Itinerary

Day 1 – August 1, 2026: You’ll touch down in Longyearbyen (airport code: LYR), the administrative center of Spitsbergen, the largest island of the Svalbard archipelago, and the northernmost town of more than 1,000 inhabitants. You have arrived in the High Arctic. You will be met by a driver who will transport you to Svalbard Hotel in Longyearbyen’s town center, close to shops (including amazingly well-stocked outdoor stores if you forgot anything) and restaurants, and a short walk from the waterfront on Isfjorden. At 6pm, we will gather in the lobby to go to dinner at our favorite restaurant in town.

Day 2: After breakfast at our hotel, enjoy strolling around this former coal mining town, whose parish church and Svalbard Museum make for fascinating attractions. Though the Arctic terrain surrounding the town appears stark, more than a hundred species of plant have been recorded here. We will meet up for lunch, before being picked up for transfer to the dock where we will board Hondius. In the early evening, the ship sails out of Isfjorden, where we might spot the first minke whale of your voyage. We will head north along the coast toward the northwest corner of Spitsbergen, with light to photograph from the deck well into the night.

Day 3: The highlight of the day will be a visit to Raudfjorden, on the north coast of Spitsbergen, an expansive fjord spilling with glaciers. Sightings of polar bear, minke whales, ringed seals, and bearded seals are common here, and we will be on the lookout for wildlife. The cliffs and shoreline of this fjord also support thriving seabird colonies. In 1823, the Irish scientist, soldier, and explorer Edward Sabine had an observatory on the nearby island of Indre Norskøya, in northwestern Svalbard. Using a pendulum to study gravity, he sought to measure the meridians (lines of longitude through the poles) on Spitsbergen, the goal of which was to define the curvature of the Earth. We will try to get to Sabinehaugen, where he made his observations.

Day 4-5: At sea en route to Greenland. While the ship’s crew and expedition staff keep watch for whales and migrating seabirds for us, Justin and Chris will make use of this time at sea to offer presentations on photographic composition, techniques relevant to the scenarios we will encounter over the next several days, and other topics of interest to passionate photographers.  We may encounter the jagged sea ice edge as we approach Greenland, depending on the conditions. Keep an eye out for polar bears on the ice.

Day 6: We may sail through the sea ice into Foster Bay and land at Myggebugten. Beyond the old hunters’ hut where Norwegian trappers hunted for polar bears and Arctic foxes in the first half of the 20th century, there is a sprawling tundra populated by musk oxen, with geese floating on the small lakes. From here we’ll sail through Kaiser Franz Josef Fjord, surrounded by towering mountains and bright icebergs.

Today, we plan on making our first landing in Greenland, to explore the old Norwegian Myggbukta station and the coastline of Foster Bay. An optional long hike will be offered to head into the nearby valley of Badlanddal, then turning south to Fangsthytte near Kap Bennett. A Zodiac will cruise ahead of the walking party and parallel to the coast to watch out for bears. After shore operations, we will sail through icy and mountainous Kaiser Franz Josef Fjord.

Day 7: We arrive at Teufelschloss (Devil’s Castle), a prominent mountain with striking layered geology rising steeply out of the fjord. On the other side of the fjord is Blomsterbugt – “Bay of Flowers” – a spectacularly scenic landing site. In the afternoon, we head into Antarctic Sound (no, it’s not a typo – there is an “Antarctic” Sound in Greenland, named after a ship, the S.S. Antarctic) to find the islands of Ruth, Maria, and Ella. Maria is the most likely spot for a landing.

Day 8: In the morning, we enter Segelsällskapets Fjord, with the streaked slopes of the Berzelius Mountains bordering the north side. We land on the south shore, where ancient sedimentary formations lie right at our feet. A hike takes you near a small lake with good chances to see musk oxen, Arctic hares, and ptarmigans. In the afternoon, the ship ventures into Alpefjord, aptly named for the spire-like peaks that thrust up around it. We may then embark on a Zodiac cruise around Gully Glacier, which once blocked access to the interior of these waters. Continuing deep into the fjord, we’ll experience a definitive Greenland adventure.

Day 9: The first half of the day we will spend in Antarctic Havn, an extensive valley where you can spot groups of musk oxen. At this time of year, the sparse vegetation is wearing the fiery colors of autumn.

Day 10: Today we reach Scoresby Sund, sailing along the glaciated Volquart Boons Kyst. We may also enjoy a Zodiac cruise past one of the glacier fronts, along with a visit to the basalt columns and ice formations of Vikingebugt (we have seen a polar bear or two here with some regularity on prior visits as well). In the afternoon, we plan to sail along the east coast of Milne Land among a multitude of giant icebergs. If we can also land at Charcot Havn, we will make a walk to Charcot Glacier before continuing to Bjørneøer (Bear Islands).

Day 11: In the morning, we will encounter colossal icebergs, some over 100 meters (330 feet) high and more than a kilometer (.6 miles) long. We’ll then land near Sydkap, with fine views of Hall Bredning and Arctic hares. The ship will offer another optional long hike from Sydkap to Satakajik, visiting the remains of Thule winter houses built with whale vertebrae. In the evening, we sail into Øfjord.

Day 12: Our activities today will be scheduled around being in a great position to make the most of the eclipse this afternoon. We will likely have a Zodiac cruise in the morning, surrounded by icebergs. Their austere blue-white contrasts sharply with the sediment slopes nearby. At midday, we will position the ship in the center of the moon shadow in Øfjord. Before the eclipse begins, we will go ashore to find compositions to set the eclipse in the context of this incredible landscape.  You will of course have the option of either photographing the solar eclipse from the ship, or at our landing site, which will be chosen from among a few different options we have in mind based on conditions on the day.

Day 13: Today we make a morning tundra landing on Liverpool Land, in Hurry Inlet. In the afternoon, we will visit Ittoqqortoormiit, the largest settlement in Scoresbysund with about four hundred inhabitants. Local handicrafts and artwork can be found for sale, and 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. In the afternoon, we sail south, passing the picturesque landscapes of the Blosseville Coast.

Day 14: A sea day grants us the opportunity to spot whales and seabirds. We will make use of some of this time to do a final image review, answer any lingering questions, and reflect on our adventure together.

Day 15: As out voyage comes to an end, we will disembark at Akureyri, Iceland, and board our private charter bus to Reykjavik. There, we will check into our group’s hotel and go out to one of our favorite restaurants for a celebratory final group dinner.

Day 16: Departure day. Breakfast will be served at the hotel, and drivers will be arranged to transport you, at your preferred time, to Keflavik International Airport (KEF) to catch your flight home.