Jewels of the Arctic

Upon arrival in Oslo, meet your Aurora Expeditions representative and transfer to your designated group hotel. After check-in, please visit the Aurora Expeditions hospitality desk to collect your cabin luggage tags and connect with the ground operations team. They will share any relevant pre-embarkation updates and can assist with practical information such as nearby dining options, ATMs, pharmacies, or supermarkets for any last-minute needs.

The rest of the day is at your leisure. All meals today are at your own expense.

Accommodation: Oslo Hotel (to be advised)

This morning, ensure your cabin luggage is clearly tagged with your name and cabin number. Following breakfast at the hotel, transfer to the airport for the charter flight to Longyearbyen. Please retain all valuables and essential personal items with you throughout the day. Upon arrival, participate in a guided tour of Longyearbyen to explore key local sites.

Later in the afternoon, transfer directly to the pier for embarkation. Once on board, settle into your cabin, attend the mandatory safety briefings, and experience the anticipation as you ‘throw the lines’ and begin your expedition.

Note: The excursion is contingent on the arrival time of your charter flight to Longyearbyen.  

Svalbard offers arctic wilderness at its best. The members of your experienced Expedition Team, who have made countless journeys to this area, will use their expertise to tailor your itinerary, choosing the best options based on the prevailing weather, sea-ice conditions and opportunities for wildlife encounters. 

Phenomenal fjords, magnificent mountains 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 your 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.  

If you have chosen an optional activity such as kayaking, you can 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 can hear the announcement to prepare for an exhilarating dip – a memory you can savor for years to come.

As you sail towards the coast of East Greenland, you may encounter whales feeding in the rich waters of the north. As you approach East Greenland, be prepared to encounter more pack ice and perhaps spot seals and a variety of seabirds, including the northern fulmar and Brünnich’s guillemot.   

The strong, icy currents have isolated East Greenland from the Polar Basin, attracting large numbers of fish, seals and whales. Climatic conditions and the concentration of ice in the vicinity often create thick morning fog that only vanishes in presence of the midday sun. Your experts will inform and entertain you with fascinating discussions on plants, animals, ice and heroic tales of exploration.

The approach to Jan Mayen is spectacular. The huge 2,277-meter (7,470 foot) Beerenberg volcano is the northernmost active volcano in the world, and it last erupted in 1985. The northern part of the island is a great place to look for whales and dolphins and contains impressive glaciers, some of which reach the sea. If the weather is favorable, you try to land at Kvalrossbukta, a relatively sheltered bay on the island’s west coast.

In the coming days, a host of choices are available to you, and depending on ice and weather conditions, the east coast of Greenland is yours to explore. Your experienced Expedition Team, who have made countless journeys to this area, will use their expertise to tailor your itinerary on a day-to-day basis. This allows you to make best use of the prevailing weather, ice conditions and encounters with wildlife. You generally attempt up to two landings or Zodiac excursions per day, including cruising along spectacular ice cliffs, following whales feeding near the surface.  

Be prepared to experience ice – and lots of it! East Greenland contains some of the Arctic’s most impressive scenery. Deep fjords and narrow channels, flanked by sharp ice-clad peaks soaring up to 2,000 meters (6,562 feet), and glaciers birthing gigantic icebergs that drift throughout the fjord system, combine to create breathtaking scenes.  

The tundra landscape is home to musk oxen, arctic hare and reindeer. Throughout the area there are ancient Thule archaeological sites, historical trappers’ huts, and the cabins of present-day Inuit hunters. A highlight is a visit to the Inuit village of Ittoqqortoormiit, the most isolated and northernmost permanent settlement in the region, with approximately 450 inhabitants. The community has an excellent museum, gift shop, an abundance of Greenlandic sled dogs and provides the opportunity to meet the friendly locals. 

You hope to explore Scoresbysund, the world’s largest fjord and a favorite hunting ground of the local Inuit. Massive glaciers flow into this fjord, the birthplace of hundreds of majestic Greenland icebergs. It is a spectacular place that simply needs to be seen to be believed. North of Scoresbysund lie Kong Oskar and Kaiser Franz Josef fjords, two of the most significant fjord systems in Greenland, each one encompassing several smaller fjords and sounds. Thanks to the fertile volcanic soil and the surrounding mountains offering protection from strong winds, the area is rich in wildlife. You may spot everything from musk ox and arctic foxes to mountain hares, and even reindeer, near the fjord. Look skyward and you could catch a glimpse of birds, including the glaucous gull, black-legged kittiwake, northern fulmar, common raven and common eider. 

You attempt to reach Kaiser Franz Josef Fjord, a remote and rarely visited fjord system with countless opportunities for exploration, located within the Northeast Greenland National Park. You hope to cruise through Kong Oskar Fjord, you marvel at the geological beauty of the mountains. Then, head south along the coast of Liverpool Land, with your passage dependent on ice conditions.  

You stretch your legs on hikes across tundra in search of ancient graveyards and summer villages occupied 3,000 years ago by Inuit. You may see musk ox, arctic hare and reindeer grazing. The maze of calm, interconnecting waterways in this area provides excellent opportunities for sea kayaking. You can see ring seals, perhaps catch a glimpse of the elusive narwhal, and maybe even a polar bear hunting on pack ice. 

Crossing the Denmark Strait to Iceland, search for whale blows and photograph the many seabirds that trail your ship in the ever-present arctic winds. 

During the early morning, cruise into Reykjavik and disembark at approximately 8.00 am. Farewell your Expedition Team and fellow passengers as you all continue your onward journeys. Transfer to Keflavik airport. 

Note: At the conclusion of the voyage, it is recommended to book flights departing after 12.00 pm on the day of disembarkation in case there are delays.