Jewels of the Arctic

Having made your way to Reykjavik, you will be met by a representative of Aurora Expeditions and transferred to ourgroup hotel. Upon arrival at your included hotel, please visit the Aurora Expeditions hospitality area where you canleave your luggage and enjoy refreshments if arriving prior to 4pm. Whilst here you can collect your luggage cabintags speak with our ground operations team, who may have information to share with you about pre-embarkationor to provide you with information about where to dine, withdraw cash or purchase last minute items from a localpharmacy or supermarket.The remainder of your time is at leisure. All meals today are at your own expense.Accommodation: The Grand Hotel Reykjavik (or similar)

Today we follow the path of one of Reykjavik’s most popular seismic attractions – the Golden Circle. Stops along ourroute include Thingvellir National Park, accredited as the site of Iceland’s first parliament. A shaky start to the newnation, it is also the point where the Eurasia and North American tectonic plates meet as an open fissure. Our nextstop is Gullfoss waterfall. This impressive water feature tumbles 34 meters into the Hvítá River, offering a popularphotographic opportunity. Next we explore the geothermal fields and geysir’s for which Iceland is famous. Thevariety of hot springs and bubbling pools are mesmerising as the sheer capacity of water and steam erupting fromthe ground makes you ponder just how much power is beneath your feet. Late afternoon we return to Reykjavik toboard the Greg Mortimer.After boarding, there’s time to settle into your cabin before our important safety briefings before we ‘throw thelines’ to begin our Greenland adventure. This evening, meet your expedition team and crew at the Welcome Dinner.

In the Denmark Strait, we cruise towards Greenland. We will be on the lookout for whale blows and the manyseabirds that trail our ship, riding in the constant winds. In our lecture theatre, enjoy informative and entertainingpresentations from our experts on topics such as seabirds, wildlife and ice, or catch up on some rest after busy daysof travel.

In the coming days, a host of choices are available to us, and depending on ice and weather conditions, the eastcoast of Greenland is ours to explore. Our experienced Expedition Team, who have made countless journeys to thisarea, will use their expertise to tailor our itinerary on a day-to-day basis. This allows us to make best use of theprevailing weather, ice conditions and encounters with wildlife. We generally attempt up to two landings or Zodiacexcursions 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 metres (6,562 feet), andglaciers 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 Thulearchaeological sites, historical trappers’ huts, and the cabins of present-day Inuit hunters. A highlight is a visit to theInuit village of Ittoqqortoormiit, the most isolated and northernmost permanent settlement in the region, withapproximately 450 inhabitants. The community has an excellent museum, gift shop, an abundance of Greenlandicsled dogs and provides the opportunity to meet the friendly locals.We hope to explore Scoresbysund, the world’s largest fjord and a favourite hunting ground of the local Inuit.Massive glaciers flow into this fjord, the birthplace of hundreds of majestic Greenland icebergs. It is a spectacularplace that simply needs to be seen to be believed. North of Scoresbysund lie Kong Oskar and Kaiser Franz Joseffjords, two of the most significant fjord systems in Greenland, each one encompassing several smaller fjords andsounds. Thanks to the fertile volcanic soil and the surrounding mountains offering protection from strong winds, thearea 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-leggedkittiwake, northern fulmar, common raven and common eider.We will attempt to reach Kaiser Franz Josef Fjord, a remote and rarely visited fjord system with countlessopportunities for exploration, located within the Northeast Greenland National Park. We hope to cruise throughKong Oskar Fjord, we marvel at the geological beauty of the mountains. We will then head south along the coast ofLiverpool Land, with our passage dependent on ice conditions.We stretch our legs on hikes across tundra in search of ancient graveyards and summer villages occupied 3,000 yearsago by Inuit. We may see musk ox, arctic hare and reindeer grazing. The maze of calm, interconnecting waterways inthis area provides excellent opportunities for sea kayaking. We will see ring seals, perhaps catch a glimpse of theelusive narwhal, and maybe even a polar bear hunting on pack ice.

As we sail towards the coast of East Greenland, we may encounter whales feeding in the rich waters of the north. Aswe approach East Greenland, be prepared to encounter more pack ice and perhaps spot seals and a variety ofseabirds, 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 andwhales. Climatic conditions and the concentration of ice in the vicinity often create thick morning fog that onlyvanishes in presence of the midday sun. Our experts will inform and entertain us with fascinating discussions onplants, animals, ice and heroic tales of exploration.

Svalbard offers arctic wilderness at its best. The members of our experienced Expedition Team, who have madecountless journeys to this area, will use their expertise to tailor our itinerary, choosing the best options based on theprevailing 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 ofearly exploration. See walrus hauled-out on sea ice or on beaches. On land, we stretch our legs on walks acrosstundra carpeted in brightly coloured wildflowers. We 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 will have an opportunity to enjoy that activity whenconditions allow. For those who are enthusiastic to participate in a polar plunge, as soon as conditions are suitable,you will hear the announcement to prepare for an exhilarating dip – a memory you will savour for years to come.

A flexible itinerary allows us to take advantage of favorable ice and weather conditions to travel through the northern stretches of Svalbard to points visited by famous polar explorers such as Andrée, Amundsen and Nobile. Destinations might include the narrow waterways and striking mountains of Krossfjord and Raudfjord. The ship may visit the historic settings of Ny Alesund, Ny London or Amsterdamoya. And of course, we hope to see distinctly Arctic wildlife from walrus hauled out in noisy groups on remote shorelines, to reindeer grazing alpine slopes, and from ptarmigan in their camouflaged hiding places, to mighty polar bears striding the shores in search of their next meal.

A flexible itinerary allows us to take advantage of favorable ice and weather conditions to travel through the northern stretches of Svalbard to points visited by famous polar explorers such as Andrée, Amundsen and Nobile. Destinations might include the narrow waterways and striking mountains of Krossfjord and Raudfjord. The ship may visit the historic settings of Ny Alesund, Ny London or Amsterdamoya. And of course, we hope to see distinctly Arctic wildlife from walrus hauled out in noisy groups on remote shorelines, to reindeer grazing alpine slopes, and from ptarmigan in their camouflaged hiding places, to mighty polar bears striding the shores in search of their next meal.

During the early morning we cruise back into Longyearbyen. Farewell your Expedition Team upon disembarkationbefore transferring to the airport for our charter flight to Oslo.Note: the arrival time in Oslo is contingent on the approved allocated slot of our charter flight to and fromLongyearbyen, which we expect to receive in February 2026.