Iceland & East Greenland Under The Northern Lights - Douglas Mawson

Arrive Reykjavik (REK), you will be met on arrival and transferred to your group hotel. Upon arrival at the hotel, please visit the AE Expeditions hospitality desk to collect your luggage cabin tags and to speak with our ground operations team, for information on pre-embarkation details. The remainder of your time is at leisure.

Today we follow the path of one of Reykjavik's most popular seismic attractions - the Golden Circle. Stops along the route include Thingvellir National Park, accredited as the site of Iceland's first parliament. A shaky start to the new nation, it is also the point where the Eurasia and North American tectonic plates meet as an open fissure. Our next stop is Gullfoss waterfall. This impressive water feature tumbles 34 meters into the Hvítá River, offering a popular photographic opportunity. Next we explore the geothermal fields and geysir's for which Iceland is famous. The variety of hot springs and bubbling pools are mesmerising as the sheer capacity of water and steam erupting from the ground makes you ponder just how much power is beneath your feet. Late afternoon we return to Reykjavik to board the MV Sylvia Earle.

After boarding, there's time to settle into your cabin before our important safety briefings before we 'throw the lines' to begin our Greenland adventure. This evening, meet your expedition team and crew at the Welcome Dinner.

Begin your photographic journey with a wet landing at the spectacular Dynjandi waterfall, one of the Westfjords' most iconic natural wonders. Cascading 100 metres down a series of tiered cliffs, Dynjandi offers stunning opportunities for landscape photography; think silky long exposures of flowing water, sweeping shots of the surrounding fjord, and close-up textures of moss-covered rocks. With Iceland's moody skies and crisp Arctic light, this location is a dream for photographers.

In the coming days, a host of choices are available to us, and depending on ice and weather conditions, the east coast of Greenland is ours to explore. Our experienced Expedition Team, who have made countless journeys to this area, will use their expertise to tailor our itinerary on a day-to-day basis. This allows us to make best use of the prevailing weather, ice conditions and encounters with wildlife. We generally attempt up to two landings or Zodiac excursions per day, including cruising along spectacular ice cliffs, following whales feeding near the surface.

East Greenland contains some of the Arctic's most impressive scenery. Deep fjords and narrow channels, flanked by sharp ice-clad peaks up to 2,000 m (6,562 ft) high. Gigantic icebergs calved from glaciers drift throughout the fjord system creating breathtaking scenery. The landscape is filled with multi-coloured tundra home to musk oxen and arctic hare. Throughout the area are ancient Thule archaeological sites, historical trappers' huts, and modern Inuit hunters' cabins.

A highlight is a visit to the Inuit village of Ittoqqortoormiit, the most isolated and northernmost permanent settlement in the region, with approximately 500 inhabitants. Here you can explore the village, the fascinating museum or sit in the beautiful Lutheran Church. The locals are friendly, and from underneath their Arctic fox-fur jackets, the shy young children are keen to say hello and practice their English. The community boasts an excellent museum, gift shop, an abundance of Greenlandic sled dogs, and the opportunity to meet Inuit people.

Each day offers new compositions: reflections on glassy waters, glacial textures, and vast tundra painted in autumn hues. Thanks to the fertile volcanic soil mountains that protects areas from the strong winds, the area is rich in wildlife. You may spot everything from muskox and arctic foxes to mountain hares and even reindeer near the fjord. Look skyward and you could catch a glimpse of birds including common eider, glaucous gull, black-legged kittiwake, northern fulmar, and arctic terns gracefully gliding or plunging into icy bays for zooplankton.

North of Scoresbysund, we hope to visit Kong Oskar and Kaiser Franz Josef fjords, two of the most significant fjord systems in Greenland, each one encompassing several smaller fjords and sounds. Thanks to the fertile volcanic soil and the surrounding mountains offering protection from strong winds, the area is rich in wildlife. You may spot everything from musk ox and arctic foxes to mountain hares, and even reindeer, near the fjord. Look skyward and you could catch a glimpse of birds, including the glaucous gull, black-legged kittiwake, northern fulmar, common raven and common eider.
There are great hiking options in the area, where flowering tundra plants, scattered bones of whales and muskox from centuries of hunting by the Inuit and fumaroles can be found. These are areas where heated groundwater boil to the surface creating bubbling pools and mineral formations as the water reacts with the atmosphere.

The area also boasts some of the most striking sedimentary sandstone, shale, and siltstone formations imaginable. The layers of sediment here are estimated to have taken about 4,000 years to be laid down, and the alternating colours and patterns in the layers of rocks are stunningly beautiful.

Golden-hour light and expert guidance from onboard photographers ensure unforgettable images and creative growth each day.

As we cross the Denmark Strait to Iceland, we begin our series of informative and entertaining onboard lectures from our team of experts.

During the early morning, we cruise into Reykjavik and disembark at approximately 8.00 am. Bid farewell to your expedition team and fellow passengers as you continue with your onward journeys. A transfer is included to Keflavik airport or to your centrally located hotel.