HIGHLIGHTS
- Visit
several deep fjords and prominent glaciers in the northern reaches of
Svalbard, as well as the northern hemisphere's widest glacier front
- Watch
bird islets like the Andøyane Islets and approaching
glaciers like Monaco Glacier and Seliger Glacier
- Visit
several walrus haul-outs and areas defined as “Arctic
Desert”
- Enjoy
walks and hikes ashore to have a closer look at flora and wildlife in
the spectacular Northern Region of Svalbard
DATES / RATES
Rates are listed per person in USD
|
| Start Date | End Date | Vista Suite | Veranda Suite | Deluxe Veranda Suite | Medallion Suite | Silver Suite | Royal Suite | Grand Suite | Owner's Suite |
|---|
Rates are listed per person in USD
|
| Start Date | End Date | (Starting from)
Vista Suite | (Mid-range)
Silver Suite | (High-end)
Owner's Suite |
|---|
ITINERARY
Day
1: Longyearbyen, Norway
Longyearbyen
is the biggest settlement in Svalbard. Seat of the Norwegian
administration, it also has the best services and infrastructure in the
archipelago. Located deep in the Adventfjord, a sidearm of the
Isfjorden (Icefjord), Longyearbyen’s airport can be used
all-year round, but its harbor is blocked by ice in winter. Most shops,
hotels, restaurants and a hospital are within easy walking distance of
the port. One of the most prominent buildings in town is the UNIS
center, where several Norwegian universities have joined forces to
operate and offer the northernmost higher education to both Norwegian
and international students. Adjacent to UNIS, and well worth a visit,
is the Svalbard Museum, covering the natural history and exploitation
of Svalbard. Remnants of the former mining activity can be seen all
around Longyearbyen and even in town.
Days
2-5: Svalbard Northern Region, Norway
There are
several deep fjords and prominent glaciers in the northern reaches of
Svalbard, as well as the northern hemisphere’s widest glacier
front. Ice conditions will dictate how much can be accessed in terms of
cruising bird islets like the Andøyane Islets or approaching
glaciers like Monaco Glacier and Seliger Glacier. The Northern Region
is also known to have several walrus haul-outs and areas defined as
“Arctic Desert”. Walks and hikes ashore to have a
closer look at flora and wildlife are a possibility in the spectacular
Northern Region of Svalbard.
Day
6: At Sea
Days at sea
are the perfect opportunity to relax, unwind and catch up with what
you’ve been meaning to do. So whether that is going to the
gym, visiting the spa, whale watching, catching up on your reading or
simply topping up your tan, these blue sea days are the perfect balance
to busy days spent exploring shore side.
Day
7: Jan Mayen Island, Norway
Humpback
and minke whales cavort and feed in the waters around the impressive
volcanic island of Jan Mayen with its towering ebony peaks and broad
black lava beaches. The primordial landscape is dominated to the north
by the 7,500 feet high (2,300 meters) Mt Beerenberg, an active volcano
covered in glacial ice that last erupted in 1985. With permission from
the Norwegian authorities, a landing is possible at this rarely visited
outpost. Visitors may walk to the research and weather station, or
beyond, for birds-eye views of the meteorological station and the long
black sandy eastern shore of the island. Birds to be seen here may
include Atlantic Puffins, Northern Fulmars, and Snow Buntings.
Day
8: At Sea
Day
9: Akureyri, Iceland
Akureyri,
called the Capital of the North is the second largest urban area in
Iceland, and a lively one at that. Hemmed by the 60-km (37-mile) long
Eyjafjörður, Akureyri is sheltered from the ocean
winds and embraced by mountains on three sides. Late 19th-century
wooden houses impart a sense of history, and the twin spires of a
modern Lutheran church rising on a green hill near the waterfront,
provide a focal point. To the south of Akureyri is the pyramid-shape
rhyolite mountain Súlur. Beyond it is Kerling, the highest
peak in Eyjafjörður District.
Day
10: Cruise Along Hornbjarg Cliffs, Iceland
The
Hornbjarg Cliffs are found in the northernmost part of
Iceland’s Westfjords and are considered to be among
Iceland’s most spectacular bird cliffs. As part of the
Hornstrandir Nature Reserve the cliffs rise to 537 meters in height on
the seaside to then slope down on the landward side as green lush
hills. Thousands of Northern Fulmars, Common and
Brünnich’s Guillemots, Atlantic Puffins and gulls
can be seen in the cliffs or soaring in the updrafts.
Vigur
Island, Iceland
Vigur
Island is a little more than a mile (1.6 km) in length and about 450
yards (412 m) wide. This green oasis punctuates the waters of the
Ísafjarðardjúp fjord east of the town of
Isafjordur. The island is home to a single farming family and has some
meticulously preserved historical landmarks including
Iceland’s only windmill, built in 1840 and used until 1917
for grinding imported wheat from Denmark; and a 200-year-old rowing
boat, which is still in use to ferry sheep to the mainland. Summer is
the best time to see large numbers of Atlantic Puffins, Arctic Terns
and Black Guillemots. One of the export articles from this small island
was eider down and one can see where the eider ducks nest and how the
down is collected and cleaned.
Day
11: Dynjandi Waterfalls, Iceland
Iceland is
well-known for its spectacular waterfalls. The iconic Dynjandi
waterfall, located in the Westfjords region, is regarded as one of
Iceland’s most impressive and majestic waterfalls. At the
top, the cascading water is roughly 100 feet wide and tumbles down
about 330 feet into the fjord. Its name Dynjandi means, “the
thundering one” and its vast size, enormous sound, and sheer
force is overwhelming. It has also been nicknamed, ‘The
Bridal Veil’ because of the way the water sprays and spreads
over the rocks.
Latrabjarg
Cliffs, Iceland
On
Iceland’s north coast and close to the westernmost tip of the
country are the impressive cliffs of Latrabjarg; Europe’s
largest bird cliff. Millions of individual seabirds make their home
along the promontory safe from the range of scavenging foxes on the
steep ledges. Atlantic Puffins, Northern Gannets, Razorbills and
guillemots have each selected their preferred areas in and above the
cliff in which to roost and nest. The Latrabjarg cliffs reach heights
of up to 440 meters along a staggering 14 kilometer stretch of the
coast.
Day
12: Reykjavik, Iceland
Sprawling
Reykjavík, the nation's nerve center and government seat, is
home to half the island's population. On a bay overlooked by proud Mt.
Esja (pronounced eh-shyuh), with its ever-changing hues,
Reykjavík presents a colorful sight, its concrete houses
painted in light colors and topped by vibrant red, blue, and green
roofs. In contrast to the almost treeless countryside,
Reykjavík has many tall, native birches, rowans, and
willows, as well as imported aspen, pines, and
spruces.Reykjavík's name comes from the Icelandic words for
smoke, reykur, and bay, vík. In AD 874, Norseman
Ingólfur Arnarson saw Iceland rising out of the misty sea
and came ashore at a bay eerily shrouded with plumes of steam from
nearby hot springs. Today most of the houses in Reykjavík
are heated by near-boiling water from the hot springs. Natural heating
avoids air pollution; there's no smoke around. Read more
Day
13: At Sea
Day
14: Skjoldungen, Greenland
Located on
Greenland’s relatively rarely visited rugged east coast,
Skoldungen Fjord has enchanting scenery with towering mountains tipped
with snow, ice-scraped valley sides and sculptured icebergs in shades
of white and blue. At the top of the fjord one can easily see the
retreating state of the Thrym Glacier. The U-shaped fjord offers
spectacular scenery and as an extra perk, it is not uncommon to see
whales in the fjord.
Day
15: Cruise Prince Christian Sound, Greenland
Connecting
the Denmark Strait with Davis Strait, Prins Christian Sund offers a
protected course from southeastern to southwestern Greenland, and is
one of South Greenland’s most dramatic natural features. The
water is generally placid and the crisp scent of ice fills the air. On
either side of the Sund, waterfalls stream down sharp, wrinkled
mountainsides. Depending on weather conditions, icebergs that glitter
in the sun may be constant companions during the passage. Born of
compacted ancient snows that formed glaciers and now calve into the
sound at the glacier’s edge, each iceberg is different from
the next.
Aappilattoq
(Kujalleq), Greenland
Aapilattoq
is a small settlement near the western end of Prins Christian Sund in
southwestern Greenland. In the local Greenlandic language the name
means, "sea anemone". This small village of 130 inhabitants, hidden
behind a prominent rock, offers a good insight into the life of
Greenlandic Inuit. A stroll through the village will reveal a small
school and a church, along with the likely possibility of seeing a
polar bear skin drying in the wind behind a local dwelling. People have
lived off the land in the area around Aapilattoq since the 19th
century. The tradition continues today as most people here hunt and
fish to make a living.
Day
16: Qaqortoq (Julianehaab), Greenland
The largest
town in southern Greenland, Qaqortoq has been inhabited since
prehistoric times. Upon arrival in this charming southern Greenland
enclave, it's easy to see why. Qaqortoq rises quite steeply over the
fjord system around the city, offering breath-taking panoramic vistas
of the surrounding mountains, deep, blue sea, Lake Tasersuag, icebergs
in the bay, and pastoral backcountry. Although the earliest signs of
ancient civilization in Qaqortoq date back 4,300 years, Qaqortoq is
known to have been inhabited by Norse and Inuit settlers in the 10th
and 12th centuries, and the present-day town was founded in 1774. In
the years since, Qaqortoq has evolved into a seaport and trading hub
for fish and shrimp processing, tanning, fur production, and ship
maintenance and repair.
Hvalsey,
Greenland
Northeast
of Qaqortoq and at the end of a fjord, Hvalsey is one of the best
examples of South Greenland’s many scattered ruins from the
Norse period. Today the area is used for sheep-grazing, but until the
15th century the settlement at Hvalsey, and specifically
Hvalsey’s church, played an important part. Christianity had
spread its influence throughout Europe and eventually had reached
remote Greenland, where it established itself in the country in 1000
AD. Hvalsey Church was built in the 14th century and is the best
preserved of the churches in Greenland from that period. Apart from the
church walls, historical ruins from the time of the Norse are just a
few meters away.
Day
17: Qassiarsuk (Brattahlid), Greenland
Qassiarsuk
is the newer, Greenlandic name for this small village. Brattahlid is
the older, Norse name. Here we tour the foundation remains of the manor
house of Erik the Red, who found Greenland after being banished from
Iceland and Norway for murder. We will also visit the site of the first
Christian church ever built in North America (physiographically
speaking), see a recently unearthed Norse graveyard that contains
remains of 144 Norse colonists, and have a chance to admire Hans
Lynge’s remarkable bronze sculpture of Erik the Red.
Itilleq
(Qeqqata), Greenland
Itilleq is
an idyllic little village located on a small island about a half a mile
off the west coast of Greenland, and only about a mile north of the
Arctic Circle. It is one of the most picturesque villages in Greenland
with its quaint colorful houses surrounded by stunning rugged mountains
and glaciers. Originally, the village of Itilleq was founded on another
island in 1847, but was later moved to its present location. The 100
people living here today survive mainly on hunting and fishing, with a
fish factory being the main employer.
Day
18: At Sea
Day
19: Nuuk (Godthab), Greenland
Nuuk,
meaning “the cape”, was Greenland’s first
town (1728). Started as a fort and later mission and trading post some
240 kilometers south of the Arctic Circle, it is the current capital.
Almost 30% of Greenland’s population lives in the town. Not
only does Nuuk have great natural beauty in its vicinity, but there are
Inuit ruins, Hans Egede’s home, the parliament, and the
Church of our Saviour as well. The Greenlandic National Museum has an
outstanding collection of Greenlandic traditional dresses, as well as
the famous Qilakitsoq mummies. The Katuaq Cultural Center’s
building was inspired by the undulating Northern Lights and can house
10% of Nuuk’s inhabitants.
Day
20: At Sea
Day
21: Iqaluit (Nunavut), Canada
Iqaluit is
the capital of Canada’s newest territory, Nunavut, which is
Inuktitut for “our land”. The community is located
at the head of Frobisher Bay, an inlet of the North Atlantic extending
into southeastern Baffin Island. The Bay is so long that it was first
taken to be the possible entrance of a Northwest Passage. In Iqaluit,
the Nunatta Sunakkutaangit Museum and the Nunavut Legislative Assembly
Building both house incredible collections of Inuit artwork with
interesting local prints for sale in the museum shop.
Day
22: Lady Franklin Island, Canada
Named in
honour of Sir John Franklin’s widow, the lonely and
uninhabited Lady Franklin Island lies off of Baffin Island’s
Hall Peninsula at the entrance to Cumberland Sound. The island is named
for the wife of Sir John Franklin, the Arctic explorer who died trying
to discover the Northwest Passage. The geology of the island is
striking with vertical cliffs of Archean rocks, likely to be some of
the oldest stone in Canada. The waters around Lady Franklin Island
offer an abundance seabirds, ducks, seals, and walrus. With a bit of
luck it is possible to see Atlantic Puffins here and perhaps even a
rare Sabine’s Gull.
Monumental
Island, Canada
Monumental
Island in Davis Strait was named by Arctic explorer Charles Francis
Hall as a tribute to the memory of Sir John Franklin who died in his
quest to find the Northwest Passage. The island is offshore of Baffin
Island in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago of the territory of Nunavut.
Around the shoreline scores of Black Guillemots dive and fish for
little Arctic cods and capelins. Successful birds fly off with a minnow
grasped tightly in their beaks. On a far larger scale, it is possible
to find groups of walruses with their impressive tusks along the shores
of the island. However, the coup de grâce is to spot a polar
bear’s white silhouette against the dark background of the
bedrock on Monumental Island.
Day
23: Lower Savage Islands, Canada
The Lower
Savage Islands are a small group of islands off of the southeastern tip
of Baffin Island, and a common location for polar bears to be found
during the summer months. With plenty of land to roam while giving each
other a wide berth, plus opportunities to feed, it seems perhaps bears
can be found here as the ice vanishes with the summer
season’s warming temperatures.
Day
24: Akpatok Island (Nunavut), Canada
Akpatok
Island is a remote spot near the northernmost limits of the Labrador
Peninsula. Steep and sheer limestone cliffs jut out of icy waters.
Encased in snow and surrounded with sea ice in the winter months, this
uninhabited island lures huge amounts of wildlife, most notably the
world’s largest population of breeding Thick-billed Murres
(known as Brünnich’s Guillemots in Europe),
estimated at well over a million birds. These auks flock to the bare
cliffs of the island between June and September, and murres incubate
their single pear-shaped egg on the cliff ledges. Glaucous Gulls can be
seen soaring above looking for unguarded eggs and chicks, while Black
Guillemots paddle around on the nearby sea. Akpatok Island is also a
favorite summer home for polar bears as they wait for the winter ice to
form.
Day
25: Cape Dorset (Dorset Island), Canada
Cape Dorset
is a small Inuit hamlet located on Dorset Island, off the southern
shore of Baffin Island. The traditional name for Cape Dorset is
Kinngait (meaning "high mountain"), describing the
‘Cape’, which is actually a 800 foot mountain. This
is a nature-lovers paradise with breath-taking landscapes and an
amazing abundance of arctic wildlife, such as migratory caribou,
seabirds, whales, seals and walruses. Ancient native Thule (Dorset
Culture) peoples lived in this area for three thousand years, and it is
here where the first archaeological remains were found. Captain Luke
Foxe, during his attempt to find the Northwest Passage in 1631, was the
first European to land here. He named the Cape in honour of his sponsor
Edward Sackville, the Earl of Dorset. In 1913, the Hudson's Bay Company
started a trading post, exchanging furs and skins for supplies like
tobacco, ammunition, flour, gas, tea and sugar. Read more
Day
26: At Sea
Day
27: Churchill (Manitoba), Canada
Arrive
12:30 PM
Silver Cloud (Luxury Expedition, 254-guests)
As the inaugural ship for Silversea Cruises, Silver Cloud epitomises everything that is Silversea. Designed to provide the most intimate of sailing experiences, a Silver Cloud cruise provides 254 privileged guests with the luxury of space and the ability to slip into exotic ports off the beaten path. Our shining luxury cruise ship is often described by returning guests as their own private yacht, their home away from home.
(Click image to view Ship details)
WHAT'S INCLUDED
- Guided
Zodiac, land and sea tours, and shoreside activities led by the
Expeditions Team
- Parka
- Enrichment
lectures by a highly qualified Expeditions Team
- Spacious
suites
- Butler
service in every suite
- Unlimited
Free Wifi
- Personalised
service – nearly one crew member for every guest
- Choice
of restaurants, diverse cuisine, open-seating dining
- Beverages
in-suite and throughout the ship, including champagne, select wines and
spirits
- In-suite
dining and room service
- Onboard
entertainment
