Missing

By Oceanwidetravel

OFFERING 126 TRAVEL PACKAGES

 

Skype
Contact via Skype

Select date

Purchase places for


Total:$15150
Book a trip

East & South Greenland Explorer – Aurora Borealis

  • 25 Aug
  • -
  • 27 Aug 2026
  • |
  • 3 days

$16968

per person

Availability: 2 places

    All itineraries are for guidance only. Programs may vary depending on ice, weather, and wildlife conditions. Landings are subject to site availabilities, permissions, and environmental concerns per AECO regulations. Official sailing plans and landing slots are scheduled with AECO prior to the start of the season, but the expedition leader determines the final plan. Flexibility is paramount for expedition cruises. The average cruising speed of our vessel is 10.5 knots.

    Day 1

    On the Iceland road

    Your journey begins in the morning - the scent of adventure is on the air! By request, you can transfer via chartered bus (T) from the bus stop at Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Centre at Austurbakki, Reykjavik (the meeting point), to the ship in Akureyri (the embarkation point). You arrive in the afternoon after a six-hour drive through the beautiful landscapes of Northern Iceland. PLEASE NOTE: This transfer (T) must be booked and paid for in advance. In the early evening, the ship departs from the port of Akureyri, sailing north toward the Denmark Strait.

    Day 2

    Sailing to East Greenland

    Sailing to east Greenland While sailing north, you will likely see various bird life, including fulmars, kittiwakes, gannets, and common guillemots. You then cross the Arctic Circle, possibly spotting whales. By evening, the first icebergs flash into sight with your approach to the east Greenland Blosseville coast, a wild, remote, and dramatic area. With a fresh breeze in the air, your Arctic adventure has truly begun. A myriad of mighty fjords and valleys Sailing southward along the East Greenland coast, we enter several fjords competing in beauty: d'Aunay, Nansen, Kangerlussuaq, and possibly either Ikersuaq or Kangertitsivaqmiit. Most of these fjords feature glacier front at the head, and any one of them can offer us a chance to spot polar bears and narwhals. The head of Mikis Fjord provides good possibilities for a long hike. The landscapes you will see in this area are typical of this part of Greenland and are especially beautiful. Smalltown Greenland Tasiilaq, once known as Angmagssalik (about 2,000 inhabitants), is our next port of call. This charming town is the center of East Greenland, boasting a museum where you can learn about the colorful local history of this incredibly remote area. In the steps of Nansen We next sail south to land at Umivik, an accessible bay where the explorer Fridtjof Nansen ascended the Greenland ice sheet during his pioneering 1888 Greenland expedition. Nansen and his party crossed the Greenland ice sheet, reaching Godthaab on the west coast, where they remained for several months before being picked up. In Umivik, you may even be able to trace his footsteps with a short walk in the area. The valley of Mariedal Today, we circumnavigate Skjoldungen through one of the most spectacular fjords of southeast Greenland. We then land at Qornoq to see the remains of houses from the Thule culture. We will then visit Mariedal, a beautiful valley once frequented by Greenlanders, to collect berries in autumn. Exploring Greenland's settled past Moving on to Timmiarmiut, we can see an abandoned Greenlandic settlement and, weather-dependent, possibly sail into the fjord. Polar bears have sometimes been spotted here. As an alternative, we may visit Igutsait, another fjord just to the south. Prins Christian Sund mountains One of the highlights of the voyage is our westward passing of the Prins Christian Sund, surrounded by mountains of over 1,000 meters (3,300 feet). We may land at Svaerdfiskens Havn or, in the evening, at Ikigait, once known as Herjolfsnes, a former Norse settlement. Hot springs and Moravian mission We will then try to get to Uunartoq, where we can bathe in a large, hot natural spring surrounded by icebergs. Across the bay, at Vagar, we find the remains of a Norse homestead. Later, we reach Lichtenau, a lovely, though nearly deserted, Greenlandic village where the Herrnhuters established and maintained a religious mission in the 18th century. Some of their large German-style buildings still remain. Erik the Red's base In Eriksfjord, we land at Ittileq, in a bay from which we can walk 4 km (2.5 miles) into Igaliku (Gardar). In this small Greenlandic village, we can see the remains of a 13th-century Norse church and other ruins. Then, in the afternoon, we plan to visit Bratthalid, the base of Erik the Red, the famous Norse explorer who was the first European to found a settlement in Greenland. This sub-Arctic area has birch trees, agriculture, and cattle - not common across much of Greenland. Later that evening, we will arrive at Narssarsuaq for the final night of our voyage.

    Day 3

    Saying goodbye to Greenland

    On the final day of your journey, you will disembark the vessel in Narsarsuaq, concluding your Arctic adventure. From the nearby WW2-era airport, you may choose to fly to destinations such as Copenhagen, Keflavik, or Nuuk, or opt to continue exploring Greenland at your own pace. While the voyage comes to an end, the unforgettable moments and discoveries will stay with you forever.