Arctic Sights & Northern Lights

After breakfast at the hotel, enjoy free time to continue exploring Reykjavik. In the afternoon, take an included transfer from the hotel to the luxury expedition ship M/V Sea Spirit. Explore the ship and get comfortable in your home away from home for the extraordinary adventure to come. After getting underway, a full schedule of events kicks off with informative briefings and introductions from the expedition staff. After the first of many delicious dinners on board, step out onto the open decks to admire the views as the ship sails through Faxaflói, where it is possible to encounter the first whales of the voyage.

As the ship sails north across the Denmark Strait to East Greenland, celebrate this crossing of the Arctic Circle. Keep a continuous lookout for great whales and flocks of seabirds feeding in the productive waters near the sharp rise of Greenland’s continental shelf. After nightfall there is the first of many opportunities to see the aurora borealis overhead.

This part of the voyage focuses on the spectacular fjords, coasts and islands of Scoresby Sund, also known as Kangertittivaq in the Greenlandic language. This area contains some of the world’s most impressive scenery and Greenland’s best wildlife viewing. The exact schedule and route will be shaped by weather and ice conditions. Polar bears and other quintessential Arctic wildlife can be spotted anytime, anywhere in and around Scoresby Sund.

Scoresby Sund is the largest and longest fjord system in the world. This area contains some of the Arctic’s most impressive scenery with deep fjords and narrow channels flanked by rock walls up to 6561 feet high. Explore Northeast Greenland National Park, the largest and most northerly national park in the world. Hikers can appreciate astounding views and opportunities to spot wildlife such as the snowy owl, startled mountain hare, musk oxen, boreal fowl, polar bears, seals, walrus and narwhal.

The Franz Josef Fjord and Kong Oscar Fjord systems are part of Northeast Greenland National Park, the world’s largest and perhaps most remote. This whole area contains some of the Arctic’s most magnificent scenery. Deep fjords and narrow channels, flanked by ice-clad peaks up to 6,562 feet high, reach far into the mountainous heart of Greenland. Tidewater glaciers create colossal icebergs that float with wind and tide throughout the fjord system. On shore, fields of multicolored tundra are home to musk oxen and arctic hare.

Visit ancient Thule archeological sites, including the Inuit village of Ittoqqortoormiit, the only permanent settlement in the region and host to a museum, bookstore, handmade crafts, a post office and Greenlandic sled dogs. As night falls,watch for nature’s greatest celestial performance: the Northern Lights. East Greenland is one of the very best places in the Arctic to view this otherworldly natural phenomenon. This itinerary offers a deep dive into one of the Arctic’s most scenic and soulful environments.

In September, at the equinox, day and night are given equal opportunities to astound you. As night falls, the darkening sky becomes a stage for nature’s greatest celestial performance: the Northern Lights. East Greenland is one of the very best places in the Arctic to view this otherworldly natural phenomenon. In addition to being at the perfect latitude for strong aurora displays, the skies above Scoresby Sund are often cleared by katabatic winds rolling down from the nearby Greenland Ice Sheet. Lights dancing from horizon to horizon are mirrored in calm waters while the silhouettes of gigantic icebergs and serrated mountains add to the romantic splendor of the experience.

This itinerary offers a deep dive into one of the Arctic’s most scenic and soulful environments. From dawn to dusk and beyond, enjoy days filled with incredible shore excursions, world-class Zodiac cruising, and enough stunning scenery to fill the camera and overwhelm the emotions. Hikers will live their wilderness dreams and sea kayakers will be rewarded with some of the finest paddling on the planet.

After an amazing time in Scoresby Sund the ship heads back across Denmark Strait toward Iceland. Presentations and workshops by the 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. Nighttime offers still more possibilities for aurora borealis!

This expedition day in the Westfjords area reveals the rare beauty of the part of Iceland where mass tourism disappears – only about 10% of Iceland’s visitors ever see the region. Deep fjords are home to whales while estuaries abound with seals and birdlife.

After breakfast on board, say farewell back in Reykjavík. Be transferred to the international airport or to the city center if you wish to spend another day or more in Iceland before flying home.