East Greenland Arctic Expedition Cruise

Categories Arctic Cruises Adventure & Eco Travel Cruises

East Greenlandic culture is deeply rooted in myths and legends, often expressed in bone and rock carvings, but at the same time it is a globally connected culture with strong hunting roots and an everyday spirit of adventure. Ice fiords, hiking, heliskiing, small settlements, northern lights, and boat rides combine to make East Greenland a year round destination, and also acts as the gateway for adventurers on longer climbing, kayaking, Ice Cap, and cruising expeditions.

Itinerary

Akureyri (Iceland), embarkation.

Akureyri, Iceland's second largest city, is a starting point of our expedition (group transfer from Reykjavik to Akureyri is included). The city is located at the back of a magnificent fjord and often referred as "the Capital of North Iceland".

If you come prior to the day of embarkation enjoy the architecture of beautiful period houses in the old town. Visit the northernmost botanical gardens.

Embark the Sea Spirit in the afternoon and keep an eye for our first whales (humpback and Minke whales are most common) as we sail out of the picturesque fjord.

Greenland Sea.

A day at sea doesn’t mean idleness and bore. Visit lectures and presentations of our expedition team and invited guests. Socialize with new friends in the cozy lounge of the ship. Or warm up your muscles in the gym before landings, hikings and other expedition activities in Greenland.

Myggbukta – Kejser Franz Josef Fjord (Greenland).

Today we start exploring the vast spaces of Northeast Greenland National Park – the world's largest and most northerly national park.

Myggbukta, which we explore in the morning, was a location of Norwegian whaling, radio and meteorology station. Even earlier, in the first half of last century the Norwegians hunted here for polar bears and Arctic foxes. We will see the old hunters’ huts and hike along the lush tundra, populated by musk oxen and Arctic hares. The picturesque small lakes are favoured by geese.

In the afternoon our ship pushes on through the beautiful Kejser Franz Josef Fjord, framed by towering mountains. We will see our first huge icebergs, so much associated with Greenland. Here we also have good chances to encounter narwhals.

Nordfjord, Brogetdalen and Waltershausen Glacier – Ymer Island, Blomsterbugten.

In the morning we plan a landing at Brogetdalen valley in Nordfjord. The name Brogetdalen means “multicolored valley” because of different colours of the mountains surrounded the valley. We hope to have a sunny day to appreciate the beautiful multicolored rocks.

Not far from the place of our landing there is a hunting hut. When you go inside the hut you’ll see basic furnishings and dry food, and… books on a shelf — entertainment for trappers when the weather doesn’t allow hunting. Another hut is located nearby. It belongs to the Sirius Patrol organization —Danish navy unit that conducts long-range reconnaissance patrolling, and enforces Danish sovereignty in the Arctic wilderness of Northern and Eastern Greenland.

We also plan cruising along the calving front of Waltershausen Glacier aboard our Zodiacs. The size of the glacier is 11 km long and up to 20 m high; this is a major outlet glacier at the head of Nordfjord. Often some huge icebergs swim just in front of the Waltershausen.

In the afternoon our ship drops an anchor by Ymer Island. Here we will discover one of the most breathtaking places in Greenland and on earth — Blomsterbugten. The name of this place is translated as “bay of flowers”. Though it is not the peak of flowering on dates of our expedition we will see dwarf birch, Arctic willow, cotton grass and purple saxifrage. It is not only flowers that make this place bright and colorful. Grass and lichen bring out the gold of the tundra, red rocks make the landscape unearthly, and a lake brown due to the erosion of the sedimentary rocks contrast dramatically with the blue of the sky. Musk oxen and Arctic hares are frequent in this place.

Isfjord – Renbugten – Antarctic Sund.

If you are early bird today our morning location will bring you one of the most beautiful sunrises and sceneries as our ship is moving slowly in Isfjord. Enjoy panoramas of the magnificent mountains, unusual geologic formations, and spectacular icebergs.

We follow with a landing at Renbugten. We have a rather easy and pleasant hiking to watch a picturesque valley from the top of hills. During our activity encounters with Arctic hares and musk oxen are almost guaranteed.

Have you known that there is another Antarctica high in northerly latitudes? You’ll discover it as soon as our ship enters a magnificent Antarctic Sund. Though it is not Antarctic-like scenery that gives this odd name to the place (it was a name of a ship aboard which the area was explored) you will not be disappointed with surrounded landscapes. Icebergs, mountains and fancy design of geological formations form views rival to Antarctic landscapes.

Sofia Sund – Ella Ø Island.

Taking advantage of small size of our ship we enter narrow and spectacular Sofia Sund. Besides beautiful landscapes we have good opportunities to watch musk-oxen from the open decks.

During our landing at Ella Ø we have a closer look at Sirius Patrol camp. If we are lucky to meet Sirius’s members in the camp we may have unique opportunity to learn about this elite Danish navy unit first hand. Then we go for a hiking to one of the tops of the island to view one of the best vistas in the world.

Antarctic Havn.

Today we explore another “Antarctic” place in Greenland – a bay of Antarctic Havn. However groups of musk oxen and colourful autumn vegetation make the landscapes absolutely different from those in Antarctica.

We leave the area of Northeast Greenland National Park behind and go down to the world’s largest, and – some say – most beautiful fjord system – Scorsebysund.

Volquart Boons – Danmarks Ø Island.

In the morning the Sea Spirit is passing along the ragged and glaciated Volquart Boons coast. Encounters with narwhals are frequent here.

We land on Danmarks Ø where we find the remains of an Inuit settlement abandoned around 200 years ago. The carpets of red, yellow, and green vegetation contrast dramatically with snow patches and beautiful icebergs near the coast.

During our afternoon Zodiac cruise in Fonfjord we watch some of the most stunning icebergs in Greenland that make Scorsebysund area so popular.

Every evening spent at Scoresbysund we have a great opportunity to see fantastic Northern Lights.

Harefjord – Rypefjord, Cape Hofmann Halvø.

The Scoresbysund region contains the most productive fast-flowing outlet glaciers draining east from the Greenland Ice Cap. The Harefjord, that we plan to explore in the morning, lies on the boundary between Scoresbysund as one of the world’s largest fjord systems and the very inland ice of Greenland. So the hikes at Harefjord take us up close to one of the many outlet glaciers of the Greenland Ice Sheet. From our highest point we observe a breathtaking view over Harefjord where the glacier tongues descend into the sea. Here and further at Rypefjord we see rare blue icebergs, which are more typical for the Antarctic.

We go to Rypefjord to watch more blue “antarctic” icebergs, which are even bigger and deeper in color than in Harefjord. Here we go ashore at Cape Hofmann Halvø to walk around the breathtaking autumn tundra. With dwarf willow and dwarf birch changing their colours; with Arctic blueberry and crowberry adding their own colourful touch; with huge dark mountains and the cold blue of the icebergs – the landscapes hereare something awesome! Encounters with musk oxen are almost guaranteed.

Nordvestfjord, Frederiksdal – Sydkap.

Another tundra hiking is on agenda today. Our rather easy walk at Frederiksdal brings us to the hill slope from where we observe red-gold carpets of the tundra backed by dark mountains and blue icebergs. Musk oxen and Arctic hares roam around.

Be on open decks as the Sea Spirit is navigating through Nordvestfjord to Sydkap. Watch huge icebergs over 100 m high and more than a kilometre in length.

We land at Sydkap to view the remains of the Thule culture winter houses. As many as 20 people lived in these tiny houses, hunting Greenland whale and using their vertebrae to build the houses. The landscape here is gently undulating.

Ittoqqortoormiit - Denmark Strait.

Ittoqqortoormiut is the biggest settlement in the Scoresby Sund with a population of about 450 inhabitants. We visit the town in the morning to observe the modern lifestyle above the Arctic Circle away from the other world.

In the afternoon the Sea Spirit heads for Denmark Strait. It’s time to bid farewell to East Greenland as we are passing by the stunning views of the Blosseville Kyst.

Denmark Strait.

Final lectures and presentations are on the agenda. Be on the open decks and keep an eye open for large whales migration.

Akureyri (Iceland), disembarkation.

Our East Greenland adventures finish in the port of Akureyri. Disembarkation in the morning is followed by the transfer to Reykjavik.