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Path of the Vikings: Reykjavik to Quebec

Path of the Vikings: Reykjavik to Quebec

From USD $14,980

Description

Cruise along chiseled fjords packed with icebergs for up-close views of glittering glaciers on our brand-new expedition that explores the Arctic region of Iceland, Greenland, and Canada. You’ll search for beluga whales, and seabirds such as razorbills, guillemots, and kittiwakes, and enjoy a hike through Gros Morne National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Trip Name
Path of the Vikings: Reykjavik to Quebec
Days
16
Overview
Vessel Type: Luxury Length: 127 metres Passenger Capacity: 92 cabins Built: 2017/2018 Featuring innovative and environmentally-friendly equipment, elegantly designed cabins, spacious suites with large windows, and lounge areas that open onto the outside, this new limited-capacity yacht boasting just 92 cabins and suites will offer you a truly unique cruising experience. As the first ship in a new series, Le Champlain will embody the unique atmosphere that is the cruise line’s hallmark: a subtle blend of refinement, intimacy and comfort. Aboard this ship that flies the French flag, you will experience the incomparable pleasure of an intimate cruise, with the possibility of exploring an ever-increasing range of destinations in an ethnic-chic ambiance with luxury service. Experience a luxurious setting where the accent is on authenticity and passion for travel. RESTAURANTS As it is an essential part of French culture, gastronomy will naturally have pride of place aboard this new ship. Through its two restaurants, Le Champlain will invite you on a journey to elegance and epicureanism. In a relaxed atmosphere, a first dining area located on Deck 3 and able to seat 70 will serve grilled meats daily, along with a variety of salads and desserts. To the back of Deck 4, you will find a 260 m² panoramic restaurant which can accommodate all of our passengers in a single sitting. Designed differently to that on our other ships, this dining area, which opens onto the outside, will have a buffet of salads, desserts and cheeses at your disposal. Our discreet and attentive crew will provide table service for hot meals. PUBLIC AREAS Like Le Boréal and its sisterships, Le Champlain has many common areas that are designed and equipped to meet all of your needs while preserving the intimacy of each passenger. A 140 m² reception area includes: A reception/concierge desk, An excursions desk, The ship’s administrative services, The sales office, manned by our Guest Relations Officer, Our 50 m² boutique which sells clothing, jewellery, beauty products, postcards and various accessories, Toilets accessible to passengers with reduced mobility. A new hydraulic platform with adjustable height provides: Easier boarding than on any other cruise ship, Easier Zodiac embarkation and disembarkation for expeditions, Easier access to the sea for swimming and practising various water sports such as kayaking or paddle-boarding. A pool deck offering: A pool with a panoramic view, equipped with a counter-current swimming system, A pleasant solarium, An outdoor bar and lounge with armchairs and sofas. A 200 m² main lounge which can accommodate all of our passengers to share convivial moments and to host activities organised during the day or evening. Lastly, a theatre that seats 188, equipped with: The latest sound and lighting technology, A LED wall as the stage backdrop, for the projection of high-resolution images and videos.

Itinerary



Day 1 - Day 1 Reykjavík, Iceland
Arrive in the Icelandic capital this morning and transfer to the Reykjavík Hilton Nordica. Lunch and the remainder of the day are at leisure to enjoy this fascinating and colorful city. Gather this evening for a welcome reception followed by dinner and overnight at our hotel.
Day 2 - Day 2 Reykjavík / Embark Le Champlain
After breakfast, set out to explore Iceland’s classic scenic wonders known as the Golden Circle. Begin with Thingvellir National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site surrounded by mountains and encompassing a vast lava plain of green moss and wildflowers. Continue to Gullfoss Waterfall where the Hvita River drops 96 feet in two voluminous cascades. The Geysir Center is a huge geothermal field of both boiling and tranquil multi-hued hot springs and bubbling mud pools. After lunch, visit Fridheimar Farm, which produces tomatoes and cucumbers year-round in their impressive greenhouses and breeds Icelandic horses, before embarking Le Champlain.
Day 3 - Day 3 Vigur Island / Ísafjördur
After breakfast take a walking tour of small, verdant Vigur, the summer home to vast numbers of puffins, black guillemots, Arctic terns, and eiders. The tiny community dates back to the late 1800s and boasts Iceland’s only windmill. During lunch on board, cruise northward to Ísafjördur, the trading and cultural center of the West Fjords. A cultural tour reveals the history and daily life of one of Iceland’s oldest fishing settlements and visits the region’s scenic highlights. This afternoon, enjoy free time in town to browse the local shops.
Day 4 - Day 4 At Sea
Attend lectures on the natural and historical highlights ahead.
Day 5 - Day 5 Tasiilaq, Greenland
The small settlement of Tasiilaq is part of the municipality of the same name which covers an area five times the size of Denmark. Ashore, enjoy a cultural performance and stroll through the town’s brightly-colored buildings to visit the excellent local museum. After this, there is free time to browse handicraft shops, or take a stroll around town. Those who wish may continue on a hike to Flower Valley, accompanied by naturalists who point out the varieties of local vegetation enjoying their brief seasonal bloom.
Day 6 - Day 6 Napassorssuaq Fjord
Today cruise along the southeastern coast of Greenland. Now uninhabited, the region recalls its past civilization in skeletal sites of old Scandinavian and Inuit camps and settlements. Watch for seals, whales, and polar bears and, conditions permitting, go ashore in Napassorssuaq Fjord via Zodiac to explore this remote expanse of shoreline. Farther south, witness the portion of Greenland that fully lives up to its name. This is the most fertile part of the country; unlike the northern hunting and fishing villages, agriculture and farming are an important part of economic life.
Day 7 - Day 7 Prins Christian Sund
The 55-mile-long channel near the southern tip of Greenland offers breathtaking vistas as you cruise among a flotilla of ice. Volcanoes rise from the barren landscape, and icebergs, like tiny atolls, sit in pools of aquamarine waters. Steep, glacier-cut cliffs border the fjord; frozen waterfalls cling to their edges like freeze-framed photographs. By Zodiac and aboard the ship, cruise the bays and finger-like offshoots of this truly spectacular display of geology and geography.
Day 8 - Days 8 & 9 At Sea
Spend your time at sea attending informative lectures, searching for wildlife from deck with naturalists, and enjoying the amenities of Le Champlain.
Day 9 - Day 10 L’Anse aux Meadows, Newfoundland, Canada
Considered by some to be the long-sought-after Vinland depicted in the Norse sagas and settled by Leif Ericson in A.D. 1000, L’Anse aux Meadows was only officially rediscovered in 1961. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978, it remains the only authenticated Viking settlement in North America and represents the earliest evidence of a European presence in the New World. Visit the living history Viking trading settlement of Norstead.
Day 10 - Day 11 Gros Morne National Park
In Gros Morne take a hike to the Tablelands, a landform that resembles the surface of the moon. Much of Gros Morne’s fame comes from this huge extrusion of the earth’s mantle thrust violently to the surface over 450 million years ago. The park is also rich in wildlife—caribou, Arctic hare, fox, weasel, lynx, and an occasional black bear. Alert spotters may observe fin, minke, humpback, and pilot whales in the offshore waters.
Day 11 - Day 12 Gaspe, Quebec
Be on deck as the ship approaches Gaspe to view stunning Percé Rock, an imposing limestone sea stack with a large arch “piercing” the rock. On nearby Bonaventure Island, step ashore for nature walks to observe interesting geology and over 300 species of birds, including black-legged kittiwakes, common murres, and a large colony of northern gannets.
Day 12 - Day 13 Havre St. Pierre
Havre St. Pierre is the gateway to the spectacular Mingan Archipelago, a chain of islands, islets, and monoliths of element-sculpted limestone. Whales and seals are often spotted frolicking among these bizarre formations, and seabirds nest along the sheer rock cliffs.
Day 13 - Day 14 Cruising the St. Lawrence River
Enjoy the passing coastal scenery, spend time sorting through your photos, and attend lectures recapping your experiences.
Day 14 - Day 15 Saguenay
The Fjord du Saguenay offers some of Canada’s most breathtaking scenery. As the ship cruises along this narrow waterway, you are surrounded by cliffs that tower from 500 – 1,000 feet. Keep an eye out for resident wildlife, including peregrine falcons, black bears, seals, and beluga whales.
Day 15 - Day 16 Quebec City / Disembark
Transfer to the airport for your independent flights homeward.
Day 16 - Please Note:
Based on the expeditionary nature of our trips, there may be ongoing enhancements to this itinerary.

Trip Dates

StartEndPrice FromRoom Type
28-08-201912-09-2019USD $14,980Category 1
28-08-201912-09-2019USD $16,380Category 2 Special Single Rate (Limited)
28-08-201912-09-2019USD $16,380Category 2
28-08-201912-09-2019USD $17,980Category 3 Special Single Rate (Limited)
28-08-201912-09-2019USD $17,980Category 3
28-08-201912-09-2019USD $19,680Category 4
28-08-201912-09-2019USD $25,680Category 5
28-08-201912-09-2019USD $35,980Category 6
28-08-201912-09-2019USD $37,880Suite
28-08-201912-09-2019USD $49,980Owner's Suite

Inclusions

    • Cruise along chiseled fjords packed with icebergs for up-close views of glittering glaciers.
    • Search for marine mammals, including beluga whales in Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park.
    • Attend a cultural performance at Taiilaq and meet with friendly locals to learn more about life in the High Arctic.
    • Take a hike through Gros Morne National Park; this UNESCO World Heritage Site is a geological wonderland that offers the world’s best examples of plate tectonics.
    • Discover the bizarrely eroded sea stacks, arches, and cliffs of the Mingan Archipelago, a haven for seabirds such as razorbills, guillemots, terns, and kittiwakes.

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