Hurtigruten Cruises, In the Wake of the Vikings, Cruise Vacation Package

More than just an Iceland cruise, beyond a journey through Greenland, this adventure starts in Iceland and ends in beautiful Canada. Cruise the high seas in this autumn adventure that follows in the wake of medieval Viking explorers Erik the Red and Leif Eriksson. Step aboard a modern luxury vessel, the MS Fram, and be prepared to be amazed. In between port calls at the vibrant, cosmopolitan city scenes of Reykjavik and Halifax, revel in the legion natural and historical wonders dotting the shores of Greenland, Labrador-Newfoundland, and Nova Scotia. Step back in time and set foot on some of the world's most spectacular shores on this Iceland, Greenland, Canada Cruise!

Tour Itinerary

Day 1: Reykjavik, Iceland

Your Iceland cruise begins in Reykjavik, the world's northernmost capital city. It is home to 171,514 people. Despite its small size, the cosmopolitan Icelandic capital boasts a vast selection of restaurants, museums, and shops. In relative proximity to Reykjavik, you will also encounter glaciers, waterfalls, geysers, and mountains. You set sail from Reykjavik aboard the luxurious MS Fram.

Day 2: At sea, Denmark Strait

While crossing the Denmark Strait between Iceland and Greenland, you cruise in the wake of the great Norse explorers and settlers who left the shores of Iceland and Norway more than 900 years ago.

Days 3-4: East Greenland Cruise

Over the next two days, your adventure will vary depending upon ice and weather conditions, which vary unpredictably from season to season. Conditions permitting, you will visit several sites, including: Koge Bugt, where the Greenland Ice Cap reaches the sea and large tabular icebergs, an impressive sight, drift about.

Weather permitting, your cruise will reach Umivik to see the place where 19th century Norwegian explorer and scientist Fridtjof Nansen went ashore and started his epic traverse of the Greenland Ice Cap. Skjoldungen Island will provide you with views of some of the most spectacular landscapes in the whole of Greenland. At the southern end of this island, we sail by an abandoned Greenlandic settlement.

Days 5-6: South Greenland

You will visit small communities in southern Greenland. In this area, find traces of the area's unique Viking history as well as historical sites, arts and crafts, and majestic scenery displaying vibrant autumnal colors.

The final route on this Greenland cruise adventure will depend on weather and ice conditions. One of the possible landing sites will be Qassiarsuk, population 56, where Erik the Red founded his Brattahlid estate on the land he called Greenland. Here, we'll find reconstructions of his farm, his longhouse and the church that his wife Tjodhildur made him build. You may join a guided walk through the settlement to learn more about the history of the region. The walk will also include a visit at the church used today. Another possible adventure could be a visit to Nanortalik, the 10th-largest town in Greenland with a population just over 1,500. Its name means "place of polar bears" or "place where the polar bears go."

Days 7-8: At sea, Labrador Sea

Leaving the shores of Greenland, the cruise follows in the wake of the Vikings to Labrador and Newfoundland. This part of Canada lies between the 46th and 61st parallels. It is Canada's most easterly and newest province, having joined the confederation in 1949. Its size is more than three times the total area of the other Canadian Maritime Provinces. While at sea take part in an informative series of lectures held on board on various topics pertinent to the sites you see and will see during your amazing journey.

Day 9: St. Anthony, Newfoundland

In St. Anthony, you will tender ashore. The town is home to the Grenfell Museum, dedicated to the life and work of British medical missionary Sir Wilfred Grenfell. L'Anse aux Meadows, the UNESCO World Heritage Site where Viking navigator Leif Eriksson is thought to have first landed in North America, lies 1.5 hours away.

Day 10: Red Bay, Labrador

This charming community on the southern coast of Labrador was considered the "World's Whaling Capital" during the 1560s. The whale oil gathered here by Basque whalers from Iberia lit the lamps of Renaissance Europe. Towards the end of the 16th century, however, a significant decline in bowhead and right whale herds caused by over-hunting contributed to the demise and subsequent failure of Basque whaling in Red Bay. Still, Red Bay has been almost continually occupied. Its physical characteristics make it a prime location for fishing expeditions and along the coast the Basques' onetime trademark industries of whaling and cod fishing have partially managed to survive.

Day 11: Bonne Bay, Newfoundland

Bonne Bay is a bay on the western side of Newfoundland that separates the Great Northern Peninsula from the rest of the island. It is a part of Gros Morne National Park. Bonne Bay has a population of about 7,000 people and is separated into two sections: Inner and Outer Bonne Bay. Inner Bonne Bay consists of two arms, one of which has wooded coves and beach landings. Outer Bonne Bay consists of the entrance to the fjord of Bonne Bay.

Days 12-13: Baddeck, Nova Scotia

Your ship anchors at the picturesque little village of Baddeck, situated on the shores of beautiful Bras d'Or Lake in the heart of Cape Breton lsland, one of the world's scenic gems. The name Baddeck, according to some historians, is derived from the Mikmaq word "Abadak," meaning "place with an island nearby." Before 1800, this mountain-ringed mecca for modern tourists knew only the splash of the Native American's paddle on the shining waters on the tideless lake and the rustle of his moccasined feet trailing the forest floor.

Day 14: Halifax, Nova Scotia

Rich in history and natural beauty, the rugged coastlines of this part of Nova Scotia present us with the first town in Canada that was settled by the British. Today, Halifax is a vibrant mix of the old and the new, with some spectacular landscapes into the bargain. Here, our exciting cruise ends.