31-Day Greenland, Torngat Mountain Cruise

Day 0 - Reykjavik, Iceland

Arrive: Tue 30 May 2028

Warmed by the Gulf Stream as well as by highly active thermal hot springs and volcanoes, Iceland is somewhat misnamed. While it is a stark and barren country with three huge areas of glaciers, one theory is that early Norsemen sought to mislead other potential settlers by giving a pleasant name to fierce, inhospitable Greenland, and a forbidding name to the imminently habitable Iceland. Irish monks and hermits established themselves here in the 8th century, but left a century later when the pagan Norsemen arrived. Europe's first Parliament of General Assembly, the Althing, was established in the year 930 and still functions as the legislative body, although it was suspended by the Danes at the end of the 18th century and not reconvened until 1843. Reykjavik was the site picked by the island's first permanent resident, Ingolfur Arnarson in 874, and is home to more than half of the island's total population. The world's northernmost capital, Reykjavik is proud of its virtual lack of air pollution. Both electrical power and home heating are derived from the geothermal activity on the island. The city's large swimming pools are always warm, and in the countryside exotic fruits such as grapes and bananas are cultivated in greenhouses made cozy with the help of underground hot springs.

Day 1 - Reykjavik, Iceland

Depart: Wed 31 May 2028 at 17:00

Warmed by the Gulf Stream as well as by highly active thermal hot springs and volcanoes, Iceland is somewhat misnamed. While it is a stark and barren country with three huge areas of glaciers, one theory is that early Norsemen sought to mislead other potential settlers by giving a pleasant name to fierce, inhospitable Greenland, and a forbidding name to the imminently habitable Iceland. Irish monks and hermits established themselves here in the 8th century, but left a century later when the pagan Norsemen arrived. Europe's first Parliament of General Assembly, the Althing, was established in the year 930 and still functions as the legislative body, although it was suspended by the Danes at the end of the 18th century and not reconvened until 1843. Reykjavik was the site picked by the island's first permanent resident, Ingolfur Arnarson in 874, and is home to more than half of the island's total population. The world's northernmost capital, Reykjavik is proud of its virtual lack of air pollution. Both electrical power and home heating are derived from the geothermal activity on the island. The city's large swimming pools are always warm, and in the countryside exotic fruits such as grapes and bananas are cultivated in greenhouses made cozy with the help of underground hot springs.

Day 2 - Exploring The Outer Islands of Heimaey

Day 2 - Heimaey

Arrive: Thu 01 June 2028 at 12:00 / Depart: Thu 01 June 2028 at 19:00

Day 3 - At Sea

Day 4 - At Sea

Day 5 - Kangikitsok, Greenland

Day 5 - Prince Christian Sound

Arrive: Sun 04 June 2028 at 13:00 / Depart: Sun 04 June 2028 at 18:00

Day 6 - Qaqortoq, Greenland

Arrive: Mon 05 June 2028 at 08:00 / Depart: Mon 05 June 2028 at 14:00

The largest town in South Greenland with over 3,500 citizens, Qaqortoq was founded in 1775 and still reveals some examples of colonial-period architecture. There is not infrastructure to support shore excursions here, but guests can explore the town and its museum, or possibly arrange a visit to a nearby hot springs. Like other towns in Greenland, there are also possibilities to buy examples of traditional Inuit arts and crafts, including items crafted of bone, soapstone and wild-harvested furs.

Day 6 - Hvalsey, Iceland

Arrive: Mon 05 June 2028 at 15:00 / Depart: Mon 05 June 2028 at 20:00

Twelve miles by Zodiac up the Hvalseyjarfjord from Qaqortoq, the largest community in South Greenland, lies the most prominent Norse archaeological site in Greenland. The so-called Eastern Settlement lasted from the 10th until the mid-15th century. Your expedition team archaeologist can interpret for you the ruins of the great halls and church at Hvalsey that hint of a prospering medieval farmstead. The site evokes an era when the Norse were trading with the indigenous Thule people of the area for furs and ivory, which were a prized commodities in Europe. A wedding held in the church in 1408 comprises the last written record of the Norse adventure in Greenland. Within a few years, Hvalsey and the rest of other Norse communities of Greenland withered as immigrants returned to the more established communities in Iceland and Norway. The site’s meadows of wildflowers sloping up from the fjord give a sense of the peaceful community that existed here in that long-ago summer.

Day 7 - Qassiarsuq (Brattalihd)

Arrive: Tue 06 June 2028 at 07:00 / Depart: Tue 06 June 2028 at 12:00

Day 8 - At Sea

Day 9 - Nain, Canada

Arrive: Thu 08 June 2028 at 08:00 / Depart: Thu 08 June 2028 at 17:00

Day 10 - Nachvak Fjord

Arrive: Fri 09 June 2028 at 10:00 / Depart: Fri 09 June 2028 at 18:00

Day 11 - Saglek Fjord, Labrador, Canada

Day 12 - Hopedale, Labrador, Canada

Day 13 - Indian Harbour, NL, Canada

Day 14 - L Anse aux Meadows, Newfoundland, Canada

Day 15 - At Sea

Day 16 - St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada

Arrive: Thu 15 June 2028 at 07:00 / Depart: Thu 15 June 2028 at 21:00

St. John's is the most easterly point in North America and closest point of land to Europe. Due to it strategic location, St. John's has been vitally important for centuries to explorers, adventurers, merchants, soldiers, pirates, and all manner of seafarers, who provided the foundation for this thriving modern day city. Explore this, one of the oldest cities in North America, and a city unlike any other. This "City of Legends" is cradled in a harbor carved from granite, and surrounded by hills running down to the ocean. Quaint side streets of a thousand colors are home to friendly faces that wait to greet you.

Day 17 - At Sea

Day 18 - Red Bay, Labrador

Arrive: Sat 17 June 2028 at 07:00 / Depart: Sat 17 June 2028 at 17:00

Red Bay is a National Historic Site of Canada, and has been nominated by Canada for inclusion as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. One of the reasons is the importance of the Basque whaling activity that thrived here in the 16th and early 17th centuries. Sunken Basque galleons and smaller boats from the period have been discovered just offshore. Although the whale population is much diminished today, it is still a popular activity to watch them, as well as the icebergs that float down from the seas further north.

Day 19 - Battle Harbour, Canada

Arrive: Sun 18 June 2028 at 07:00 / Depart: Sun 18 June 2028 at 17:00

Day 20 - Indian Harbour, NL, Canada

Day 21 - Nain, Canada

Arrive: Tue 20 June 2028 at 07:00 / Depart: Tue 20 June 2028 at 16:00

Day 22 - Saglek Fjord, Labrador, Canada

Day 23 - Eclipse Channel, Labrador, Canada

Day 24 - Resolution Island, Nunavut, Canada

Day 24 - Lower Savage Islands, Canada

Arrive: Fri 23 June 2028 at 13:00 / Depart: Fri 23 June 2028 at 18:00

Day 25 - Monumental Island

Arrive: Sat 24 June 2028 at 07:00 / Depart: Sat 24 June 2028 at 12:00

In 1845, British explorer Sir John Franklin, on the period’s most technologically advanced expedition, vanished in search of the fabled Northwest Passage. Monumental Island was named by fellow Arctic explorer Charles Francis Hall in memory of Franklin. Located in Davis Strait south of Baffin Island, it is known as Oomienwa in the local Inuktitut language. This barren, rocky and windswept island is home to a variety of wildlife. Nesting black guillemots are the most prolific seabird. The Island is a favorite resting spot for walrus and they may be viewed at numerous haul-outs around the island. The elusive polar bears patrol the ice-floes in search of seals while whales feed offshore. This is also an excellent location for viewing elaborately sculpted icebergs of all sizes and shapes. Numerous glaciers descend from the island’s high peaks, their crevasses appearing almost to glow an iridescent blue against a landscape of stark white

Day 25 - Nunavut Canada

Arrive: Sat 24 June 2028 at 13:00 / Depart: Sat 24 June 2028 at 18:00

Lady Franklin Island, is an uninhabited Baffin Island offshore island located in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago in the territory of Nunavut. The island lies in Davis Strait, 25 mi from Hall Peninsula. There are at least seven smaller, unnamed islands off its northwest shore.

Day 26 - At Sea

Day 27 - Isabella Bay (Ninginganiq), Nunavut, Canada

Day 28 - Qikiqtarjuaq, Nunavut, Canada

Day 29 - At Sea

Day 30 - Sisimiut, Greenland

Arrive: Thu 29 June 2028 at 07:00 / Depart: Thu 29 June 2028 at 17:00

Sisimiut is Greenland’s second-largest town, and large by Greenland standards, housing some 6,000 people. It is located just north of the Arctic Circle, and is a popular base for visitors seeking adventurous pastimes in the surrounding country. Although there are no shore excursions planned for Sisimiut, guests may wish to investigate the local market, where the products of the country are sold, including meat from whales, reindeer, musk oxen and many kinds of fish. Watch for the stocky little Icelandic horses trotting along the highways, and keep an eye out for sea eagles often seen perched on the surrounding mountains. Whales are also often seen in the sea nearby. On the hill above the harbor, there is an artisan’s workshop where they create and sell Inuit crafts, and nearby is the town museum, which has examples of colonial period houses, peat houses and other early buildings.

Day 31 - Kangerlussuaq

Arrive: Fri 30 June 2028 at 07:00 / Depart: Fri 30 June 2028

In October, 1941 the United States Army Air Force constructed an airbase at the site of Kangerlussuaq. It served as a refuelling stop for single-engine military aircraft being flown to Britain during World War II. Form their last port of call, Goose Bay, Labrador, it was 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles) to Kangerlussuaq until they could refuel. Kangerlussuaq fjord (‘Big Fjord’), is 170 kilometers (105 miles) long and was often shrouded in fog, providing a serious navigation problem for those aircrews. Today, with the use of modern technology, navigation is no longer an issue. The landscape was ideal for the site of an airport. A large alluvial plain, deposited by the nearby glacial-outflow river, provided a perfectly flat environment for an airport. Kangerlussuaq is the largest commercial airport in Greenland and supports a population of 500. A little known fact, from 1971 to 1987, 33 missiles from various countries, were fired from Kangerlussuaq for upper atmospheric scientific research.