A Greenland Exploration

Day 1 - Arrive Paris, Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen

Arrive in Paris this morning where you board a privately chartered flight to Longyearbyen for the start of your small ship expedition aboard the luxurious L’Austral. Please note, this itinerary is operated as an APT guided group in partnership with Ponant, please see fare box for details.

Accommodation: 14 Nights, L’Austral

Meals: Dinner

Day 2 - At sea

Settle in as you set sail for Jan Mayen Island. Join your expedition team on the lookout for whale and orca sightings. This afternoon enjoy an exclusive APT hosted cocktail party with Captain Peter Martin and meet your fellow APT companions.

Accommodation:

Meals: Breakfast Lunch Dinner

Day 3 - Jan Mayen Island

This morning our aim is to step ashore on rarely-visited Jan Mayen Island (weather permitting). Once a whale hunting centre, this northern most island on the mid-Atlantic ridge is towered over by still active Breenberg volcano. Walk along lava sharpened ridges and spend time exploring the mysteries of the island that very few people have had a chance to experience.

Accommodation:

Meals: Breakfast Lunch Dinner

Day 4 - Isikajia

Heading west today, make your first stop in Greenland at the island of Kulusuk, home to the imposing Isikajia Mountain. Here, join your expedition team aboard Zodiacs and learn how what was once a part of the peninsula became an island as the glaciers retreated over the past ten years. Later, gain an insight into Inuit culture on a guided village walk and drum dance.

Accommodation:

Meals: Breakfast Lunch Dinner

Day 5 - Scoresby Sound, Rodefjord

A cruise through Scoresby Sound, the largest fjord in the world, takes us to the impressive Rodefjord to see the stunning barren red cliffs that surround this iceberg-filled bay. Sometimes referred to as the Iceberg Graveyard, these massive chunks of ice fall away from Greenland’s ice sheet and float away, only to get trapped by the shallow fjord. A zodiac cruise through these icy waters will leave you awestruck.

Accommodation:

Meals: Breakfast Lunch Dinner

Day 6 - Ittoqqortoormiit

Travel to Ittoqqortoormiit, a colourful little settlement of 450 residents on the edge of civilisation which is on occasion visited by polar bears. Your expedition team will be on the lookout for these elusive creatures as this could your best chance for a sighting. Perhaps visit the local post office to buy stamps for your postcards, take a leisurely wander through the village to see sledge dogs, and see seals skins being air-dried by locals.

Accommodation:

Meals: Breakfast Lunch Dinner

Day 7 - Blosseville Coast

Soak up the magical scenery of the Blosseville Coast’s deep fjords and towering mountains as you look out for musk ox and narwhals.

Accommodation:

Meals: Breakfast Lunch Dinner

Day 8 - Ammassalik

Be on watch for polar bears again today as you cruise to the island of Ammassalik.

Accommodation:

Meals: Breakfast Lunch Dinner

Day 9 - Nansen Harbour

Arrive in Nansen Harbour for the opportunity to visit the remains of peat houses from the ancient Thule civilisation. Later, learn the history of the first crossing of the Greenland ice sheet, in 1888 by Fridtjof Nansen. Walk in his footsteps as you climb a gentle slope to reach the ice sheet’s foothills.

Accommodation:

Meals: Breakfast Lunch Dinner

Day 10 - Skjoldungen Fjord

Enter Skjoldungen Fjord, a magnificent passage between Greenland’s mainland and Skjoldungen Island on the remote south-east coast. Surrounded by untouched tundra, majestic icebergs and a glacial wall of ice, join your expedition team as you explore by Zodiac, perhaps landing ashore to have the rare chance of walking on this uninhabited and desolate island. See bearded seals, orcas, and birds such as the common redpoll, northern wheatear, or common raven.

Accommodation:

Meals: Breakfast Lunch Dinner

Day 11 - Prince Christian Sound

Relax and enjoy the unforgettable scenery of pointed peaks and majestic glaciers as you zigzag through Cape Farewell Archipelago at the most southern point of Greenland.

Accommodation:

Meals: Breakfast Lunch Dinner

Day 12 - Narsaq

Today discover the picturesque town of Narsaq. Perched on a tranquil bay dotted with white and blue icebergs, set beneath lush green grass covered mountains, the colourful houses bring together a myriad of colours that is unique to Greenland. Delve into local history on a museum visit.

Accommodation:

Meals: Breakfast Lunch Dinner

Day 13 - Nuuk

Discover the epic tale of exploration and survival as you visit Nuuk, the town founded by Erik the Red in 982. A visit to the Greenlandic National Museum allows a chance to discover the famous mummies and costumes from Qilakitsoq in northwest Greenland, as well as the world’s oldest and almost complete intact skin boat.

Accommodation:

Meals: Breakfast Lunch Dinner

Day 14 - Evighedsfjord

Enter Evighedsfjorden, “the fjord of Eternity”, and join your expedition team to catch sight of white-tailed eagles and black-legged kittiwakes that nest in the jagged cliffs.

Accommodation:

Meals: Breakfast Lunch Dinner

Day 15 - Kangerlussuaq

After sailing through Kangerlluarssuk Fjord, arrive in Kangerlussuaq where your Arctic Expedition concludes with a chartered flight back to Paris.

Accommodation:

Meals: Breakfast