© Erwin Vermeulen-Oceanwide Expeditions
PLEASE NOTE: All itineraries are for guidance only. Programs may vary depending on local ice, weather, and wildlife conditions. Flexibility is paramount for expedition cruises. Willingness to compromise on comfort is a basic requirement on board a historic sailing vessel. Important information about the sailing program: The boat is equipped with sails to be used in good conditions (based on open sea, water depth, wind, and time). This is not guaranteed. The captain decides whether to use the sails or the engine. There is no claim to one or the other propulsion method. If sails are used, the crew operates them. Guests follow the safety instructions of the team.
Day 1: Constable Pynt Push-Off
You arrive by chartered plane from Reykjavik and land at Constable Pynt, the airfield at the head of Hurry Inlet. This area has a remarkably rich geological history.
Day 2: Sailing the Glaciers
Enjoy the sights as you sail the glaciated Volquart Boons Coast. Here you may set out a Zodiac cruise along one of the shoreline glacier fronts, with your first landing near Måne Glacier or in Vikingebugt.
Day 3: Inuit Neighborhood of Yesteryear
You land on Danmark Island, where you find the remains of an Inuit settlement abandoned around two hundred years ago. The circular stone tent rings indicate the summer houses, while the winter houses can be seen closer to a small cape. The sites are well preserved, with easy identifiable entrances, bear-proof meat caches, and grave sites. During the afternoon you sail along the east side of Milne Land amid a number of scattered icebergs.
Day 4 - 7: Sights of Arctic Autumn
Sailing through the picturesque berg-filled fjords to the west, the goal is to land on Røde Island. Here you see sandstone formations with basalt intrusions set against a backdrop of dazzling blue-white bergs. If ice conditions allow, you could even navigate Røde Fjord, famed for its beauty. You may find a place to land, walking among the autumn vegetation in search of musk oxen and more quintessential Arctic views.
Day 8: Mountain-Fringed Fjord
Today you visit one of the most impressive fjords in the world: Ø Fjord is almost 40 nautical miles long (74 km, 46 miles), with mountains on each side up to 2,000 meters high (6,562 feet), and icebergs that drift over depths of more than 1,000 meters (3,281 feet). Your aim is to find shelter in Jyttehavn, on the Bjørneøer (Bear Islands). You may make a landing in the afternoon.
Day 9: Enormous Bergs, Arctic Hares
In the morning you encounter colossal icebergs, some over 100 meters (328 feet) high and more than a kilometer (.62 mile) long. Most of them are grounded, as the fjord is only about 400 meters (1,312 feet) deep. You then land near Sydkap, with fine views of Hall Bredning and a good shot of seeing Arctic hares.
Day 10: Settlement at Scoresbysund
Today’s stop is Ittoqqortoormiit, the largest settlement in Scoresbysund at about five hundred inhabitants. At the post office you can buy stamps for your postcards, or just stroll around to see the sled dogs and drying skins of seals and musk oxen.
Day 11: The hikes of Hurry Inlet
In the morning you stop on the south coast of Jameson Land, at a lagoon near Kap Stewart. Here the waders and geese are collecting for their autumn migration, and musk oxen and collared lemmings survive on the meager vegetation. Further inside Hurry Inlet, you may take a walk near the head of the fjord as well as one of the rivers that terminate here. There’s also the chance of a climb up the mountain of J.P. Koch Fjeld, near Hareelv. In this remarkable area, scientists found fossils that linked fish and amphibians in the lower Cretaceous period. You spend the night at anchor off Constable Pynt.
Day 12: Final Call at Constable Pynt
Every adventure, no matter how grand, must eventually come to an end. You make your final landing at the airfield on Constable Pynt, flying by chartered plane to Reykjavik and onward – but with memories that will accompany you wherever your next adventure lies.