Reykjavik to Churchill: Arctic & Greenland Expedition Cruise

Description

Join us for a journey that follows the route of the Norse in their explorations of Greenland. Heading first to East Greenland, we will experience the beauty of deep fjords and crystal clear glaciers. In South and West Greenland, we will see the remains of Norse settlements and will visit small towns and villages to encounter a fascinating mix of local and Danish culture. Heading over to Nunavut we will be looking for polar bears and walrus during Zodiac cruises. We will see outstanding local art in Iqaluit and Cape Dorset and will look for beluga whales in Churchill. Throughout the voyage, learn about the history, geology, wildlife and botany of this spectacular area from lecture presentations offered by your knowledgeable onboard Expedition Team.

Trip Name

Reykjavik to Churchill: Arctic & Greenland Expedition Cruise

Days

Overview

Vessel Type: Luxury Expedition
Length: 157 m
Passenger Capacity: 200/260
Built: 1994 Refurbished & Rebranded: 2017
After extensive refurbishment, Silver Cloud will be the most spacious and comfortable ice class vessel in expedition cruising. Her large suites, her destination itineraries and her unparalleled service make her truly special. Her five dining options will tantalise your taste buds and as 80% of her suites include a veranda, watching a breaching whale or a few cavorting penguins has never been so personal. Broad sweeping decks with multiple open spaces and a swimming pool complete what is surely the most distinctive expedition ship sailing today.
A limited number of guests, particularly with just 200 in polar waters, mean that Silver Cloud has the highest space to guest and crew to guest ratios in expedition cruising. With her 18 zodiacs, possibilities are almost limitless with ship-wide simultaneous explorations. Finally, a team of 19 passionate and dedicated experts are always at hand to ensure your voyage is enhanced every step of the way.
DECK 09 - Observation Lounge, Jogging Track
DECK 08 - Pool, Pool Bar, Hot Rocks, The Panorama Lounge, The Connoisseur’s Corner
DECK 07 - La Terrazza, The Spa at Silversea, Beauty Salon, The Library
DECK 06 - Lecture Theatre, The Fitness Centre, Reception/Guest Relations, Expedition Desk
DECK 05 - The Bar, Boutique, Casino
DECK 04 - Main Restaurant, Le Champagne, Launderette

Itinerary

Day 1 - Day 1 REYKJAVIK

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.

Day 2 - Day 2 DAY 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 whale watching from the Observatory Lounge, writing home to your loved ones or simply topping up your tan by the pool, these blue sea days are the perfect balance to busy days spent exploring shore side.

Day 3 - Day 3 SKJOLDUNGEN

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 4 - Day 4 CRUISE PRINCE CHRISTIAN SOUND & AAPPILATTOQ (KUJALLEQ)

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.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.

Day 5 - Day 5 QAQORTOQ (JULIANEHAAB) & HVALSEY

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.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.

Day 6 - Day 6 QASSIARSUK (BRATTAHLID) & ITILLEQ (QEQQATA)

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 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 7 - Day 7 DAY AT SEA

Day 8 - Day 8 NUUK (GODTHAB)

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.

Day 9 - Day 9 DAY AT SEA

Day 10 - Day 10 IQALUIT (NUNAVUT)

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 11 - Day 11 LADY FRANKLIN ISLAND & MONUMENTAL ISLAND

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.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.

Day 12 - Day 12 LOWER SAVAGE ISLANDS

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 13 - Day 13 AKPATOK ISLAND (NUNAVUT)

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.

Day 14 - Day 14 CAPE DORSET (DORSET ISLAND)

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.

Day 15 - Day 15 DAY AT SEA

Day 16 - Days 16 - 17 CHURCHILL (MANITOBA)

Disembarkation.

Day 17 - Please Note:

Expedition highlights and itinerary listed here are possible experiences only and cannot be guaranteed. Your Expedition Leader and Captain will work together to ensure opportunities for adventure and exploration are the best possible, taking into account the prevailing weather, wildlife activity and ice conditions. Expedition Team members scheduled for this voyage are subject to change or cancellation.

Trip Dates

Start	End	Price From	Room Type

Inclusions

Discover Skjoldungen Fjord, Prince Christian Sound, Qaqortoq, Qassiarsuk, Nuuk, Iqaluit, Lower Savage Islands, Cape Dorset & Churchill
Enjoy Kayaking – Weather permitting, the Silver Cloud offers the opportunity to kayak in a small group under the guidance of certified kayak instructors. These special expeditionary excursions allow you to experience the wilds of Greenland and Nunavut in a peaceful silence
Retrace the route taken by the Norse and see the remains of Norse manors, chapels and churches
Visit a small village in Southwest Greenland to see how the Inuit live in current day
A visit to the Greenlandic National Museum in Nuuk will provide an excellent overview of the different cultures that have lived in Greenland
See the outstanding artwork produced by Inuit in Nunavut
Wildlife Watch List: Humpback whales, minke whales, beluga whales and orcas, Glaucous Gull, Iceland Gull, Common Gull, Great Black-backed Gull and other birds