High Arctic Explorer: Svalbard, Greenland & Iceland

Day 1: Oslo

On arrival at Oslo Airport, check in at your group hotel. A night’s stay is included as part of your travel package, so you can settle in and prepare for the adventures ahead. 

Day 2: Longyearbyen

This morning, enjoy breakfast at your hotel before transferring to the airport for your complimentary charter flight to Longyearbyen. On arrival, if time allows, you’ll explore this historic coal-mining town on a guided tour. 

As you make your way to Camp Barentz in Advent Valley, your guide will share some of Longyearbyen’s rich and fascinating history. Once you arrive, you’ll gather in the large ‘lavvo’ – a traditional tent-style building used in northern Norway – for an engaging presentation. There’ll also be a chance to meet the friendly huskies and maybe even pick up a few souvenirs. Later, back in town, you’ll visit the Svalbard Museum before boarding the ship in the late afternoon.

After your tour, take a transfer straight to the pier and embark on your Arctic ship in the late afternoon. Settle into your cabin before attending key briefings and setting sail.

Days 3 to 5: Svalbard

This is the very best of the Arctic. The experts in your expedition team, who have visited this region countless times, will use their knowledge to adapt the itinerary to the day’s weather and ice conditions, as well as impromptu wildlife-watching opportunities. 

Mind-blowing fjords, dramatic mountain ranges and a polar desert scattered with ancient fossils set the scene for legendary tales of early explorers. Keep your eyes peeled for walrus lounging on sea ice or sunning themselves on the shore. On land, you'll stretch your legs with hikes across tundra blanketed in colourful wildflowers. You'll visit towering cliffs buzzing with the calls of nesting guillemots and puffins, and explore scree slopes home to Svalbard’s largest colonies of little auks. However, nothing will quite compare to the unforgettable moment of spotting a mighty polar bear out on the pack ice.

If you’ve opted for an activity like kayaking, you’ll get the chance to enjoy it when weather and ice conditions allow. For those brave enough to take the polar plunge, keep an ear out: as soon as it’s safe, you’ll be invited to take an invigorating dip in icy Arctic waters. It’s the kind of moment you’ll be talking about for years.

Day 6: Greenland Sea

Crossing the Greenland Sea, the expert naturalists and guest lecturers onboard will entertain you with fascinating talks on plants, animals and early explorers like Nansen and Scoresby. You’ll look out for fin whales, encroaching sea ice and seabirds, including the northern fulmar and Brünnich’s guillemot. Relax and prepare for a landing, if conditions permit, on Greenland's northeast coast, home to polar bear, Arctic hare and musk oxen.

Day 7: Jan Mayen Island  

The approach to Jan Mayen is nothing short of spectacular. Towering above the island is Beerenberg, a massive 2,277-metre (7,470-foot) volcano – remarkably, the northernmost active example of its kind. Its last eruption was in 1985, but its presence still dominates the landscape. The northern part of the island is a perfect place for spotting whales and dolphins, as well as dramatic glaciers, some of which extend to the sea.

If weather conditions are on your side, the Captain will aim to land at Kvalrossbukta, a relatively sheltered bay on the island’s west coast. This is one of the key landing sites used to supply the Olonkinbyen weather station, located over on the eastern side of the island.

Day 8: At sea

You’ll sail over the Denmark Strait to Ittoqqortoormiit today with sea birds following in your wake. In between potential whale sightings, learn more during the in-depth lectures from the onboard team of experts.

Days 9 to 13: East Greenland 

In the days ahead, you’ll usually have the chance to join up to two landings or Zodiac excursions a day, cruising past spectacular ice cliffs or watching whales as they feed near the surface.

An ice cap covers 81% of Greenland and pack ice, even in summer, may fill northern bays. Deep fjords and slender channels wind through dramatic landscapes, edged by ice-covered peaks soaring up to 2,000 metres (6,562 feet). Glaciers here calve massive icebergs that drift through the fjord system, creating scenes that are nothing short of mesmerising.

Musk oxen, Arctic hares and reindeer call this tundra scenery home. Ancient Thule archaeological sites, historic trappers’ huts and the cabins of present-day Inuit hunters are also scattered throughout the region. 

A true highlight is your visit to the Inuit village of Ittoqqortoormiit – the most isolated and northernmost permanent settlement in the area. Here, you’ll find a fascinating museum, gift shop, plenty of Greenlandic sled dogs and a warm welcome from a close-knit community of 450 people. 

Next, reach Scoresby Sund, the world's largest fjord. The huge Greenland icecap continuously sweeps down gigantic glaciers, making it the birthplace for some of the world's largest icebergs. The zodiacs take you through an incredible maze of icebergs, as you head to the shores for some exciting tundra hikes, and a visit to Ittoqqortoormiit, one of the rare villages of the East Greenland coast.

The fertile volcanic soil and sheltering mountains mean this region teems with wildlife. As you explore, you might spot musk oxen, Arctic foxes, mountain hares, and even reindeer roaming near the fjord. Look to the skies and you could catch sight of birds like the glaucous gull, black-legged kittiwake, northern fulmar, common raven, and common eider.

Your Captain will aim to reach the remote and rarely visited Kaiser Franz Josef Fjord, tucked within the Northeast Greenland National Park, a wild and dramatic landscape. As you attempt to cruise through Kong Oskar Fjord, you’ll be treated to breathtaking views of rugged, geologically striking mountains. From there, you'll continue south along the edges of Liverpool Land, if the ever-changing ice conditions allow. 

On shore, you'll stretch your legs on hikes across the tundra, searching for ancient graveyards and the remnants of summer villages inhabited by Inuit peoples over 3,000 years ago. Musk oxen, Arctic hares and reindeer may be grazing nearby. The region’s calm, interwoven waterways also make it ideal for sea kayaking. With luck, you might spot ringed seals, the elusive narwhal, or even a polar bear on the hunt across the pack ice.

Day 14: Denmark Strait

Sail across Denmark Strait, reflecting on the rich experiences and enjoying the antics of northern fulmars, black-backed gulls, dolphins, orcas and other whales.

Day 15: Reykjavik

Arrive in Iceland’s capital early in the morning. After breakfast, bid farewell to the ship's crew before making your way downtown or the airport. 

NOTE: This itinerary is for guidance only as each voyage will vary depending on ice and weather conditions, and opportunities to see wildlife. Flexibility is key and all part of the adventure of an expeditionary cruise.