Spitsbergen: Realm of the Ice Bear Cruise

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.

Enjoy breakfast and then check out. Join your guided Golden Circle and Geothermal Energy tour. With 85% of its electricity sourced from renewable sources, Iceland sets an outstanding example when it comes to sustainable energy.

Your journey takes you to the famous seismic sights of the Golden Circle route – Gullfoss waterfall, geysir, and history-rich Thingvellir National Park, before you’ll experience first-hand how green, sustainable energy is produced at one of the largest single-site geothermal power plants on the planet at the Geothermal Energy Exhibition and Ljósafossvirkjun Power Station.

You’ll also spend time at a true eco-village. Powered with thermal and solar energy, Sólheimar is fully sustainable, boasting greenhouses and forestry programmes, while its sustainable workshops are dedicated to candle-making, carpentry, weaving and soap-making.

In the late afternoon, return to Reykjavik for embarkation. This evening, get to know your fellow expeditioners, expedition team and crew.

At Arnarstapi, take a Zodiac tender ashore. Located on the Snaefellsnes Peninsula, this area features diverse landscapes characterized by lava fields, glistening fjords and home to Breidafjordur Bay which is rich in birdlife. The area is crowned by the magnificent, ice-capped Snæfellsjökull volcano, a 700,000-year-old dormant subglacial volcano, visible from Reykjavik on a clear day and immortalized in Jules Verne’s Journey to the Centre of the Earth. You can choose from a selection of shore excursion options that best suits your interests and level of fitness. Options include a bus tour to Mount Kirkjufell, one of the most famous mountains in Iceland, or a choice of hikes including a glacier hike at Snæfellsjökull Glacier.

Over the next 2 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 captain and guides keep your itinerary flexible to allow for spontaneity to discover one of Iceland’s most remote and 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 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. Alternatively, enjoy a shore excursion by coach to Rauthasnduris to explore the beach and seal watching. At Dynjandi, witness one of Iceland’s most impressive waterfalls – a difficult feat in a country that is filled with spectacular cascading falls.

Picturesque Akureyri is Iceland’s second largest city outside the capital area and is blessed with a superb snow-capped mountain backdrop. Choose from a selection of shore excursions in Akureyri to best suit your interests and level of fitness. Choose to visit Godafoss Falls and soak at Myvatn Nature baths, an outdoor hot spring bathing complex surrounded by mountain views. Alternatively, explore both Godafoss and Dettifoss waterfalls, the Mývatn region and Krafla. In the late afternoon, reboard the ship in Husavik, the whale watching capital of Iceland.

Located approximately 25 miles off the mainland, Grímsey is a verdant grassy island, probably best known for its proximity to the Arctic Circle, which cuts across the island. Many people travel to Grímsey just to say they have stepped across the imaginary line. With a tiny population of approximately 100 inhabitants, it’s a fantastic place for Zodiac cruising, kayaking and photographing seabirds such as guillemots, gulls and puffins.

Leaving Grímsey to return closer to the mainland, spend time scanning the waters of Skjálfandi Bay around Húsavik, a town known as the Iceland’s whale watching capital, home to up to 24 different whale species, as well as dolphins and 30 varieties of birds. The largest animal on earth, the blue whale, has also been spotted in Skjálfandi Bay, and if you are lucky, you might catch a glimpse of this magnificent creature as well as others, such as orcas, fin whales and pilot whales.

Spend some time exploring Seydisfjordur, a picturesque fishing village that is renowned for its charming
collection of colorful wooden buildings located around the lagoon. Take a stroll around town and discover the timber houses that are remnants from when the Norwegians settled here and established the herring fishing facilities from 1870–1900. From the valley above the town, the river Fjardara tumbles down in beautiful cascades to the lagoon. There are a number of delightful hiking trails to explore, or alternatively, you can discover a flourishing cultural scene with an arts center, the famous blue church that stages music concerts and the only two cinemas in the east of Iceland. Back in town, browse the stores where you will discover handicrafts by local artists and artisans–perfect as a souvenir or gift.

In Iceland’s east, disembark in Djupivogur, the gateway to Vatnajokull National Park, home to Europe’s largest
glacier. Drive to Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon, a glacial lagoon filled with floating icebergs that wash up on shore and stand gleaming on the nearby black-sand beach, dubbed Diamond beach. At Jokulsarlon, you can choose from a boat excursion on the lagoon, try a hike on the glacier or hike to a canyon, visiting a number of waterfalls along the way.

As you sail along the south coast, enjoy a sea day to catch up on editing your photos and enjoy an informative lecture from your knowledgeable expedition team.

Located off Iceland’s south coast, the Westman Islands were formed by volcanic eruptions around 10,000 years ago. Sail past Surtsey Island, a UNESCO World Heritage site that emerged from the sea in 1963 and is one of the youngest land masses on earth. Westman Islands are surrounded by 15 other uninhabited islands and around 30 rocks and skerries offering refuge for a rich array of seabirds. Westman Islands are considered to have the largest Atlantic puffin colony in the world, and when sailing around the islands it is not uncommon to see puffins but also whales and seals.

Heimaey is the main island in the archipelago, and it has a population of around 4,200. Ashore on Heimaey, the only inhabited island in the archipelago, see half-buried houses that remain from a violent 1973 eruption of Eldfell volcano, which you can hike up if you wish. A visit to the weather station offers bird-watching opportunities and splendid views of the surrounding islands.

Eruptions are a big part of the history of the Westman Island, where there are two volcanoes–one that erupted some 6,000 years ago, and Mount Eldfell that erupted in 1973, forcing all of the island’s inhabitants to evacuate for the mainland. Serendipitously, due to bad weather the day prior to the eruption, all the fishing boats remained in the harbor and were able to help transport the inhabitants of Heimaey to the mainland. You can learn more about the story of the eruption and the aftermath at the fascinating Eldheimar museum, which includes a display of a house that was buried in ash during the eruption.

During the early morning, cruise into Reykjavik and bid a fond farewell to expeditioners ending their journey here. Enjoy an excursion in Reykjavik while your crew and expedition team prepare the vessel for your sailing north to Longyearbyen in the High Arctic later this afternoon.

As you sail the Norwegian Sea to Longyearbyen, enjoy informative and entertaining talks and presentations from your knowledgeable expedition team, or stay active in the fitness center before relaxing in the sauna. Your state-of-the-art vessel offers a choice of  observation lounges and a well-stocked library for you to enjoy.

In Longyearbyen, your crew and expedition team prepare to welcome expeditioners joining on the Spitsbergen: Realm of the Ice Bear voyage, while you enjoy a full-day excursion exploring Longyearbyen. In the late afternoon, reboard the vessel and meet your fellow expeditioners to begin the next part of your Arctic adventure in Spitsbergen.

The island of Spitsbergen is the largest in the Svalbard Archipelago and 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 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 walrus hauled-out on sea ice or on beaches. On land,  stretch the 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. Most memorable are 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.

During the early morning, cruise back into Longyearbyen. Farewell your expedition team upon disembarkation before transferring to the airport for your charter flight to Oslo.