Arctic Edges: Iceland Westfjords to East Greenland

Arrive in Reykjavík, the world’s northernmost capital, which lies just below the Arctic Circle. Transfer from the airport to the city and spend the day exploring at your own pace. Check in with the hospitality desk this afternoon before embarking the ship.

Enjoy a leisurely morning at sea learning about Iceland and its incredible biodiversity. Join your expedition staff on the bow of the ship as you keep watch for the close to 20 different whale species that call the Westfjords home. Spend the afternoon on the remote eastern side of the Westfjords, an area difficult to access but boasting spectacular beauty and rich history. The tiny town of Djúpavík held its place on the map because of the golden age of herring. During its heyday in the 1930s, its herring plant was the largest concrete structure in Iceland. The plant closed in 1954 but remains as a small museum and a memory of the rich productivity of the herring industry in Iceland. Visit the museum and learn about the significance of this resource to all of Iceland in the 20th century as well as choose from active options in the surrounding mountainsides.

Skagafjörður is the gateway to north Iceland, known for its glacial rivers, Icelandic horses and saga history. Take a float trip on the Jökulsá River or visit a historic rural turf farm to understand rural life in Iceland, including the iconic Icelandic horses. Finally, learn about Grettir the Strong, and the saga named after him, by exploring Drangey Island and spotting the multitudes of birds that call the island home like kittiwakes, shearwaters and possibly even ravens and gyrfalcons.

Strike out across the Denmark Strait to the wild shores of East Greenland, where exploration is shaped by the Arctic’s ever-changing ice. On June departures, sea ice typically lines the coast, guiding your journey through vast floes as you navigate among sculpted icebergs. These departures also bring shifting fog that rolls across the ice floes, formed where warm continental air meets the polar ice moving southward. By July and August, fjords often begin to open. When conditions permit, venture into these dramatic waterways and potentially make landings along the coast, with opportunities for hiking, kayaking or Zodiac cruising. As you explore these remote waters, keep watch from the Bridge or deck for humpbacks, beluga whales and seals—and, with luck, the elusive polar bear.

Explore the beautiful and peaceful Westfjords region of Iceland. Enter Ísafjarðardjúp and land at Vigur Island to visit an eider farm where you’ll learn about the traditional eiderdown collection and cleaning process as well as their prolific bird colonies. Walk over the boardwalks amongst their puffin colony, a shared project between Lindblad Expeditions and the island owners to develop a safer environment for the puffins along with a better infrastructure for local scientists to study the birds. As the ship transits back through the fjord, make your way out to the railings to spot some of the whales that call this region home. The next day explore yet another stunning, remote fjord with expedition activities, including hiking along fjord trails to a dramatic waterfall cascading down from the high plateaus above.

Disembark in Reykjavík and transfer to the airport for flights home.