You can arrive into Reykjavik at any time today and will make your way to your included hotel where you will stay for one night on a B&B basis (hotel TBC, likely to be an airport hotel in Keflavik).

After an early breakfast you will be transferred back to Reykjavik Airport for your charter flight to Kangerlussuaq. On arrival, you will be met and directed to a bus transfer to the port and your ship, the SH Vega. Depending on your flight time, you may have some time free today to explore before embarkation. Once a WWII airbase at the head of Kangerlussuaq Fjord, Kangerlussuaq's history is told at the airport’s museum, showcasing Inuit artefacts. This ice-filled glacial area and tundra is a haven for wildlife, including reindeer, arctic foxes, arctic hare, gyrfalcons and around 10,000 muskoxen.

You will embark your ship this afternoon, ready to start exploring some of the west coast of Greenland. After dinner onboard you will have the rest of the evening free to settle into your cabin. Be sure to spend some time out on deck to enjoy the views.

The northernmost city in Greenland, just north of the Arctic Circle, Sisimiut remains ice free in winter and is known as an adventure sports hub. Inhabited for more than 4,500 years by the Inuit, Dorset and then Thule people, dog sled remains a common form of transport. Abandoned settlements lie between Sisimiut and the Thule district to the north. The area is home to humpback whales, walrus, and Arctic foxes in their summer coat. Today you will enjoy a panoramic tour by bus of the city’s iconic buildings before driving to a vantage point to enjoy awe-inspiring views.

Optional Excursion: enjoy a walking tour of Sisimiut including the burial ground, local kayak club and craft shop before heading to Tele Island, where you will have an excellent view of the famous Masaasaq Mountain, which stands 785m high over the city.

Sailing through the iceberg capital of the world to Disko Bay, the Ilulissat Icefjord is surely one of the cruise highlights. Given UNESCO World Heritage Site status, the Ilulissat Icefjord is a popular tourist destination, and thanks to the productive Sermeq Kujalleq glacier, thousands of gargantuan icebergs calve from the Greenland ice cap into the sea. Today you will enjoy one of two excursions, one to the Sermermiut Viewpoint and Icefjord Centre where you can learn more about the traditional Inuit way of life and take in stunning views of the valley; and the other to the Boardwalk Trail and the Icefjord Centre.

Qeqertarsuaq is the largest town on Disko Island, Greenland's largest island, on its west coast, part of Disko Bay, a UNESCO-listed site for its icebergs. The Lyngemark Glacier rises above the town. The area’s hills, basalt columns and black sand beaches reflect its volcanic origin. The area is fertile and home to species not found elsewhere in Greenland. Keep an eye out for its hot springs as you move through floating icebergs. Join your expedition team on a Disko Island discovery walk to explore the island’s stunning black sand beaches and huge volcanoes; spend time in the town and learn about the scientists at the Arctic Station studying the local geology, flora and fauna.

Sea days are rarely dull. Take the time to sit back and let the world go by. The ship’s observation decks provide stunning views of the passing ocean. A day at sea gives you the opportunity to mingle with other passengers and share your experiences of this incredible trip or head to our library which is stocked full of reference books. Get an expert’s view in one of the on-board lectures or perhaps perfect your photography skills with invaluable advice from our onboard professional photographers.

The views of snow-capped mountains have given Pond Inlet in northern Baffin Island the name of Canada’s ‘jewel of the north’. The traditional Inuit community living in the hamlet of Mittimatalik are renowned for their craft skills from printmaking and stone carving. Nearby at Qulalukat the thousand-year-old Inuit sod houses, or qarmaq, merit a visit. You will plan to take a zodiac ashore to this traditional Inuit community located on the northern tip of Baffin Island near the eastern entrance to the Northwest Passage. Here you can attend a traditional performance at the Community Hall and enjoy a walk to the Salmon Creek to see the archaeological site and sod houses near the river.

Dundas Harbour, the eastern entrance to the Northwest Passage on Devon Island, Canada's largest uninhabited island, shows signs of life despite the harsh terrain, with relics of a 1000 A.D. Thule settlement and a 1920s Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) outpost for controlling illegal whaling. Join your expedition team on a town walk through the abandoned community and the RCMP outpost, which is the only building that remains here. Along the way you will learn about the ancient Thule summer settlements that have been discovered in the area.

Gracing the eastern high Arctic, Croker Bay, a mesmerising Arctic waterway, carves its way into Devon Island within the vibrant Qikiqtaaluk Region. This deep inlet, an extension of Lancaster Sound and Barrow Strait, unveils a landscape of captivating beauty. The Devon ice cap feeds the huge South Croker Bay Glacier that calves into the bay. You will plan to explore by zodiac to get closer to the face of the glacier to admire the striated white, blue and grey slab of ice. You may spot seabirds, seals and maybe a walrus in these icy waters.

Optional excursion: exploring by kayak in Dundas Harbour

This area is closely associated with the exploration of Canada’s High Arctic and the Northwest Passage. Much of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago was mapped while searching for the missing crew of British explorer Sir John Franklin’s fateful 1845-46 Northwest Passage Expedition. Radstock Bay sits below the mighty Caswall Tower mountain and hides many secrets, with evidence of sledge tracks, camps and food tins that may help reveal what happened. Enjoy a nature and discovery walk with your expedition team to explore the mysteries of Radstock Bay to visit the Quarmat homes which are common among Thule and Inuit settlements.

Beechey Island Sites, five historical sites in Canada's High Arctic, mark where British explorer Sir John Franklin wintered in 1845-46 during his fateful Northwest Passage Expedition. Much of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago was mapped while searching for the crew. Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen paid his respects to Franklin in 1903 before successfully discovering the Northwest Passage. Join a discovery walk with your expedition team to Beechey Island to learn about the fateful history of the Franklin Expedition and the role this played in mapping much of the Canadian Arctic

Port Leopold is a place of raw, rugged natural beauty and landscapes that evoke a sense of awe and wonder. The pristine wilderness and untouched terrain create a feeling of remoteness and isolation, while the Arctic wildlife that calls this place home adds a touch of wildness and unpredictability. The area's history as a former Hudson's Bay Company trading post also lends a sense of nostalgia and intrigue. You will plan to make an expedition landing in this remote region, which is listed as a migratory bird sanctuary for seabirds who live and breed here from May to mid-September.

Crossing Lancaster Sound to Elwin Bay, the ship passes Prince Leopold Island, hosting over 500,000 nesting pairs of thick-billed murres, black guillemots, northern fulmars, and black-legged kittiwakes. Beluga whales moult in shallow gravel beds, while in Prince Regent Inlet, polar bears hunt ringed seals on sea ice. Enjoy a zodiac cruise in search of pods of beluga in the shallow waters.

The ship sails past Fort Ross, on Somerset Island, the northernmost fur trading post of the Hudson’s Bay Company. Near the Bellot Strait, it was eventually abandoned due to harsh ice conditions. The strait separates Somerset Island from Boothia Peninsula, home to Point Zenith, the northernmost continental point of the Americas. It's also where Sir James Clark Ross located the Magnetic North Pole during Sir John Ross's 1829 Arctic expedition. Enjoy a zodiac cruise to the unique and vast landscapes of Somerset Island as you learn more about its storied past, and James Clark Ross, for whom the area is named

The Bellot Strait, named in honour of the French explorer Joseph-René Bellot, is a narrow, 2.3-km-wide, and 25-km-long waterway. It separates Somerset Island to the north from the Boothia Peninsula to the south. This strait played a historical role during an expedition to locate Sir John Franklin's lost expedition, tragically marked by Bellot's death in the area in 1853. If conditions allow, you will take to the zodiacs to explore more of the Strait. Passing through this narrow passage, which is just 2km wide, you will pass Zenith Point, the northernmost point of the North American continent. As explorers before you, your ability to transit this channel will entirely depend on the tide, sea ice, icebergs and weather conditions.

Choked up by ice in winter, Peel Sound is a 125-mile-long channel separating Prince of Wales Island to the west and Somerset Island to the east. The icebound arctic waters thwarted several 19th-century explorers - Sir John Franklin in 1846, Francis Leopold McClintock in 1858 and Allen Young in 1875. Today, Peel Sound still remains a challenging waterway, but is also home to abundant wildlife, including polar bears, seals and whales.

Coningham Bay, on Prince of Wales Island in the heart of the Northwest Passage, holds historical and cultural significance and serves as a haven for Arctic wildlife. The nutrient-rich waters attract beluga whales, sustaining the well-fed local polar bear population. The bay's rich history is intertwined with Arctic exploration, as Captain James Cook charted it in 1778 during his final voyage through the Northwest Passage.

You will spend today at sea, relaxing and unwinding as you enjoy watching for whales on deck, or enjoying the gym or spa facilities onboard.

Buchan Gulf, a remote Arctic fjord on Baffin Island's northeastern coast, is one of the world’s most important nesting sites for northern fulmars, who roost on the towering cliffs and rocks. Polar bears roam the shores of Icy Arm, a narrow fjord with the relics of an ancient Thule semi-subterranean home sitting on the edge of the boggy tundra.

Qikiqtarjuaq is a remote, beautiful Baffin Island community surrounded by towering mountains and glaciers. The rugged landscape and pristine wilderness offer endless opportunities for outdoor adventure, from kayaking to wildlife watching. The town's Inuit culture and traditions are still alive. With permission you can hope to explore this picturesque and welcoming community with your expedition team, which is also a great point for watching for icebergs as they travel down the Davis Strait.

You will spend a final day at sea, returning to Kangerlussuaq.

You will return to Kangerlussuaq and should have some time to explore before your transfer to the airport and your flight back to Reykjavik. The time of this flight will be confirmed nearer to your departure date, but anticipate that it will be an afternoon flight.

We recommend that you stay another night in Reykjavik tonight to mitigate against any potential delays.