Iceland's Wild West Coast to East Greenland

12 Days - National Geographic Endurance

Board the National Geographic Endurance and discover a region of epic ice home to the Arctic’s iconic creatures: polar bears, whales, and vast seabird colonies. We will also be on the lookout for the Northern Lights along Greenland and Iceland at this time of year. Actively explore Iceland’s Westfjord region: hike through valleys awash in wild orchids, mountain aven, wild thyme, and woolly willow; make your way over layers of basalt visibly cracked and carved in the last ice age; feel the spray of thundering waterfalls. Venture into the largest fjord system in the world to cruise among magnificent icebergs and visit the welcoming communities where people live close to their ancestral traditions. Follow in the wake of the 10th-century Viking explorers along the ice cap learning of their bold, history-making expeditions.

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Home » National Geographic Endurance: Iceland’s Wild West Coast to East Greenland

Itinerary Highlights:

Discover the wild west coast of Iceland with its towering bird cliffs, meadows carpeted in wildflowers, quiet coves, and majestic waterfalls.
Explore the largest national park in the world-Northeast Greenland National Park east coast’s ever-and search for polar bears, musk oxen, whales and more.
Sail into Scoresbysund, ice permitting, the world’s largest and longest fjord system and home to a remote Inuit community
Learn how to capture Northern Lights displays, conditions permitting, with our photographer by your side.

Itinerary in Brief:

Day 1: Reykjavik, Iceland
Day 2: Flatey Island, Iceland
Day 3: Crossing the Denmark Strait
Day 4-9: Exploring Scoresbysund and NE Greenland
Day 10-11: Crossing the Denmark Strait/Exploring the Westfjords, Iceland
Day 12: Reykjavik, Iceland

Day 1: Reykjavik, Iceland - Embark

Explore Reykjavik's Old Town, including Hallgrímskirkja Cathedral and the National Museum with its Viking treasures before you embark National Geographic Endurance.

Day 2: Flatey Island, Iceland

Explore Iceland’s wild western frontier. Visit charming Flatey Island, a trading post for centuries, for walks around the 19th-century hamlet, and opportunities to see and photograph numerous species of birds. Zodiac cruise the coast and see where Erik the Red sailed from in the year 982 A.D., bound for Greenland.

Day 3: Crossing the Denmark Strait

Cross the Denmark Strait, where the cold east Greenland current carries the ice south. Enjoy presentations and searching for seabirds including fulmars, kittiwakes, and terns—and possibly seals and humpback whales. Our staff will be on the lookout for northern lights displays at this time of year.

Day 4-9: Exploring Scoresbysund and NE Greenland

Roughly 80% of the surface of Greenland, the Greenland ice sheet is the second largest body of ice in the world. Weather and ice will dictate our exact route, but expect to explore well north of Scoresbysund, in the largest national park in the world –Northeast Greenland National Park. Being the end of summer, the ice will have retreated as far as it ever does, allowing us to explore the fjords, bays, nooks and crannies of this stunning coastline. We hope to see the iconic arctic wildlife: polar bears, seals and whales. And the northern lights will be on show every night, conditions permitting. We will also set a course for Scoresbysund, the largest and longest fjord system on earth, with a native village at its entrance.

Day 10-11: Crossing the Denmark Strait/Exploring the Westfjords, Iceland

We return across the Denmark Strait headed just south of the Arctic Circle to the Westfjords, a remote area backed by majestic cliffs. Explore Ísafjördur on a hike with our natural history staff through a wildflower-filled meadow, kayak quiet coves, or hop aboard a Zodiac. Join a photo hike with our photographer and soak up the legendary scenery.