BE ACTIVE WITH YOUR EXPERTS

Mainly in Greenland and at selected locations in the Canadian Arctic, a varied hiking programme awaits you, offering impressive insights into the nature of the far north. The range of options extends from easy walks through the valleys to challenging mountain tours. Along the way, spectacular views of glaciers, fjords and extensive mountain landscapes open up time and again. Some hikes follow gentle river valleys or coastal paths, while others lead up to vantage points from which you can take in the vastness of the Arctic scenery. The tours are designed to suit every fitness level: those who prefer a more leisurely pace can enjoy shorter routes across flat tundra terrain, while experienced hikers can challenge themselves on pathless trails and steep climbs. The hikes are accompanied by your expedition leader Dr Arne Kertelhein and experts Heike Fries, Elisabeth Spitzer and Benjamin Schröter, who use their specialist knowledge and enthusiasm to ensure that every tour is an intense experience of nature.

Highlights

Nautically challenging route high up in Canada’s north with bizarre ice, dark rock and enthralling stories of exploration

Pioneering spirit and adventure in the Arctic labyrinth of ice

Flexible route of amazing experiences only possible on a ship with the highest ice class

Wildlife sightings in the home of musk oxen, whales and polar bears

Conquer unknown coasts with the Zodiacs

Itinerary

Day 1 | Kangerlussuaq Havn

The name Kangerlussuaq means "Big Fjord" in the local Kalaallisut language. The settlement of about 500 people is located in western Greenland on flat land at the head of a fjord with the same name. Kangerlussuaq is the site of Greenland's largest commercial airport and most of the economy here is dependent on the air transportation hub and tourism. The rugged lands around the settlement support terrestrial Arctic fauna including muskoxen, caribou, and Gyrfalcons.

Day 2 | Baffin Bay, Nunavut

Day 8 | Lancaster Sound, Tallurutiup Imanga National Park, Nunavut

Day 9 | Arctic Archipelago

Which route will the ice open through the northern Canadian Arctic? The captain and crew react flexibly to the conditions on site. Thanks to the highest ice class for passenger ships, the HANSEATIC spirit makes her way north. How far exactly? Only nature knows the answer. When your ship visits Jones Sound, the clear polar air is filled with the cries of thick-billed murres and black-legged kittiwakes. Musk oxen often inhabit the coasts, which you may be lucky enough to observe during landings and from the many open deck areas. Which course will your expedition ship take? Through Cardigan Strait or Hell Gate? Fascination awaits along the very rarely visited west coast of Ellesmere Island. The tenth-largest island in the world has been a national park since 1985 and takes your breath away with views of spectacular mountain peaks and glacier formations. Cruising in Norwegian Bay is also shaped by nature and the experience – keep an eye out for mighty bearded seals, which can weigh up to 300 kg. Approximately 1,000 kilometres from the North Pole, Eureka is considered the northernmost weather station in the world. A “base” of Arctic wildlife and another area for our Zodiacs is Axel Heiberg Island. Here live snow hares, musk oxen, Arctic foxes, and polar bears. The final entries in your explorer’s log are made along Greenland’s west coast.

Day 16 | Evighedsfjorden

Entire pages could be filled with the Inuit culture, about which your experts provide fascinating insights – for example in Uummannaq. Colourful wooden houses lie picturesquely at the foot of a heart-shaped mountain. The activity of the glacier at Ilulissat becomes apparent on the walk to the Icefjord, where countless icebergs tower. The fascination culminates in the famous Disko Bay. Here, massive ice floes drift slowly through the water. Marvel from on board and from the Zodiac at the sparkling scenery. Human-made artworks impress in the centre of Sisimiut. Exploring the museum village or on another walk with your experts, following the traces of the millennia-old Inuit culture, you will draw a conclusion of this expedition route: unforgettable!

Day 19 | Kangerlussuaq Havn

Ships

HANSEATIC SPIRIT

Each of our expeditions is a work of art. Passionately conceived, masterfully realised. A portrait of the world in which there is always something new to discover. And our small, state-of-the-art expedition ships HANSEATIC nature, HANSEATIC inspiration and HANSEATIC spirit (max. 230 guests) are the very best studio where such artistic masterpieces are created. Worlds both faraway and nearby. Ice and tropics. Wildlife paradise or cultural treasure. For every explorer, we offer the right journey of discovery. More than 30 years of experience as the market leader in German-speaking countries.