East Greenland's Scoresby Sund

Why Join This Cruise:

• Travel to one of the world's least visited and most pristine destinations


• Incredible landscapes, gigantic icebergs & spellbinding Northern Lights with opportunity to see arctic wildlife including musk oxen & arctic hare


• Travel by small ice strengthened vessel offering a very intimate and personalised experience, with excellent expeditionary staff


• A wilderness journey for people who do not like conventional cruises!

Trip Overview
Our voyages focus on East and Northeast Greenland, among the most isolated, sparsely populated and scenically stunning parts of the island. Fortunately, from the wildlife enthusiast's point of view, they are also the most rewarding regions with regular sightings of Musk oxen, Arctic hares and a variety of birds, including Gyrfalcon, Snowy owl, Barnacle and Pink-footed geese.

Access to this highly indented and ruggedly mountainous coast is dependent on ice conditions with September being the time of year when the sea ice has receded northwards to its maximum extent. For much of the year, the region is locked in by pack ice, which by late summer has broken up sufficiently to allow vessels such as ours the chance to penetrate and explore places like Scoresby Sund, the world's largest fjord system, at the head of which massive icebergs are carved over 100 metres high and more than a kilometre long.



Daily Itinerary

Day 1 Akureyri/ Embarkation
Arrive into Akureyri airport in Northern Iceland. Late afternoon embarkation of your expeditionary ship and depart Iceland in early evening setting sail northwards towards the Denmark Strait.

Day 2 Denmark Strait
At sea, sailing north through the Denmark Strait. You may see Orcas (Killer Whales), and are almost certain to see Fulmars, Kittiwakes, Gannets and rafts of Common Guillemots and Razorbills. We cross the Arctic Circle and continue north, perhaps seeing White-beaked Dolphins, Humpback Whales and Minke Whales. In the evening we will spot our first icebergs appear as we approach the east coast of Greenland near Kap Brewster.

Day 3 Danmarks
In the morning we sail along the ragged and glaciated Volquart Boons Coast.
Later we land on Danmarks Ø (island) where there are the remains of ancient hunting camps belonging to the Thule culture. In the evening you will continue sailing through the beautiful fjords to the west, choked with ice-bergs.

Day 4 Cape Hofmann Halvø/ Scoresby Land
Landing at Cape Hofmann Halvø, a reliable spot for viewing Musk Oxen. The landscape here is particularly beautiful, especially during autumn when the Dwarf Willow and Dwarf Birch change colour. In the evening we sail through the fjord towards Scoresby Land, hoping to see Narwhal which are sighted from time to time.

Day 5 Sydkap/ Jameson Land
On our way to Sydkap in Scoresby Land in the morning, we encounter huge icebergs, some over 100 m high and more than a kilometre in length. Proposed landing at Gurreholm on Jameson Land. The landscape here is gently undulating. Look out Musk Oxen, Collared Lemmings, Long-tailed Skua, Snowy Owl and Arctic Fox.

Day 6 Illoqqortoormiut/ Blosseville Coast
We land in Illoqqortoormiut, the biggest settlement near Scoresby Sund with about 500 inhabitants. At the post office you can buy stamps for your postcards, or just wander around the brightly coloured houses to see the sledge dogs and soak up the atmosphere of this remote place, while bearing in mind that this is the second largest town on the whole of the East Greenland coastline! After lunch you will sail south, passing the amazing landscape of the Blosseville Coast where groups of Harp Seals can be spotted among the ice floes.

Day 7 Blosseville Coast/ Mikis Fjord
We continue along the Blosseville Coast with wonderful views of snow covered peaks - the highest in Greenland, some of them reaching over 3000m. At the mouth of Nansen Fjord we spot Gunnbjørns Fjeld, at 3700m: it is both the highest peak in Greenland and also the highest mountain north of the Arctic Circle. Sail into Mikis Fjord, bounded by steep cliffs. The fjord is a good place to spot Narwhal, Polar Bear, Ringed Seals and Harp Seals.

Day 8 Kangerlussuaq fjord/ Skaergårdshalvø
In the morning, head south for Kangerlussuaq fjord where glaciers reach the sea creating a fabulous landscape of glacier fronts, icebergs and cliffs. The fjord can also a good place to see Polar Bears and Ivory Gulls. Afternoon Zodiac trip to Skaergårdshalvø, a popular summer hunting ground for the people of Ammassalik. Most years a number of families arrive here in early summer and stay until the end of the hunting season and we might be able to meet them. In the afternoon set sail south-east towards the Denmark Strait.

Day 9 Denmark Strait
Day at sea. Look out for cetaceans and migratorty seabirds during the day Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights), if you are lucky and the skies are clear, at night.

Day 10 Kaflavik/ Disembark
Arrive back into Keflavik harbour with group transfer to the airport provided for your flight home.

Note:
All itineraries are for guidance only. Programs may vary depending on local ice and weather conditions and in order to take advantage of opportunities to see wildlife. Flexibility is paramount for expedition cruises.



The Boats
The following boats are available for this cruise, please refer to the 'Arctic Boats' section for full details:

Professor Molchanov
Aleksey Maryshev

Cruise dates for 2009

Professor Molchanov
17th - 26th Sep


a href="http://www.steppestravel.co.uk/aleksey-maryshev-and-grigoriy-mikheev-page2944.aspx">Aleksey Maryshev

**Please note that remaining availability for this trip is now limited. Please call the office for an update of cabin availability


Guide Price

	Prices from:
Sharing triple cabin without private facilities (not available on some departures)	£2,050pp*
Sharing twin cabin without private facilities	£2,340pp*
Sharing twin cabin with private facilities	£2,810pp*
Sharing superior cabin with private facilities	£3,140pp*
Sharing suite with private facilities (not available on some departures)	£3,495pp*

*These prices are subject to exchange rate fluctuations.

Single Supplements on board
Single supplements are typically 1.8 times the cost of twin berth. Please ring for a quote.

To discuss this trip, for further details or to check boat availability, please either:

Call 01285 880981
Email voyages@steppestravel.co.uk

Steppes Travel cruise destinations include: Alaska, Amazon, Antarctica, Arctic, Baja Mexico, Galapagos, Papau New Guinea, Nile