Majestic Greenland Expedition Cruise with Iceland Tour

Location: Reykjavik, Iceland

Our nationwide return chauffeur service collects you from home for your flight to Reykjavik. Touching down in the mid-afternoon, we’ll transfer to our hotel and settle in before dinner in the hotel tonight.

Accommodation Name: hotel

Meals: Dinner

Location: Þingvellir National Park, Iceland, Great Geysir, Iceland, Gullfoss, Iceland, Fridheimar Farm, Iceland

Our first full day in Iceland starts on a high as we follow the famous Golden Circle route to some of Iceland’s most incredible natural wonders. First stop is Þingvellir National Park, a fittingly dramatic landscape where two of the world’s tectonic plates are visibly pulling apart, and where Iceland’s parliament met for over 850 years between AD930 and 1798. After that it’s Great Geysir, where the earth is alive with bubbling mud pools, hissing steam vents and spouting hot springs like Strokkur, which shoots boiling water up to 40m into the air every 10 minutes or so. Next stop is Gullfoss, Iceland’s most famous waterfall which thunders and tumbles 32m over a spectacular double cascade. We’ll also taste the gains of Iceland’s pure water and green energy on a visit to Fridheimar Farm. Here, ripe red tomatoes are grown all year round using state-of-the-art, environmentally friendly technology. After a guided tour we’ll sit down to a bowl of Fridheimar’s famous tomato soup.

Accommodation Name: hotel

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Location: LAVA Centre, Iceland, Seljalandsfoss, Iceland, Skógafoss, Iceland, Mýrdalsjökull Glacier, Iceland, Reynisfjara Beach, Iceland

Today we’ll learn about the colossal forces of nature that formed Iceland millions of years ago and continue to shape it today. The LAVA Centre is an amazing high-tech visitor centre where interactive displays and fascinating films teach us how volcanoes and earthquakes created the Land of Ice and Fire. Afterwards we’ll drive to Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss waterfalls where, if conditions are right, we can walk a path behind the Seljalandsfoss cascade. Skógafoss, a 60m white-water curtain surrounded by Iceland’s lush green landscape, is a place of legendary beauty - folklore says it hides a Viking chest of gold. We’ll continue via mighty Myrdalsjökull Glacier, a gigantic ice cap creeping slowly towards the sea, before stopping at Reynisfjara beach to walk on its black volcanic sand and wonder at the geometric basalt columns and spiky sea stacks jutting out of the sea.

Accommodation Name: hotel

Meals: Breakfast

Location: Reykjavik, Iceland, Hveragerði, Iceland, Reykjanes Peninsula, Iceland, Lake Kleifarvatn, Iceland, Krýsuvík, Iceland

Today we return to Reykjavik, taking the scenic south coast road to Hveragerði where much of Iceland’s fruit and vegetables grow in greenhouses warmed by the surrounding hot springs. Driving across Iceland’s Reykjanes peninsula we’ll skirt the shores of Lake Kleifarvatn, a wide blue lake in a volcanic lunar landscape, and see the sulphur-coloured hills and steaming slopes of Krýsuvík a snapshot of Earth’s ancient past. Arriving in Reykjavik, we’ll get an early night ahead of the next exciting chapter in our Arctic adventure!

Accommodation Name: hotel

Meals: Breakfast

Location: Reykjavik, Iceland, Nuuk, Greenland

It’s an early start as we fly from Reykjavik to Nuuk, Greenland’s colourful, compact capital. Often overlooked in favour of glaciers and icefields, Nuuk is now gaining a reputation for cool Nordic culture and Greenlandic haute cuisine. Heading to the harbour, we’ll be met by the HX team and welcomed on board the hybrid-powered expedition ship MS Fridjtof Nansen. Tonight we’ll sit down to the first of many locally inspired, sustainably sourced meals in the on-board restaurant.

Accommodation Name: MS Fridjtof Nansen

Meals: Dinner

Location: The Arctic Circle Centre

A whole day at sea gives us time to settle into life on board, including a presentation about landings in the fragile Arctic environment which is essential for the adventures ahead. Take time to visit the on-board Science Centre and hear HX experts talk passionately about the Arctic, the science beneath the ice and the impact of climate change. At some point today we’ll cross the Arctic Circle, an experience made even more special under the light of a Midnight Sun.

Accommodation Name: MS Fridjtof Nansen

Location: Ilulissat Icefjord, Greenland, Ilulissat, Greenland, Sermermiut, Greenland

Cruising north up the west coast of Greenland, icebergs begin to appear as we enter Disko Bay and the realms of Ilulissat Icefjord. The sea is strewn with hundreds of icebergs in every shape, size and shade of white, grey and blue, all coming from the mighty glacier ahead. The size and majesty of the place is breathtaking - some icebergs are as tall as skyscrapers - and our captain will continually monitor conditions to ensure we get the best possible views. Stepping ashore in Ilulissat, there’s time to learn more about the ice and life in the region, as well as the effects of climate change. Those up for the challenge can hike to Sermermiut, an abandoned Innuit settlement, for panoramic views over Ilulissat Icefjord and its massive, majestic icebergs.

Accommodation Name: MS Fridjtof Nansen

Location: Uummannaq, Greenland, Ukkusissat, Greenland

The journey becomes even more of an adventure as our Captain slowly navigates the Arctic waterways through Greenland’s Far North. This is a place of extraordinary beauty, with icebergs the size of cathedrals, vertiginous cliffs and remote communities that thrive in the harsh Arctic environment. We’ll step ashore in settlements like Uummannaq and Ukkusissat, and we may be able to go ice cruising through the inner fjords on small expedition boats. With guidance, talks and expertise from the HX team throughout, your experience of this remote Arctic region that will stay with you forever.

Accommodation Name: MS Fridjtof Nansen

Location: Uummannaq, Greenland, Ukkusissat, Greenland

Location: Disko Bay, Greenland, Vaigat Sound, Greenland, Disko Island, Greenland

We retrace our steps and spend the next three days cruising the phenomenal icy wilderness of Disko Bay. With its blue sea backdrop and mighty icebergs, some weighing up to seven million tonnes, Greenland’s largest bay is also its most impressive. Mother Nature rules here, so the Captain will carefully plot our route and destination each day, to explore the still, steely waters of Vaigat Sound, step ashore on Disko Island, and cruise between soaring mountains in the eastern fjords. Throughout there’ll be whale watching on deck and guided nature-spotting landings, looking for wildlife like bowhead and humpback whales, herds of reindeer and nimble Arctic fox.

Accommodation Name: MS Fridjtof Nansen

Location: Disko Bay, Greenland, Vaigat Sound, Greenland, Disko Island, Greenland

Location: Disko Bay, Greenland, Vaigat Sound, Greenland, Disko Island, Greenland

Location: Sisimiut, Greenland

We’ve been wowed by the scenery; over the next two days we’ll see what it’s like to live on Greenland’s remote, sparsely populated west coast. We’ll meet the people of Sisimiut, gateway to the Arctic Circle, which has ancient ruins dating back 4,000 years. And we’ll learn about the Saqqaq people, the region’s earliest inhabitants who landed here in 2500 BC. For a special souvenir of your Arctic adventure, pick up a scarf, hat or mittens made of qiviut, the inner wool of a musk ox, said to be 10 times warmer than sheep wool. Back at sea, our leisurely return voyage is a chance to reflect on our incredible Arctic adventure and all the things we’ve learnt not just about the Arctic but about our planet and the environment too.

Accommodation Name: MS Fridjtof Nansen

Location: Sisimiut, Greenland

Location: Nuuk, Greenland, Reykjavik, Iceland

Sailing into Nuuk this morning we’ll say goodbye to our wonderful HX expedition ship and team and head to the airport for our flight back to Reykjavik. On arrival, we’ll transfer to our centrally located hotel where we’ll stay overnight.

Accommodation Name: hotel

Location: Blue Lagoon, Iceland

Our last morning in Iceland promises a special treat: a visit to the Blue Lagoon. After bathing in its silky cyan waters and soaking up the otherworldly black lavafield views, we’ll head to the airport for the return flight to the UK where your driver will be waiting to take you home.