FJORDS OF EAST GREENLAND

SHIP OFFERING THIS ITINERARY

Seabourn Venture

Seabourn Venture was launched in July of 2022, designed and built for diverse environments to PC6 Polar Class standards. She includes a plethora of modern hardware and technology that will extend the ship’s global deployment and capabilities. This ship features an innovative design, created specifically for the ultra-luxury expedition traveller. She is also designed to carry a complement of double sea kayaks as well as 24 Zodiacs that can accommodate all onboard guests at once, which will allow for a truly immersive experience. Venture features 132 all veranda, all ocean-front suites.

Day 1 Reykjavik, Iceland

Reykjavík, established by Viking settler Ingólfur Arnarson around 870 C.E, is the location of the first permanent settlement in Iceland. The census of 1703 recorded that Reykjavík had 69 residents and consisted of a farm and a church. The impressive statue of Leif Erikson, in the center of town, reminds all of Iceland’s Viking heritage. Its name translates to ‘smoky bay’, due to the geothermal nature of the surrounding area.

Today about 200.000 people live in the Icelandic capital, roughly 60% of the country’s population. It has evolved into a sophisticated city. The northernmost national capital in the world is also one of the cleanest, greenest, and safest on Earth.  Walking Reykjavik streets one will find rich culture, history, music, shopping and in the late hours vibrant night-life. Colourful rooftops and the elegant spire of Hallgrímskirkja Church dominate Reykjavik’s skyline. Known for its arts, Reykjavik hosts a number of internationally recognised festivals, notably the Iceland Air music festival, Reykjavik Arts Festival and the Reykjavik International Film Festival.

Day 2 Heimaey, Westman Islands

Heimaey Island is the largest in the Westman Islands located four miles off the south-west coast of Iceland. One of the most visually impressive islands in Iceland, it is ringed by tall, vertical sea cliffs many hundreds of feet high.  Heimaey is also the home to over eight million Atlantic puffins, more nesting puffins than anywhere else on earth. A local story tells that puffin chicks, taking their first flights at night, often become stranded in the village streets, where the local children rescue them and set them free the next day.

In January of 1973 the island received the nickname, ‘Pompeii of the North’ when a volcanic eruption and lava flow destroyed half the town. This caused a crisis when the town’s only harbor was nearly blocked by advancing lava. Nowadays it is a lively place with a vibrant culture and over four thousand residents. Archaeological excavations suggest that people lived on Heimaey as early as the 10th Century.

Day 3 At Sea

Spend this day at sea at your own leisure, either by making the most of the ship’s facilities or by watching for marine and bird life from the observation decks.

Day 4 Ittoqqortoormiit, Greenland

The small Greenlandic town of Ittoqqortoormiit sits at the entrance to Scoresby Sund, the longest fjord on Earth. Although founded in 1925, the original colonists to the area were Palaeo-Eskimo peoples 4,000 years ago.

Housing 500 people, Ittoqqortoormiit derives its name from Greenlandic meaning ‘Big-House Dwellers’. A walk through town, reveals a vibrant Greenlandic culture. Seal, muskox and even a polar bear skin can be seen drying on racks outside of private homes. Greenlandic sled dogs sit patiently on their leashes in front yards, awaiting winter, their wooden sledges propped against buildings. In the local food store seal and whale meat are among the regular traditional foodstuffs laid out beside common western items. Ittoqqortoormiit has a post office where you can purchase Greenlandic stamps and mail your postcards as well as a quaint church, its gabled interior painted in white and sky-blue. The entire community, in fact, is a picturesque kaleidoscope of color, each building painted in bright hues of red, blue, yellow and green.

Days 5 – 7 Scoresby Sound

Scoresby Sund, the longest fjord in the world, cuts into the East Greenlandic Mountains 350 kilometers, is 50 kilometers wide and occupies an area equivalent to the states of Massachusetts and Connecticut combined. This is one of the most remote and wildest regions on Earth. It was named in honor of English explorer William Scoresby who mapped the fjord in 1822.

Wildlife, including muskox, foxes, Arctic hares, short-tailed weasels and lemmings are commonly seen in the large river-valleys. Near Hekla Haven, large areas of expansive tundra dotted with hundreds of freshwater ponds have transformed into the brilliant reds and yellows of Arctic autumn.

You will discover a wonderland of geological colour in the Rødefjord, or Red Fjord. The entire ford is walled with cliffs of 300 million-year old Permian red sandstone, with Røde Ø being a monolithic icon island of the rock, which is sometimes called New Red.

You will come upon a headland intruding beyond a small bay called Sydkap, or South Cape. The slopes offer places to contemplate the majestic parade of icebergs, including some tabular specimens as large as two kilometers long, proceeding out of the Nordvestfjord and passing our review point bound for the Greenland Sea. The scenic scale of the panorama, the colours of the sky, the sea and the tundra plants, and the patient parade of ice giants in the sound comprise another perfect Greenland experience.

Day 8 At Sea

The small Icelandic island of Grimsey is the most northerly inhabited part of Iceland, sitting right under the Arctic Circle. There is a monument where the Arctic Circle was a few years, and due to Earth’s oscillations, the Polar Circle now lies further north.

The quaint Icelandic island of Grimsey stands as the northernmost inhabited part of Iceland. A few years ago, the Arctic Circle was marked by a monument on the island, but due to Earth’s oscillations, it now lies further north. This small island is home to a close-knit community and hosts bustling colonies of seabirds.

Day 9 Umivik Bay

On the King Frederick VI Coast of Greenland’s southeast quadrant, the semi-circular Umivik Bay is carved out just north of the Denmark Strait. Unlike the sheer cliffs and rugged terrain presented by much of the coastline, the shores inside the bay are smooth and the massive Greenland Ice Sheet comes right down to the shore in undulating slopes. This profile persuaded Fritjof Nansen to select the bay as the starting point of his successful 1888 expedition to cross Greenland over the ice sheet. There are several large islands in the bay, including Uppernattivik Island smack in the middle. There are calving glaciers to survey and a landing is possible here as well.

Day 10 Skjoldungen Fjord

Imagine a narrow fjord bordered by rugged peaks, vertical rock walls and serpentine rivers of ice plunging into the sea. This is Skjoldungen Fjord, named by Wilhelm August Graah after the honorific title Skjoldungen which, according to Norse mythology, was given to successors of legendary King Skjold to the Danish throne.

Numerous tidewater glaciers calve during the summer, releasing large chunks of ice that plunge into the fjord. Above, huge crevasses and free-standing pillars of ice, known as seracs, are silhouetted against a blue Greenlandic sky. Barren of large trees, Skjoldungen Fjord is carpeted in colourful dwarf birch and willow forests that may grow several feet high, as well as a variety of low-growing Arctic wildflowers.

This fjord was likely inhabited by Paleo-Eskimo (Inuit) nomadic people as early as 4,000 years ago. Archaeological remains of later historical periods, such as Thule culture graves, have also been found, indicating that Inuit people have lived in the area continuously. Scattered within this stunning scenery are remains of more recent abandoned Inuit dwellings along the fjord’s western shores.

Day 11 At Sea

Reflect on the incredible journey you have just been on as you sail back to Reykjavik. Spend the time to look over and edit your photos, or chat with your fellow expeditioners.

Day 12 Reykjavik

Farewell your fellow expeditioners and disembark in Reykjavik.