Day 1
Arrive in Longyearbyen, the administrative capital of the Spitsbergen archipelago of which West Spitsbergen is the largest island. Before embarking there is an opportunity to visit this former mining town. The Parish Church and the Polar Museum are well worth visiting, while in the country around the village more than 100 species of plant have been recorded. In the early evening the ship will sail out of Isfjorden. We will try to have an evening excursion in Tryghamna near a 17th century English whaling station.
Day 2 & 3
At sea, on our way to Greenland, we may see the edge of the East Greenland Ice. We keep watch for whales, and also for migrating seabirds.
Day 4
If the ice conditions allow we will try to get to Shannon Island and Kuhn Island, where we have a chance to see Muskoxen and Arctic Hares.
Day 5
On Sabine Island we will try to land in the Hansa Bugt, where during World War II the Germans had the weather station " Holzauge". Further we will sail to Germania Havn, where in 1869 the members of the 2nd German North Pole Expedition under Koldewey spent the winter. In the following summer they were the first Europeans to enter the Kaiser Franz Josef Fjord.
Day 6
We sail through Kaiser Franz Joseph Fjord, a magnificent fjord with towering mountains on both sides, its inner reaches choked with huge icebergs. An alternative is Sofia Sund, which is much narrower, and where we can see Muskoxen from the ship. We will land at Blomster Bugt to view the beautiful geological formations. Arctic Hares are usually seen here, and there is a lake with Great Northern Divers with young. In the afternoon we sail along Teufelschloss.
Day 7
The first half of the day we spend in Alpefjord, a spectacular fjord with glaciers and ice-bergs. From there we have good view on the 3000m high by von Payer named Petermann Berg.
Day 8
Today we reach the Scoresby Sund and sail in the morning along the coast of Jameson Land. We try to reach the site where Alfred Wegener in 1930 erected a small station ( Tyskit Nunat ) as support for his planned crossing of the Greenland Ice-cap.
Day 9
We go ashore at Cape Hofmann Halvø, a reliable spot for viewing Musk Oxen. We may also spot Rock Ptarmigans, and Great Northern Divers at sea. The landscape here is particularly beautiful, especially during autumn when the Dwarf Willow and Dwarf Birch change colour. Arctic Blueberry and Crowberry add their own colourful touch - the berries are tasty too!
In the evening we sail through the fjord towards the east, enjoying the contrast between the warm autumnal colours of the vegetation on shore, backed by huge dark mountains, and the cold blue of the icebergs.
Day 10
We land on Danmarks Ø where there are the remains of an Inuit settlement abandoned around 200 years ago. The circular ‘tent rings' of stones indicate the summer houses, while the winter houses can be seen closer to a small cape. The sites are excellently preserved, allowing entrances and even bear-proof meat caches to be identified. There are also grave sites. In the evening we continue our sailing through the beautiful fjords to the west, choked with ice-bergs.
In the afternoon we continue along the ragged Volquart Boons Kyst, where we may take a zodiac cruise along one of the glacier fronts like in Vikinge Bugt.
Day 11
Today we land at Illoqqortoormiut, the biggest settlement in the Scoresby Sund with about 500 inhabitants. At the post office you can buy stamps for your postcards, or just wander around to see the sledge dogs and the drying skins of Seal, Musk Ox and Polar Bear.
Day 12
We are the whole day at sea and will have splendid opportunities to see large whales and seabird migration and, in the night, the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights).
Day 13
Arrive in Akureyri (North Iceland) and transfer to Reykjavik by chartered bus.
|
Print 
E-Mail
