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13 Nights Expedition to the Edge of the Ice Sheet
  • 13 Nights Expedition to the Edge of the Ice Sheet

    $13,380.00Price

    This itinerary is your chance to embark on a brand-new 14-day expedition cruise to Greenland. Aboard L’Austral, you will follow the Vikings' route, the first Europeans to discover eastern Greenland as far as Nuuk, in the steps of Erik the Red. You will also enjoy a combination of adventure and discovery in the company of an experienced team of naturalist guides, anthropologists, ornithologists and marine mammal specialists...  

     

    From Reykjavik, you will touch the east coast of Greenland in Tasiilaq, a city founded by the Danish explorer Gustav Holm. Located on Ammassalik island, on the edge of an inlet, it offers a breathtaking view of the icebergs whose thousand blue glittering reflections dot the horizon.

    During your cruise and Zodiac® outings, you will have many opportunities to admire an abundant and varied fauna: seals, whales, orcas, not to mention the many species of seabirds.

     

    Your ship will then sail down the narrow Prins Christian Sund passage, which connects the south-east of Greenland to the south-west. Jagged mountains, rocky cliffs, waterfalls and floating ice form a wonderful wild landscape in which frolic colonies of bearded seals.

     

    To the country’s west, you will sail amid the blue icebergs of the Narsaq region, and among the largest icebergs in the Northern Hemisphere in Disko Bay, before reaching the Ilulissat fjord, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the transition point from the ice sheet to the ocean.

    Early Bird Specials:

    • 20% Bonus Offer (reflected in the prices)
    • Exclusive Onboard Credit of $100 per person from Polar Dream Travel
    • $300 Welcome Bonus Offer for first time cruisers. 5% - 12.5% discount for customers who have travelled on L'Austral, Le Bellot, Le Boreal, Le Commandant Charcot, Le Lyrial & Le Soleal. Please call for details.

     

     

    Please click "Prices and Departures" tab above for departure dates, cabin types and price details.

     

     

    Day 1 - 2  Reykjavík

    Iceland’s capital stretches along the edge of a vast bay in the west of the country. Perlan, the “Pearl of Reykjavík”, a museum located on ’Oskjuhlið hill, offers a panoramic view of the lush, green landscapes. 

     

    Day 3 At Sea

     

    Day 4 Tasiilaq

    In Tasiilaq, on Ammassalik Island, follow in the wake of Captain Jean-Baptiste Charcot’s famous ship, the Pourquoi Pas ?, which set off with its crew in 1935 to discover this small island of primitive and wild beauty that remained unexplored until the end of the 19th century. Along with Ittoqqortoormiit, a village with 500 inhabitants located at the entrance of the Scoresby Sound, the village of Tasiilaq and its surroundings, 800 kilometres (500 miles) further north, are the only inhabited areas on the east coast of Greenland. 

     

    Day 4 Sermilik Fjord

    You will be captivated by the spectacular scenery of the Sermilik Fjord, the largest in the south-east of Greenland. To the north, above the glacial valleys, the Schweitzerland Alps and their peaks that rise to an altitude of more than 3,000 metres (10,000 feet) stretch out in the distance, while in the south, where it opens onto the Irminger Sea, heavy erosion has carved the landscape. Three main glaciers calve a multitude of dazzling icebergs that drift serenely along the indigo waters of this majestic fjord. 

     

    Day 5 Skjoldungen

    Discover Skjoldungen Island on the south-east coast of Greenland. This uninhabited land boasts magnificent landscapes that are sure to dazzle you. The island is surrounded by a stunning fjord, a distinctive feature of which is its double entrance: it forms a bend before joining the sea on the other side. Mountains, glacial valleys, rocky outcrops, tundra and willow forests make up the beautiful scenery which you will be able to admire more closely when you land here. 

     

    Day 6 Augpilatok

    Augpilatok, is a small Inuit village of around one hundred inhabitants, whose name means “sea anemone” in Greenlandic. Located in a mountainous region inaccessible by road, its picturesque, colourful houses stretch out to the southern tip of Greenland, on the banks of the spectacular Prince Christian Sound. Some one hundred kilometres long, the sound connects the Labrador Sea to the Irminger Sea, meandering through stunning landscapes such as majestic glaciers, craggy peaks, and rocky cliffs with waterfalls fed by the ice sheet. 

     

    Day 7 Hvalso

    Around you, a grassy meadow filled with flowers stretches out, dotted with imposing granite rocks. A few semi-wild sheep and horses greet you; they are the only inhabitants of this place surrounded by beautiful mountains. You are in Hvalsø, in the heart of the fertile lands in Greenland’s south. During the 10th century, this site was colonised by the Vikings, who established a large community here. 

     

    Day 7 Narsaq Fjord

    From your ship, discover the town of Narsaq. You will be dazzled by the beauty of the surrounding icebergs − large masses of ice in different shapes and shifting colours. Dominated by lush mountains, this small town is typical of Greenland and is located in the heart of a wonderful natural landscape.

     

    Day 8 Ivigtut

    Located in the Arsuk Fjord, Ivigtut, now called Ivittuut, is a small town in southwestern Greenland known for being rich in cryolite, a very rare mineral used in the ceramics industry and to extract aluminium from bauxite. The open-pit mine was a once major economic resource for Greenland: a prosperous mining activity developed there in the 19th century until 1963 when the mine was closed. 

     

    Day 9 Nuuk

    When Erik Le Rouge, the exiled Norse chief, landed on the coast of Nuuk, he found a fertile and welcoming land dotted with fjords. He settled there with a group of his former countrymen, and the Norse remained the principal inhabitants until, over a period of 500 years, their population declined and gave way to the Inuit. Nuuk is situated at the mouth of one of the largest networks of fjords in the world, where the waters never freeze. The town spreads gently out towards the Davis Strait and enjoys an historic center that is particularly rich in national heritage. 

     

    Day 10 Sisimiut

    During your cruise, we invite you to discover Sisimiut, founded in 1756 and the second largest town in Greenland. This small town is typical of Greenland, boasting bewitching panoramas: here and there, colourful stilt houses dot the undulating landscape, and the small fishing port stands as the gateway to an icy realm. 

     

    Day 11  Paul-émile Victor Base Camp, Eqi Glacier

    "The most beautiful place in the Arctic" is how Paul-Émile Victor described Greenland, a land of great icebergs and of towering ice formations calved by the giant glaciers of the polar ice cap. The Eqi Glacier is one of the region’s most impressive sights. Here, the silence is broken only by the roaring and cracking of the ice. It is impossible to know if one is shivering from cold or from the sheer thrill of being here... 

     

    Day 12 Disco Bay

    To the east of Baffin Bay, discover Disko Bay, scattered with countless icebergs produced by the Ilulissat Icefjord, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. From your ship, admire the majestic ballet of these ice giants as they slowly drift across the dark waters. This site is a natural marvel of Greenland, and is also renowned as an observation point for the region’s many humpback whales. 

     

    Day 13 Itilleq

    Itilleq is a tiny island lying within the Arctic Circle, 45 km south of Sisimiut. Home to barely 100 people, they mainly earn a living from fishing and hunting in their typical Greenlandic village, whose bright colours evoke those of their traditional clothing. 

     

    Day 14 Kangerlussuaq

    From 1941 to 1992, the town of Kangerlussuaq in Greenland was home to an American military base. Nowadays, thanks to its international airport, it has become a transit point for travellers seeking adventure in the Far North.