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Hondius

The Hondius (176 guests)  launched  in June 2019. She has an Ice class rating of 6, the most advanced to date. The Hondius offers deluxe accommodation for a total 176 guests. One deck has been entirely reserved for lectures and presentations in one large observation lounge. The ship’s main focus remains discovery, taking advantage of wildlife opportunities and the related shore activities. Efficient zodiac embarkation is guaranteed with two separate gangways and in addition a zodiac embarkation indoor-platform which can also be used for special activities such as kayaking.

Day 1 Transfer Reykjavik to Akureyri

Your journey begins in the morning, where by request you can transfer via chartered bus from the city hall of Reykjavik (the meeting point) to the ship in Akureyri (the embarkation point). You will arrive in the afternoon after a six-hour drive through northern Iceland.

PLEASE NOTE: This transfer 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

While sailing north you’re likely to see fulmars, kittiwakes, gannets, and common guillemots. You will then cross the Arctic Circle, possibly spotting whales. By evening, the first icebergs flash into sight with your approach to the east Greenland coast, near Brewster.

Day 3 Inuit neighbourhood of Yesteryear

Today you will reach Scoresbysund, sailing along the glaciated Volquart Boons Kyst. You may also enjoy a Zodiac cruise past one of the glacier fronts, along with a visit to the basalt columns and ice formations of Vikingebugt. The afternoon goal is to visit Danmark Island, where you will find the remains of an Inuit settlement abandoned around 200 years ago. The circular stone tent rings indicate the summer houses, while the winter houses can be seen closer to a small cape. The sites are well preserved, with easy identifiable entrances, bear-proof meat caches, and grave sites. In the evening you continue sailing the berg-crowded fjords to the west.

Day 4 Colours of the Cape

The goal for today is a Zodiac cruise near Røde Ø, one of the world’s most cherished iceberg attractions: The austere blue-white of the icebergs sets sharp against the brooding red backdrop of the sediment slopes. The afternoon plan is to sail through the northern parts of Røde Fjord, with the chance to see musk oxen and warm autumnal foliage.

Day 5 Sydkap

In the morning you will encounter colossal icebergs, some over 100 meters high and more than a kilometre long. Most of them are grounded, as the fjord is only about 400 metres. You will then land near Sydkap, with fine views of Hall Bredning and a good shot of seeing Arctic hares.

Day 6 Scoresbysund

Today you make a tundra landing on Liverpool Land, in Hurry Inlet. The afternoon stop is Ittoqqortoormiit, the largest settlement in Scoresbysund at about five hundred inhabitants. At the post office you can buy stamps for your postcards, or just stroll around to see the sled dogs and drying skins of seals and musk oxen. In the afternoon you sail south, passing the picturesque landscapes of the Blosseville Coast.

Day 7 Turner Sound and Rømer Fjord

Turner Sound and Rømer Fjord grant you the opportunity to sail far inland, as they have no glacier front at the head and are not clogged with ice. In this location, you may get the opportunity to spot narwhals.

Day 8 Northern lights

A sea day grants you the opportunity to spot whales and seabirds – and at night, the magical northern lights.

Day 9 Akureyri

Every adventure, no matter how grand, must eventually come to an end. You disembark in Longyearbyen, taking home memories that will accompany you wherever your next adventure lies.