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Arctic Complete 2020 (Greg Mortimer)

Arctic Complete 2020 (Greg Mortimer)

From AUD $17,900

Description

This combination of our popular Arctic itineraries (Spitsbergen Odyssey and Jewels of the Arctic) will allow you to experience the best of the European Arctic over 23-days. Starting on Spitsbergen, you’ll explore its coastline of calving glaciers, towering bird cliffs and pack ice and spot walruses, reindeer and even polar bears! After crossing the Greenland Sea, our ship will follow East Greenland’s coastline filled with the largest fjord system in the world, calving icebergs, friendly native communities and untouched tundra-covered valleys, before reaching its finishing point, Iceland.

Trip Name
Arctic Complete 2020 (Greg Mortimer)
Days
23
Overview
Vessel Type: Expedition
Length: 104 metres
Passenger Capacity: 120
Built: 2018
Capable of negotiating the strongest winds and waves, the Greg Mortimer is built to world-class polar standards – designed in close consultation with our expedition specialists, taking advantage of our more than 25 years of experience.
The Greg Mortimer redefines expedition cruising for the future, with just 120 passengers on board in the polar regions. Not only is the ship bigger to contend with adverse weather conditions, its added creature comforts make for a more enjoyable journey out on the open ocean. The Greg Mortimer remains true to our ethos and focus on multiple landings, flexible itineraries and family atmosphere – just with an improved home base!
As a modern and custom-designed ship, the Greg Mortimer is at the cutting edge of nautical technology. Robust, powerful and built with our guests in mind, this ship marks a significant investment in our fleet's capabilities. From the European Arctic to the depths of Antarctica, and other far-flung destinations in-between, the Greg Mortimer will make your journey a breeze!
Greg Mortimer X-BOWX-BOW™
Our expeditions face some of the worst Mother Nature can throw at us. However, this won't be problem on the Greg Mortimer with the introduction of the patented X-BOW™, created by Norwegian ship designer ULSTEIN. As one of the leaders in marine engineering, ULSTEIN's X-BOW™ is an inverted bow concept that's been built on over 100 vessels in the shipping industry. Excitingly, we are the first expedition cruise operator to utilise this technology for the challenging open ocean waves! 
Hydraulic viewing platforms 
Although there is no doubt that you'll love the aesthetics of the Greg Mortimer, we are all here to admire the spectacular landscape and spot the elusive wildlife in their natural habitat. To ensure you get the best views possible, the new ship features unique viewing platforms, custom-built for the Greg Mortimer. Accessed from Deck 5, the two platforms fold out hydraulically for unobstructed views of passing marine life and seabirds – make sure your camera is locked and loaded!
Zodiac launching platform
Zodiacs are a vital part of getting up close and personal on your adventure – sneaking into areas that the Greg Mortimer can't reach. On this new ship, there are specially designed launching platforms that enables us to load Zodiacs easily and quickly, allowing you to spend more time exploring on the two to three daily landings. There are 15 Zodiacs that are boarded from either side of Deck 3 (sea level), perfect for when there is a group of fluffy cute penguin chicks that we need a photo of! 
Activity Platform
Regardless of your destination, we offer a number of additional activities to allow you to see more of the environment. From kayaking and diving to climbing and ski touring, it's these optional activities that often leave the biggest impression on your trip as a whole. Onboard the Greg Mortimer, there is a spacious prep and loading platform for these activities and more – designed in consultation with our expert activity guides.
Environmentally friendly
Climate change and carbon emissions continue to be major issues that everyone needs to be aware of and actively managing. This includes reduced emissions into the air and sea, lower energy consumption, high fuel efficiency, reduced light pollution for minimal wildlife disruption and lower on-board plastic use. It's vital to also mention the state-of-the-art virtual anchoring technology of the X-BOW™, which means the ship can float anchorless while launching Zodiacs, kayaks etc, without disturbing delicate sea floor areas. 
Safety features
This starts with the return-to-port equipment – not compulsory on a ship of this size – which duplicates the propulsion system. This enables the ship to maintain operating systems and comfort in the event of engine failure. Furthermore, the Greg Mortimer is Polar Code 6 compliant, holds BV class and is fully compliant with the latest SOLAS requirements. It's also built with a Rolls Royce stabiliser system.  If there's an incident or accident during your adventure, the ship has an on-board, fully-stocked medical centre – where our trained medical team can provide necessary treatment in a timely fashion. Safety continues to be an issue that our team takes very serious and the Greg Mortimer allows us to create an environment where you can concentrate on the brilliant landscape and wildlife, without worrying about your wellbeing.
Ship Life
Greg Mortimer is designed to serve your every need. It's your bedroom, bathroom, lounge, dining room and even your observatory. Make yourself at home, the Greg Mortimer is yours to enjoy!
Observation Points
Let's face it – you don't want windowless rooms when travelling around some of the most beautiful locations around the world. This is why the Greg Mortimer is designed with plenty of dedicated observation spaces – ideal for keen bird spotters, wildlife watchers and those wanting to watch the scenery go past. From the indoor 180-degree lounge and outdoor 360-degree open deck, both on deck 8, to the 270-degree open sundeck on level 7, there are plenty of observation points to share around the ship! If these are full, then you can take up a spot on one of the two hydraulic viewing platforms on deck 5. Aurora Expeditions also has an open bridge policy, which means at any point you can come up to the bridge and check out what the captain and officers are up to. From watching navigational practices to observing mapping techniques, you can get a firsthand look at the inner workings of the Greg Mortimer. 
Shore excursions
Although the ship is fun, the real enjoyment comes from the many shore excursions that are available. Depending on the weather and itinerary, it's possible to take two to three landings daily, taking a look at everything from rock formations and ancient ruins to cute groups of penguins. We know time is of the essence in these wild locations, so the Greg Mortimer has been designed with 15 Zodiacs, which means you can maximise your time on shore. From four dedicated sea level launching platforms, transfers are quicker, safer and enable you to get closer to the action for a longer period of time. Just remember to charge your camera before you step onto the Zodiac!
Activity options
From kayaking and skiing to diving and climbing, these are one-in-a-lifetime opportunities that you need to take advantage of.  Aboard the Greg Mortimer there is a specially designed launching platform for all activities, a concept overseen by our activity experts. This area also includes individual lockers in the expansive mudroom and rapid drying areas for wetsuits so you can quickly get warm after exploring in the elements!  
Dining
From the moment you step onto the Greg Mortimer, we aim to give you the best hospitality service possible. Starting with the official Captain's welcome, as our guests, you're welcome to 24 hours complimentary coffee, tea and snack facilities in addition to the range of different menu options and courses for each meal. Meals are served in large dining room/restaurant with family style dining, perfect to swap stories with your new expedition family. Enjoy the range of house wine, beers and soft drinks included with dinner after a long day in the wild, preparing yourself for another exciting day to follow. On the last day of your trip, the team on the Greg Mortimer put on a special farewell four-course dinner and cocktails – a perfect way to reflect on your time on the ship and consolidate lifelong friendships with the people you've met on-board.
On-board entertainment
When you’re relaxing during a sea day or you have a little downtime on the ship between excursions, what is there to do onboard the Greg Mortimer? Plenty! On all our expeditions, there are experts who lead presentations in the spacious lecture room so you can understand the region a little better. These often include topics as broad as history and culture to biology and climate change, these presentations aim to educate and entertain. If you're keen to just watch the surroundings and keep your eyes peeled for wildlife, you have access to two bars/lounges where the stunning floor to ceiling windows offer a special perspective on the landscape. The Greg Mortimer is also decked out with other facilities for your enjoyment. There is a library on Deck 5 with books and maps and a Wellness Centre complete with gym equipment, sauna and spa. Feeling a little sore after walking around all day? Treat yourself to a massage at the Wellness Centre and feels the aches disappear! Keen photographers and artists will revel in the multimedia room on Deck 5.

Itinerary



Day 1 - Day 1 Embark Reykjavik
After making your own way to Reykjavik pier, embark the Greg Mortimer in the late afternoon from 4.00 pm. You’llhave time to settle into your cabin before our important briefings.NOTE: We recommend you arrive into Reykjavik at least one day prior to your voyage. Your Aurora Expeditionsreservations consultant or travel agent can assist you with international flights to Iceland, accommodation, transfersand tours.
Day 2 - Day 2 Denmark Strait
In the Denmark Strait, we cruise towards Greenland. We will be on the lookout for whale blows and the manyseabirds that trail our ship in the constant winds. In our lecture theatre, enjoy informative and entertainingpresentations from our experts on topics such as seabirds, wildlife, and ice, or catch up on some rest after busy daysof travel.
Day 3 - Days 3-9 East Coast of Greenland including Scoresbysund and Kejser Franz Josef Fjord system
In the next couple of days our itinerary may take us to Scoresbysund and Kaiser Franz Josef Fjord. Scoresbysund, isthe world’s largest fjord and a favourite hunting ground of the local Inuit. Massive glaciers dump into this fjord, thebirthplace of the famous big Greenland icebergs. We hope to visit the remote Inuit community of Ittoqqortoormiit(Scoresby Town) and to hike across the tundra in search of ancient graveyards and summer villages occupied 3,000years ago by Paleo-Eskimos. This area provides excellent opportunities for sea kayaking in its maze of calm,interconnecting waterways. If we are lucky we may see musk oxen, Arctic hare and seals, and maybe if we areextremely lucky even a polar bear or narwhal.Landings may include:Sydkap in Scorsebysund offers good walking and delightful views through Øfjord, up Nordvestfjord and into HallBrednung.. Kayakers will have good opportunities to explore the lonely beaches. We may explore the ancient gravesites on shore, or the giant icebergs, which offer hours of enjoyment for kayaking and Zodiac cruises.Røde Ø –one of the most remarkable collections of beautiful icebergs in the world. A combination of shallows nearthe island and tidal currents strand hundreds of large iceberg in a small area around Røde Ø, or Red Island. Thecontrast between the magnificent blue of the ice and the red sandstone landscape is breathtaking.Sefstrom Glacier adorns the narrow- peaked waterway in Alpefjord. We will Zodiac cruise (and kayak) around thesnout of the glacier and deeper into the fjord behind. We can return along magnificent cliffs that are festooned withsmall colourful gardens of Arctic flowers growing wherever water is available.Cape Humboldt -- a beautiful point on Ymer Island. There is a good chance to take a tundra walk and witness muskoxen grazing. We will also keep a lookout for Arctic fox and ptarmigan. A lone trapper's hut looks over the bay andmagnificent icebergs.Blomsterbugten – An important site for paleo-eskimoes and more modern trappers, we may have a greatopportunity to walk in the tundra with musk oxen or Arctic hare to a spectacular overlook onto Lake Noa which ispink with fine sediments.Other possible landing points in the area include: Rømer Fjord, Rype Fjord, Ø Fjord, Fonfjord, Bjornøya, Milne Land,Hekla Havn, and Denmark Island, Nordvestfjord and Eskimobugt.
Day 4 - Days 10-11 Greenland Sea
We head out to sea bound for Spitsbergen. As we cruise northeast across the Greenland Sea – the main outlet of theArctic Ocean – we may encounter pack ice, and if we are lucky we will see polar bears hunting on the ice. The strongicy sea currents have isolated East Greenland from the rest of the world for millennia. These currents carry nutrientsfrom the Polar Basin, attracting large numbers of fish, seals and whales. Climatic conditions and the concentration ofice in the vicinity often create thick morning fog that vanishes with the onset of the midday sun. Our experts willinform and entertain us with fascinating talks on plants, animals and early explorers like Nansen, Andree andScoresby.
Day 5 - Days 12-15 Spitsbergen’s West Northwest Coast
Along Spitsbergen’s west coast, we stop at intriguing places like Kongsfjorden or Magdalenefjorden. Kongsfjorden(Kings Bay) is incredibly scenic, the fjord is headed by two giant glaciers. There’s ample time ashore for hiking on thelush tundra amongst the summer flowers and observing the remarkable bird cliffs near the 14th July Glacier, whereeven a few puffins nest between the cracks in the cliffs.We keep watch for polar bears and Arctic fox and feel a sense of history at the 350-year-old remains of a Dutchwhaling settlement, Smeerenberg on Amsterdamøya. The name Smeerenberg literally means blubber town in Dutch.It is a place of extraordinary legends, of thousands of men living there during the 1630s, a town complete withshops, gambling dens and the like. However, in reality, only 400 men and fifteen ships visited Smeerenberg during itspeak in the 1630s for whaling purposes.
Day 6 - Days 16-18 Northern flanks of Spitsbergen
As we work our way along the north coast we explore rarely-visited places such as Woodfjorden and Leifdefjorden insearch of the mighty polar bear. From Zodiacs we enjoy magnificent views of sweeping glaciers winding their wayinto the sea. We may walk on smooth raised beach terraces to a superb viewpoint or hike in the mountains on thetundra where pretty coloured wildflowers and lichen grow and where reindeer graze. We may visit trapper huts ofyesteryear where Russians and Pomors would hunt and survive the cold harsh winters, all while remaining alert forwandering polar bears and their cubs. We might come face-to-face with the formidable pack ice of the Arctic Ocean,keeping our eyes peeled for walrus feeding on clams or hauled out on the beach in wallows. We will listen to thecacophony of sea birds and see them feeding. If conditions allow we may push north into the pack ice in hopes offinding polar bears ranging over the frozen landscape on the hunt for seals.
Day 7 - Days 19-22 East Coast of Spitsbergen and Southwest Fjords
Along the northeast coast of Spitsbergen we enter a different world – a polar desert. If ice conditions allow we willpass south through the narrow Hinlopen Strait. The strait is flanked by creamy coloured slabs of rock that are rich infossils, as we will discover for ourselves when we go ashore. We may visit Alkefjellet in the Strait, where a series ofone-hundred-metre-high dolerite towers are home to nearly a million nesting Brünnich’s guillemots – the penguinsof the north – that occupy every available nook and cranny. Elsewhere we seek out eider ducks and geese and hopeto spot Arctic fox and the beautiful ivory gulls. As the Greg Mortimer passes between Spitsbergen and the smallerislands of Barentsøya and Edgeøya, we cross a major polar bear migration route and the beautiful fertile plains ofSundeneset. The spongy ground is richly covered with bright green mosses, a variety of delicate and colourfulflowers, particularly the yellow marsh (bog) saxifrage, various mushrooms, fungi, clear bubbling streams and smalltarns. Tiny (micro) flowers such as Mouse Ears grow in Spitsbergen creating faerie like mossy rock gardens. Weexplore this beautiful terrain on foot, marvelling at the contrast between the colourful soft ground and the barren,rocky terrain from further north. Reindeer antlers lie scattered along the ground. We round South Cape,Spitsbergen's most southerly point, before continuing northwards along the west coast of Spitsbergen.We enter the spectacular Hornsund Fjord where we may take an early morning Zodiac cruise to admire the beautifulice walls of the Samarin Glacier or take a stroll beneath the towering seabird cliffs at Sofiebogen. In Bellsund Fjordwe are always on the lookout for beluga , or white whales. Bellsund Fjord is a fjord that splits into two branches. Itwas named Bellsund after a nearby bell-shaped mountain by William Barentsz in 1596. We may visit the remnants ofa Norwegian beluga whaling station from the 1930s. Across the fjord at Vårsolbukta is a lush and stunning landscape,where reindeer roam, Arctic flowers bloom in abundance and Arctic fox may be seen patrolling the little auk colony,where several thousand birds nest amongst the boulders, coming and going in huge flocks.
Day 8 - Day 23 Disembark Longyearbyen
During the early morning we cruise back into Longyearbyen. Farewell your expedition team and fellow expeditionersas we all continue our onward journeys. A transfer is included into town, where there is free time before an onwardtransfer to the airport in the afternoon.
Day 9 - Please Note:
Please note that all of our itineraries are at the mercy of weather conditions and not all landings are guaranteed. Our itineraries are flexible and will change voyage to voyage, allowing the best chance to make the most of surprising wildlife displays and unexpected opportunities.
Day 10 - Day 19 to 21 – Greenland
We reach Scoresby Sund, the world’s largest fjord. The huge Greenland icecap continuously sweeps down gigantic glaciers, making it the birth place for some of the world’s largest icebergs! Our Zodiacs take us through an incredible maze of icebergs, as we head to the shores for some exciting tundra hikes, and a visit to Ittoqqortoormiit, one of the rare villages of the East Greenland coast.
Day 11 - Day 22 – Greenland
Keep watch for musk ox and narwhals as we sail along the breathtaking mountains of the Blosseville Coast, before our attempt to cruise through Rømer Fjord.
Day 12 - Day 23 – Greenland/Denmark Strait
We continue on with our Arctic adventure and cruise across Denmark Strait on our way to Iceland. We take time to reflect on our various experiences, gaze at northern fulmars and black-backed gulls, and spot dolphins and whales from the ship’s bow.
Day 13 - Day 24 – Iceland
Polar Pioneer docks in Iceland early this morning; after breakfast, there is a group transfer to downtown Reykjavik or the airport to carry one with your further travel arrangements.
Day 14 - Please Note:
Please note that all of our itineraries are at the mercy of weather conditions and not all landings are guaranteed. Our itineraries are flexible and will change voyage to voyage, allowing the best chance to make the most of surprising wildlife displays and unexpected opportunities.

Trip Dates

StartEndPrice FromRoom Type
09-08-202031-08-2020AUD $17,900Aurora Stateroom
09-08-202031-08-2020AUD $20,100Balcony Stateroom. From
09-08-202031-08-2020AUD $25,100Balcony Stateroom Superior
09-08-202031-08-2020AUD $29,500Junior Suite
09-08-202031-08-2020AUD $34,000Captain's Suite

Inclusions

    • Cruise through Spitsbergen’s narrow sheltered waterways and fjords such as Kongsfjorden (Kings Bay) and
      Hornsund Fjord

    • Wildlife-rich Arctic – polar bears, walrus, seals, reindeer, sea birds, musk oxen, Arctic fox and whales
    • Visit historic sites including museums, whaling stations, geology and fossils
    • Cruise among the fantastic shapes and colours of Greenland’s famous giant icebergs
    • Venture close to 80° North looking for polar bears in pack ice
    • Enjoy a great variety of diverse terrain: icecaps, tundra, polar desert and rocky hillsides
    • Celebrate near endless sunlight under the glistening midnight sun

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