on the pack ice.

Svalbard offers Arctic wilderness at its best. The members of the experienced expedition team, who have made countless journeys to this area, will use their expertise to tailor the day-to-day itinerary, choosing the best options, based on the prevailing weather, sea-ice conditions and the possibility of encounters with wildlife.

Phenomenal fjords, magnificent mountain ranges and a polar desert rich in fossils set the stage for heroic tales of early exploration. See walrus hauled-out on sea ice or on beaches. On land,  stretch your legs on walks across tundra carpeted in brightly colored wildflowers. Visit towering cliffs noisy with nesting guillemots, and scree slopes that hold Svalbard’s largest little auk colonies. Most memorable will be encounters with the majestic polar bear on pack ice. The expedition team is just as keen as you are to find polar bears, and they will be on constant watch to spot these inspiring creatures.

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

Say farewell to the expedition team, before further enjoying explorations of fascinating Longyearbyen to learn the town’s history, its geology, flora, fauna and the modern community that call the place home. Visit Svalbard Museum and Galleri Svalbard, Office of the Governor, Svalbard Church, Nybyen (new town), some of the town’s mines including Santa Claus Mine, and make a quick photo stop at the famous “beware of polar bear” street sign. Afterwards, transfer to the airport to continue your journey.