MeritTravel.com/HostedTours | 1.866.341.1777 ...for the experience New This Year Photo: Dennis Minty, Adventure Canada 12 nights $10,840* p.p. Departs Toronto/Kingston: Jul. 12, 2019 Includes most meals! Group size: 25 maximum Visits to: IN THE WAKE OF VIKINGS CRUISE Reykjavík, Denmark Strait, Kujataa, Hvalsey, Nuuk, Kangerlussuaq By sea: Reykjavík to Kangerlussuaq What’s Included: Like the Vikings of old, we sail west from Reykjavík, into a region of mountains, glaciers, * Roundtrip airfare fjords, and icebergs. The icy realm of Greenland awaits. Greenland’s east coast is just a • Plaza Premium airport lounge pass day's voyage from Reykjavík. Breathtaking fjords define this seldom-seen region. Whales • Reykjavík: one night hotel and seabirds are abundant here. Photographers, birders, and hikers will be in awe. Villages accommodation around Greenland’s southern tip offer glimpses of the island's remarkable culture. Bask in • Adventure Canada cruise: the Unartoq geothermal springs. Explore the ruins of Brattelid, a settlement founded by Erik 11 nights sailing onboard the Ocean Endeavour with meals the Red! Kangaamiut is a quaint fishing village. Greenland’s capital, Nuuk, offers shopping (onboard the cruise only) and dining. We’ll sail mighty Sondre Stromfjord to our destination, Kangerlussuaq. • Team of expedition staff Onboard you will be joined by an expedition team, there to enlighten, inspire and entertain • Guided activities, sightseeing and you. Broaden your knowledge of Greenland's natural wonders and stirring history with community visits renowned experts in their fields. • Interactive workshops • Evening entertainment Single supplements available! • Zodiac excursions Call your local Merit Travel expert. • Special access permits, entry and park fees • Complimentary expedition jacket • Merit Travel tour host** • All transfers, taxes and gratuities *CDN$ p.p. dbl. occ. Taxes included. Based on a cat. 3 stateroom. Airfare available from most Canadian airports, please enquire. **Minimum 15 passengers required for a Merit Travel tour host. Adventure Canada T&C’s: itineraries may be subject to change without notice due to weather, ice, and sea conditions. A non-refundable deposit of $1,500 is required at the time of booking. Final payment is due 120 days prior to departure. Cancellation penalties: 121 days and more prior to departure, loss of deposit. 120-91 days and more prior to departure, 65% of the total tour cost. 90 days or less prior to departure, 100% of the total tour cost. Full terms and conditions are available. ON-4499356/4499372 | BC-34799 | QC–7002238 | 111 Peter Street, Suite 200, Toronto, ON. M5V 2H1 | ®Merit Travel is a registered trademark of Merit Travel Group Inc. All rights reserved. APPROPRIATE FOR: Travellers who lead active lives and are comfortable participating in physically busy ACTIVITY LEVEL: and full days of sightseeing. Not suitable for OUT & ABOUT those requiring mobility aids. Your Itinerary | Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner = (B, L, D) eruption ten years later that destroyed much of Heimaey and nearly blocked its harbour. DAY 1 | Jul. 12, 2019 | Toronto/Kingston - Reykjavík Board your overnight flight to Reykjavík , Iceland. DAY 5 | Jul. 16, 2019 | At sea (B, L, D) Sailing west from Iceland, we are in the wake of the Vikings. Norse DAY 2 | Jul. 13, 2019 | Reykjavík explorers set out from Iceland a millennium ago in open longboats. Arrive at Reykjavík and check in to your hotel. Their destination: Greenland. Later they would also reach Baffin Iceland’s cosmopolitan capital, Reykjavík (“steamy bay”) was Island, Labrador, and Newfoundland. We’ll be watching for marine established in 874 AD. Powered by geothermal energy, Reykjavík mammals and bird life as we sail in these rich northern waters. Along is widely considered one of the cleanest, greenest cities on the way, our expedition team will enrich your understanding of the Earth. Despite centuries of relative isolation, today Reykjavík is a archeology, history, culture, and wildlife that await us in Greenland! contemporary city with plenty to see and do. The National Culture House preserves treasures like the Poetic Edda, and the Norse Sagas in their original manuscripts. DAY 6 | Jul. 17, 2019 | East Greenland (B, L, D) Accommodation in Reykjavík (1 night) An expedition day on Greenland’s east coast means that we’ll be cruising in the ice, looking for opportunities for Zodiac exploration. As ever, our expedition team will be on deck looking for bears, DAY 3 | Jul. 14, 2019 | Reykjavík (D) seals, and humpback whales as we navigate a coastline traced with In the evening embark on your cruise ship. innumerable fjords and dotted with pack ice. Accommodation onboard Ocean Endeavour (11 nights) DAY 7 | Jul. 18, 2019 | Ikerasassuaq (Prince Christian Sound) (B, L, D) DAY 4 | Jul. 15, 2019 | Vestmannaeyjar (Westman Islands) (B, L, D) We’ll be scouting for wildlife and vistas as we approach Ikerasassuaq Vestmannaeyjar lies off the south coast of Iceland and comprises through ice. This remote and stunning body of water joins the fourteen islands, numerous rocks and skerries. Only the largest Irminger and Labrador seas. We are among the islands of the Cape island, Heimaey, is inhabited. Numerous species of seabirds, including Farewell Archipelago, near Greenland’s southernmost tip. Craggy the famous puffin, nest in the steep rock faces along the ocean cliffs. mountain peaks tower over narrow fjords. Glacial tongues plunge The volcanically active area has seen two major eruptions in recent toward the water. Conditions are favourable for calving icebergs, times: the formation of the island of Surtsey in 1963, and the Eldfell while strong tidal currents limit the formation of sea ice. DAY 11 | Jul. 22, 2019 | Brattahlid (B, L, D) A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Brattahlid—meaning “steep slope,”— lies at the head of Tunulliarfik Fjord. In this location, the famous Viking explorer Erik the Red had his estate. His descendants made their homes here until the mid-1400s. This area features the best farming conditions in Greenland. Here we will find a reconstruction of the first Norse church in Greenland, as well as a Viking longhouse. There are substantial archeological remnants here, preserving the legends of the Norse. DAY 12 | Jul. 23, 2019 | Nuuk (B, L, D) Greenland’s capital bridges old and new. The old harbour region of town includes many buildings dating from the Danish colonial days. The modern downtown core includes shopping, cafes and restaurants, and public institutions with a European flair. The Greenland National Museum is one of Nuuk’s outstanding features; the world-famous Greenland mummies are housed here. The museum’s exhibits also offer in-depth information about colonial, Norse, and Inuit presence in Greenland—a must-see! DAY 13 | Jul. 24, 2019 | Qeqqata Kommunia (B, L, D) The west Greenland coastline is a rich mixture of fishing communities, many islands and complex coastal waterways. The waters are relatively warm here, due to the West Greenland Current and the sub- Arctic location—making for more lush vegetation. We will be making an expedition stop here to explore the landscape of wild Greenland. DAY 14 | Jul. 25, 2019 | Kangerlussuaq - Toronto/Kingston (B) Sondre Stromfjord is one of the longest fjords in the world and boasts 168 kilometres of superb scenery. We end our adventure by sailing up this dramatic fjord as the sun rises to greet us. Kangerlussuaq, the town at its eastern head, is a former US Air Force base and Greenland’s primary flight hub. Here we will disembark the Ocean Endeavour and transfer to the airport for our return charter flight. DAY 8-9 | Jul. 19 to 20, 2019 | South Greenland (B, L, D) South Greenland lives up to its namesake; here, the land is fertile, and agriculture thrives. Farms and vegetable husbandry contrast with the barren ice that covers so much of the country. Jagged mountains rise from beyond green pastures, with sheep farms directly bordering icefjords. Here, Norse settlement history intersects with contemporary Greenland life. DAY 10 | Jul. 21, 2019 | Hvalsey and Qaaqortoq (B, L, D) Hvalsey Church is the best-preserved Norse ruin in Greenland. The last known official record from the original Norse colony is of a wedding held here in September 1408! Nearby Qaaqortoq is the largest town in South Greenland. 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