| | | | | Arrive | Depart |
| 15th15 | AugAug | 202525 | Reykjavík, Iceland, embark on the MS Maud | | 20:00 |
| Sprawling Reykjavík, the nation's nerve center and government seat, is home to half the island's population. On a bay overlooked by proud Mt. Esja (pronounced eh-shyuh), with its ever-changing hues, Reykjavík presents a colorful sight, its concrete houses painted in light colors and topped by vibrant red, blue, and green roofs. In contrast to the almost treeless countryside, Reykjavík has many tall, native birches, rowans, and willows, as well as imported aspen, pines, and spruces.Reykjavík's name comes from the Icelandic words for smoke, reykur, and bay, vík. In AD 874, Norseman Ingólfur Arnarson saw Iceland rising out of the misty sea and came ashore at a bay eerily shrouded with plumes of steam from nearby hot springs. Today most of the houses in Reykjavík are heated by near-boiling water from the hot springs. Natural heating avoids air pollution; there's no smoke around. You may notice, however, that the hot water brings a slight sulfur smell to the bathroom.Prices are easily on a par with other major European cities. A practical option is to purchase a Reykjavík City Card at the Tourist Information Center or at the Reykjavík Youth Hostel. This card permits unlimited bus usage and admission to any of the city's seven pools, the Family Park and Zoo, and city museums. The cards are valid for one (ISK 3,300), two (ISK 4,400), or three days (ISK 4,900), and they pay for themselves after three or four uses a day. Even lacking the City Card, paying admission (ISK 500, or ISK 250 for seniors and people with disabilities) to one of the city art museums (Hafnarhús, Kjarvalsstaðir, or Ásmundarsafn) gets you free same-day admission to the other two. |
| 16th16 | AugAug | 202525 | Isafjørdur, Iceland | 13:00 | 19:00 |
| Two colossal terraces of sheer rock stand either side of this extraordinarily located town - which rides a jutting spit onto an immensity of black fjord water. Surprisingly, considering the remoteness of its location and its compact size, Isafjordur is a modern and lively place to visit, offering a great choice of cafes and delicious restaurants – which are well stocked to impress visitors. The town is a perfectly located base for adventures amongst Iceland's fantastic wilderness - with skiing, hiking and water-sports popular pursuits among visitors. |
| 17th17 | AugAug | 202525 | At Sea | | |
| 18th18 | AugAug | 202525 | Jan Mayen Island, Norway | 07:00 | 17:00 |
| Described as one of the most remote islands in the world, Jan Mayen liesbetween Norway to the east and Greenland to the west. It is a rugged volcanicisland 34 miles long and is made up of two parts – the larger section to thenorth (Beerenbeg Volcano) and the longer but narrower section to the south. Amile-wide isthmus links these two parts. Geologically, the island was formed bya ‘hotspot’ where molten magma pushes up through the earth’s crust to createvolcanoes in the middle of nowhere. Politically, Jan Mayen is an integral partof Norway. The eighteen people living on the island work for either the NorwegianArmed Forces or the Norwegian Meteorological Institute. Their main purpose isto operate the Loran-C radio navigation system. From 1615 to 1638, the Dutchran a whaling station here. Today, the island is a nature reserve underNorwegian jurisdiction aimed at preserving the pristine Arctic island and themarine life, including the ocean floor. |
| 19th19 | AugAug | 202525 | At Sea | | |
| 20th20 | AugAug | 202525 | Hornsund, Svalbard and Jan Mayen | 12:00 | 20:00 |
| 21st21 | AugAug | 202525 | Bellsund, Svalbard and Jan Mayen | 08:00 | 20:00 |
| Bellsund is a 20km sound in Norway’s Svalbard archipelago. It is distinctly cut into two branches, the fjords Van Mijenfjorden and Van Keulenfjorden which together offer a stunning journey. You’ll be dwarfed by the high mountains which characterise the landscape along with rich wildlife that thrives in such diverse conditions. |
| 22nd22 | AugAug | 202525 | Isfjorden, Svalbard and Jan Mayen | 08:00 | 20:00 |
| 23rd23 | AugAug | 202525 | Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard and Jan Mayen | 09:00 | 15:00 |
| 24th24 | AugAug | 202525 | At Sea | | |
| 25th25 | AugAug | 202525 | At Sea | | |
| 26th26 | AugAug | 202525 | At Sea | 08:00 | 20:00 |
| 27th27 | AugAug | 202525 | At Sea | | |
| 28th28 | AugAug | 202525 | At Sea | | |
| 29th29 | AugAug | 202525 | Ittoqqortoormiit (ex Scoresbysund), Greenland | 08:00 | 16:00 |
| Scoresbysund is the ultimate fjord system; likely the longest, largest and deepest of any in the world. The massive fjord is tucked into the eastern coast of Greenland and on the icy western edges of the Greenland Sea. Scoresbysund’s scale deserves several days to explore, especially while plying the waters between castle-sized icebergs as they gently drift under the persuasion of the Arctic waters in the mighty fjord. Scattered in the remote bays and smaller fjords are places to discover old Inuit settlements, slowly growing over with Arctic willow and dwarf birch. The lower slopes of many mountains are draped in the herbs and grasses favoured by muskox, Arctic fox, lemmings, Ptarmigan, Barnacle Geese, and Snowy Owls. Tundra walks give impressive views of landscape, flora and fauna. Not to be neglected, the waters of Scoresbysund warrant a vigilant eye for sightings of whales, seals, narwhals, beluga whales and walrus. |
| 30th30 | AugAug | 202525 | At Sea | | |
| 31st31 | AugAug | 202525 | Reykjavík, Iceland, disembark the MS Maud | 10:00 | |
| Sprawling Reykjavík, the nation's nerve center and government seat, is home to half the island's population. On a bay overlooked by proud Mt. Esja (pronounced eh-shyuh), with its ever-changing hues, Reykjavík presents a colorful sight, its concrete houses painted in light colors and topped by vibrant red, blue, and green roofs. In contrast to the almost treeless countryside, Reykjavík has many tall, native birches, rowans, and willows, as well as imported aspen, pines, and spruces.Reykjavík's name comes from the Icelandic words for smoke, reykur, and bay, vík. In AD 874, Norseman Ingólfur Arnarson saw Iceland rising out of the misty sea and came ashore at a bay eerily shrouded with plumes of steam from nearby hot springs. Today most of the houses in Reykjavík are heated by near-boiling water from the hot springs. Natural heating avoids air pollution; there's no smoke around. You may notice, however, that the hot water brings a slight sulfur smell to the bathroom.Prices are easily on a par with other major European cities. A practical option is to purchase a Reykjavík City Card at the Tourist Information Center or at the Reykjavík Youth Hostel. This card permits unlimited bus usage and admission to any of the city's seven pools, the Family Park and Zoo, and city museums. The cards are valid for one (ISK 3,300), two (ISK 4,400), or three days (ISK 4,900), and they pay for themselves after three or four uses a day. Even lacking the City Card, paying admission (ISK 500, or ISK 250 for seniors and people with disabilities) to one of the city art museums (Hafnarhús, Kjarvalsstaðir, or Ásmundarsafn) gets you free same-day admission to the other two. |
