In Brief:

• Aurora borealis sighting is possible.
• Icebergs.
• Greenland in-depth.
• Canadian Arctic.
• Optional kayaking.

If you have dreamed of seeing the Aurora Borealis, this is the itinerary to choose. We cannot guarantee you will see one, but this is the voyage with the greatest possibility.

Duration: 17 days
Embarkation: Reykjavik, Iceland Disembarkation: Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada
Staging points: Reykjavik, Iceland/Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Please note: Charter flight must be purchased at the same time as the expedition.
Aurora Borealis – the Northern Lights

Because most of our expeditions to the polar regions unfold where the sun never sets, our travelers seldom watch an aurora dance in the night sky. The exception is this voyage where a portion occurs well below the Arctic Circle at the southern tip of Greenland. As polar auroras are natural phenomena that most frequently occur in the north from September through October, we cannot guarantee that you will see the Northern Lights. However if you dream of seeing first-hand icebergs, polar bears and the aurora borealis, this is the voyage to choose, because it affords the greatest possibility.
August 3, 2010 – Overnight in a hotel in Reykjavik, Iceland

The islands you will visit during the expedition range from the world’s largest – Greenland – to an island bubbling with geo-thermal activity - Iceland. There is a bathing pool heated by geo-thermal activity – heat generated by the Earth’s interior – in nearly every section of Reykjavik. Pack your bathing suit, so you can relax in the pool near the hotel where you will spend the night.
August 4, 2010 – Embarkation Day

You’ll embark the ice-strengthened Adventure Ship, Akademik Ioffe, in the late afternoon. This is your last opportunity to purchase last minute necessities for quite some time. You are about to embark on an adventure to one of the most remote areas on the planet – the eastern coast of Greenland. Access to the region is possible only by air or sea.
August 5, 2010 – At Sea

Your parka will come in handy as you transit the Denmark Strait, the body of water that separates Iceland from Greenland. Weather in the Strait is variable – to say the least – but you’ll want to be on deck to watch for icebergs. From the glaciers that calve them, they float south on the cold eastern Greenland current that flows through the strait.
August 6, 2010 – Tasiilaq

Your first shore landing will be on the island of Ammassalik in its principal community – Tasiilaq. With about 1,800 inhabitants, it is the largest community in East Greenland. We have a number of activities planned including a hike. The area has an excellent reputation as a hiking destination.
August 7, 2010 – Bernstorfs Isfjord

South of Ammassalik are many fjords – deep, steep-walled, valleys along coastlines that have flooded with seawater. We will explore one with a name that translates to ice-fjord. In Greenland that indicates the excellent possibility that there is a glacier that calves icebergs at the head of the fjord. We will sail the fjord in search of newly minted glaciers and we’ll seek a place to go ashore to hike. Hiking is optional. If you would prefer to sit quietly and contemplate the beauty that surrounds you, please do.
August 8, 2010 – Southern Tip of Greenland

This morning, we anticipate that the ship will round the southern tip of Greenland, one of the first regions to be inhabited by European settlers. We’ll go ashore at Narsaq Kujalliq, just west of Cape Farewell to explore an excavated farm from the Viking period known as Herjolfsnes. Narsaq is sufficiently far south that the August night sky may be dark enough to see the aurora borealis. The Expedition Team will stand watch to rouse you out of your warm berth should the northern lights perform while the ship is in the vicinity.

The island count reaches four as you go ashore in the afternoon. The community and the island bear the same name – Nanortalik. A hot spring in the area will tempt you to ease your tired legs after a tundra hike.
August 9, 2010 – At Sea

We’ll cross the Arctic Circle today, into the land where the sun never sets. While the ship steams north, you can watch the western coast of Greenland pass. The content of the presentations by the Expedition Team will be a preview of the excitement still to come – polar bear, musk oxen and a mummified body!
August 10, 2010 – Sisimiut

Kayak is an Inuit word that English has borrowed to describe a small vessel propelled by paddles that seats one or two people. When you are ashore in Sisimiut, you’ll watch a demonstration of traditional kayaking. There will be time to explore the town, where 18th century buildings from Greenland’s colonial period still stand. Keep an eye open for the town’s public swimming pool. It is built on stilts so the heated water won’t melt the permafrost!
August 11, 2010 – Ilulissat

Ilulissat Kangerlua is Greenlandic for The Iceberg Fjord. The glacier at the head of the fjord is the most productive in the Northern Hemisphere. The icebergs it calves float down the fjord to enter Baffin Bay. As you approach Ilulissat, have your camera ready to take photos of young icebergs at the start of their journey that will end somewhere off the coast of Newfoundland, years later. So significant is Ilulissat Fjord that UNESCO has designated the area a World Heritage Site. You’ll cruise the fjord in a Zodiac, hike the shoreline and explore the community of the same name located near the glacier.
August 12, 2010 – Uummannaq and Qilaqitsoq

Life and death are the order of the day on what will be your final day in Greenland. At Qilaqitsoq, you’ll learn of the discovery in 1972, of human remains that were carbon dated to 1475. You’ll see the two graves that contained the mummified remains of six women and two children, the oldest preserved remains on the island. Why they died and why no men were found in the graves remain a mystery.

The living are celebrated in Uummannaq – the inhabitants claim their community is the “real” Greenland, cradled by mountains and glaciers with the sea at its feet.
August 13 to 14, 2010 – Baffin Bay

Baffin Bay, an extension of the Arctic Ocean, is a sea not a bay. The massive body of water separates Canada from Greenland. As you sail from east to west, be on the alert for icebergs. Watch for seabirds gliding on the wing and whales in the water.
August 15, 2010 – Baffin Island

Kannigiqtugaapik (Clyde River) is a hamlet situated on the shore of Patricia Bay, at the entrance of the 100km (62 miles) long fjord, Clyde Inlet. The Inuktitut name translates to Nice Little Inlet. The name is apt, as the flood plain on which the community is located is surrounded by snow capped mountains. Rock and ice climbers from all over the world visit Kannigiqtugaapik to test themselves. You will hike and enjoy a welcome from the 850 people who call Clyde River home.
August 16, 2010 – Isabella Bay

National Wildlife Area (NWA) designation denotes a protected area that is a wildlife habitat of national significance. The Igaliqtuuq NWA in Isabella Bay was created to protect the bowhead or Greenland right whales that summer there. Orca or killer whales have been sighted in the vicinity hunting the bowheads, some of which have scars from previous encounters with orcas. A whale watch will be conducted while we are exploring the Bay.
August 17, 2010 – Pangnirtung

Since 1973, the artists of the Uqqurmiut Centre for Arts and Crafts have been creating unique hand woven tapestries that are sold and exhibited around the world. So, in 2005, the citizens of this small town with a big reputation voted to keep the name Pangnirtung, which had become synonymous with excellence to international Art connoisseurs. You’ll visit the Centre to watch artisans at work, when the ship drops anchor in the harbor.
August 18, 2010 – Monumental Island

This rocky, isolated island off the coast of Baffin Island is known as a habitat of walrus. You’ll explore the shoreline in Zodiacs. Walrus are shy mammals. You’ll witness our Expedition Team using the experience they have garnered after decades in the Arctic to create the best possible viewing opportunity for you.
August 19, 2010 – Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada

From Iqaluit, where you will disembark, you will fly to Ottawa to spend the night.
August 20, 2010 – Ottawa

Depart for home after breakfast.

Important reminder: Embracing the unexpected is part of the legacy – and excitement – of expedition travel. There are no guarantees that we can achieve everything we set out to accomplish. A measure of flexibility is something all of us must bring to a voyage.