Northeast Greenland - Scoresby Sound in Depth 2023

Description

Join the elegant 12-passenger ship M/S Balto on a true expedition cruise to Northeast Greenland, one of the last unspoiled wildernesses in the world. As we venture into the world’s largest fjord system, we will experience breath-taking nature and scenery, large icebergs in unimaginable shapes. The clean air, the silence and the enormity of nature is captivating.

During walks we are always keeping an eye out for grazing musk-oxen, Arctic hare, Arctic fox and other wildlife. With our sturdy Zodiacs we explore further afield, cruise amongst large stranded icebergs and make shore landings. With some luck we might also encounter polar bears. During summer you can often spot small groups of narwhal in the innermost fjords. It is truly exciting and a great privilege to witness these beautiful unicorns of the sea.

Travelling with a small group of merely 12 passengers gives us more flexibility, more unique itineraries and more time ashore. Also, the footprints we leave behind are a lot smaller! The M/S Balto has a lot of experience of and is designed to explore the most remote fjord systems and find secret anchorages. This is true micro cruising.

Trip Name

Northeast Greenland - Scoresby Sound in Depth 2023

Days

Overview

Vessel Type: Small Ship Passenger Capacity: 12 Built/Refurbished : 1975/2019-2020 We are proud to present the latest addition to our fleet of small expedition ships, M/S Balto, named after the leading sled dog of 1925 Nome serum run. She was built for the highest ice class in Rauma, Finland, to serve as a government service vessel in the Baltic sea. During 2019-2020, she has been totally refurbished and is now one of the roomiest and most elegant small polar expedition yachts in service. M/S Balto offers a relaxed luxury accommodation for 12 guests in 7 outside cabins, all with private facilities and lower beds. The spacious cabins include 1 Owner’s cabin, 1 superior cabin, 3 double cabins and 2 single cabins. The Owner’s cabin is 30m2, has 6 windows and a queen bed, the superior cabin has two twin beds while the double cabins has a queen bed. The Owner's and superior cabin also offer a separate seating area. In all cabins you find a desk with a chair and a closet for storage. On the guest deck you also find a cider lined sauna, accommodating 4-6 persons, with a cold shower and a small changing room. The richly appointed saloon and the beautiful dining messroom feature crotch-mahogany panelling, a bar, a card table, a library, coffee and tea stations. She offers a large restaurant style open galley, where you can check on the marvels of our chefs and sample freshly baked bread. There are several open and semi enclosed deck spaces from where you can enjoy the stunning Arctic sceneries. You are welcomed by an international crew and the bridge is open for visitors. The ship has been fitted with an electric diesel propulsion capable of maintaining versatile manoeuvring and survey speeds with no vibration. It is therefore ideal as film and photo platform. There is also a mud room for expedition gear and two Zodiacs for wilderness cruises and offshore experiences. M/S Balto is truly one of a kind when it comes to small polar expedition ships. Travelling with this unique 12-passenger ship offers a completely different and much more intimate experience of Greenland compared to a larger expedition ship. A small group of merely 12 passengers gives us more flexibility, unique itineraries and more time ashore. Also, the footprints we leave behind are a lot smaller! The M/S Balto is designed to explore the most remote fjord systems, visit isolated Inuit settlements, take you to secret anchorages and maximise each guest’s experience in the unspoiled wilderness. This is true micro cruising.

Itinerary

Day 1 - Day 1: Constable Point

We fly to one of the world's smallest airports, Constable Point, located at the end of a narrow fjord. We embark the M/S Balto and make ourselve at home. We are now in a part of the world where we are totally dependent on ice and weather conditions. Our exact itinerary depends on these factors and on the wildlife we encounter. Our ambition is to make landings every day with our rigid Zodiac crafts.

Day 2 - Day 2 – 7: Exploration of Scoresby Sound

We are travelling in one of the largest wilderness areas in the Northern Hemisphere. It introduces its visitors to some of the most spectacular coast lines in the world and the deep fjords are surrounded by majestic peaks and tundra covered slopes. We will use our sturdy Zodiacs to explore further afield, cruise amongst large stranded icebergs and make shore landings.Scoresby Sound is the world’s largest fjord system and could be explored for weeks. It offers some of the most spectacular scenery Greenland has to offer: jagged peaks as tall as 2000 meters coming straight out of the sea and rare glimpses of the Greenland ice cap, the largest ice cap in the northern hemisphere. Large glaciers pour into the sea, giving birth to an unexpected quantity of beautiful icebergs, some of them lager than high-rise buildings. During our expedition we have good chances to spot magnificent prehistoric-looking musk-ox or the lovely white Arctic hare. We also keep an eye out for snow bunting, gyrfalcon and ptarmigans. With a portion of luck, we actually might encounter polar bears. We hope to circumnavigate Milne Land, the second largest island in Greenland, sailing through the narrow and spectacular Føhn Fjord, Røde Fjord and Ø Fjord. During walks on the tundra we may find remains from early Inuit cultures that settled here. The archaeological record in Northeast Greenland is long and involves a remarkable diversity of groups that discovered and explored the region at least seven times over thousands of years. As we sail into the rarely visited Nordvestfjord, we also enter the largest national park in the world at almost 1 million square kilometers, more than twice the size of Sweden. This fjord is often filled with icebergs making for challenging but spectacular navigation.We also plan to visit Ittoqqortoormiit, home to some 450 Greenlanders and the only settlement in Northeast Greenland. It is located 500 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle and nearest town is Tasiilaq, 800 kilometres to the south.In a town where the sea ice blocks ships from visiting most part of the year, hunting and fishing are the only ways of survival. During our visit we get a unique opportunity to learn more about the living and surviving in this remote part of the world.

Day 3 - Day 8: Disembarkation

In the morning we disembark in Constable Point for homebound flights.

Day 4 - Please Note:

Our exact route will depend on ice, weather conditions and wildlife as well as permissions and restrictions from local authorities. The places mentioned are just examples of some of the many sites this region of Greenland has to offer. We always strive to maximize your experience. Please remember that flexibility is the key to a successful expedition!

Trip Dates

Start	End	Price From	Room Type

Inclusions

The world's greatest fjordsystem
The small village of Ittoqqortoormiit
Gigantic and beautiful icebergs
Chance to encounter mysk-ox
Small of max 12 passengers
The elegant ship M/S Balto