Epic Northwest Passage: Iceland to Japan

Arrive in Reykjavík, the world’s northernmost capital, which lies just below the Arctic Circle. Transfer from the airport to the city and spend the day exploring at your own pace. Check in with the hospitality desk this afternoon before embarking the ship. 

Explore Iceland’s western frontier, visiting Flatey Island, a trading post for many centuries turned sleepy summer islet. Walk around the charming little hamlet and hike across hiking trails that trace the path past seasonal puffin population on the cliffs. 

Explore the beautiful and peaceful Westfjords region of Iceland. Enjoy a hike to a remote waterfall, a Zodiac cruise alongside stunning scenery or bike along the coast of the Westfjords. Enter Ísafjarðardjúp and land at Vigur Island to visit the eider farm and learn about the down cleaning process.  Get to know the capital of the Westfjords, Ísafjörður, through a walking tour complete with local sights, sounds and tastes. 

Sail away from the Westfjords of Iceland and across the Denmark Strait, which connects the Arctic and Atlantic Ocean. The Strait is home to the world's largest waterfall, caused by powerful currents and glaciers. Listen to talks by experts, relax with a book in the lounge or the observation deck and keep an eye out for wildlife as the ship sails across the continental shelf. 

The coast of the world's largest island is etched with thousands of fjords, some of which reach back to the Greenlandic ice sheet. Spend the day exploring these stunning inlets of the eastern coast as the staff uses the ship's underwater cameras and Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) to help you discover marine life and fascinating underwater geology. Ice permitting, sail deep into Skjoldungen fjord and soak in your arrival to Greenland on a Zodiac cruise or in a kayak among the icebergs. 

Sail into Prins Christian Sund, which cuts into the southern tip of Greenland, passing between soaring pinnacles and glaciers, allowing the ship to sail through the sheltered waters of this dramatic landscape. As you round the southern coast of Greenland, enter Tasermuit Fjord, known as Arctic Patagonia, for its sheer granite rock faces and dramatic valley filled with glaciers or their moraines. Spend time exploring by foot, kayak or zodiac along its shores.

Qaqortoq and Tunulliarflik Fjord provide two days of insight, culture and local interactions. Walk through the ruins of Bratthlid, Erik the Red's farm, visiting replicas of the church and the family's longhouse. Explore the same shores from which their son, Leif Eriksson, launched the first voyages to North America—500 years before Columbus. Visit the unofficial capital of southern Greenland at Qaqortoq, with just over 3,200 residents. The colonial influence is visible throughout the town, with houses painted in primary colors and architecture dating back to the 1700s. Stroll through the town square and visit the museum, where Greenlandic kayaks, hunting equipment and local art and handicrafts are on display. Finally, walk through the walls of Hvalsey church, located in the fjords behind Qaqortoq, the best-preserved Norse ruins in all of Greenland and a UNESCO World Heritage site. 

In the early morning, the ship enters Eternity Fjord (Kangerlussuatsiaq Fjord), which winds picturesquely past steep mountains and stunning tidewater glaciers. In the far reaches of the fjord, take a Zodiac cruise along the face of one of the many glaciers or hike over glacial moraines to a waterfall. In the afternoon, continue exploring this varied landscape and fjord system either by foot, kayak, or zodiac and hear from experts about the physical changes to the landscape year over year.

Upon arrival to Sisimiut, a former whaling port, enjoy your choice of guided walks through the sights and sounds of the village, including a meeting with the caretakers of the Greenlandic Dog Project, or hiking part of the Arctic Circle trail. In your free time, enjoy a local food tasting, visit the open-air museum or explore the local artisan workshops.

Sail into Qeqertarsuup Tunua, also known as Disko Bay, and be welcomed by floating icebergs calved off the world's most active glacier, Sermeq Kujalleq. Enjoy an extraordinary cruise aboard local boats among towering icebergs of the UNESCO World Heritage-designated Ilulissat Icefjord. Visit the town of Ilulissat and hike into the Sermermiut Valley, once an Inuit settlement and now home to a peaceful boardwalk overlooking the Icefjord. As the ship make its way north through Disko Bay, if ice conditions permit, you'll follow the inside passage of Disko Island and trace the shores of the Nuussuaq Peninsula as you keep watch for a glimpse of the Greenlandic Ice Sheet. 

Sail along Greenland’s fjords and look for Arctic foxes, whales and—with luck—caribou. Paddle a kayak along the steep sides of the fjord or ride a Zodiac to see the glacially carved landscape up close.

Enjoy a scenic sailing out of the Nuuk fjord and into the open water of the Davis Strait as you navigate north along the coastline. Guests not continuing on to the next voyage will disembark. 

The massive ice sheet that blankets much of Greenland feeds dozens of fjords and glaciers on the dramatic western coast. Be on the lookout for humpback and minke whales as you trace these rugged shores. During a stop at the former whaling port of Sisimiut, visit the local museum and stroll among the town's 18th-century wooden buildings.