DIVERSITY OF THE NORTH ATLANTIC

Explore the dramatic coastlines of Iceland and Greenland where you will encounter modern Icelandic culture in quirky Reykjavík, and travel outside the city to experience the country’s geothermal landscapes—from lava fields to the famed Blue Lagoon. Take the extension to Greenland to trace the fjord-laced landscapes of the country’s rugged western coast, getting an up-close look at glaciers and icebergs & to see the unusual annular eclipse.

Your tour begins:

ICELAND:

DAY 1- JUN. 2, WED: ARRIVE REYKJAVIK

Meeting assistance upon arrival and transfer to Hotel.  In the afternoon we will enjoy a city sightseeing tour of Reykjavík. We will take in all the city’s major attractions, including: the Parliament, the National Museum,  the Pearl, Harpa Concert Hall, Höfði house,  (site of the 1986 summit) and the city‘s main landmark, Hallgrímskirkja church. There’s no better way to get to grips with everything Reykjavík has to offer in just a few hours. Also visit the Perlan Museum  360° Observation Deck: Enjoy amazing view over Reykjavík and its surroundings from the Museum’s Observation Deck. This evening join fellow tour members for a tour briefing and a welcome dinner. ICELANDAIRHOTEL MARINA – Dinner

DAY 2- JUN. 3, THU: THINGVELLIR – GEYSIR – GULLFOSS

Today, we start with a visit to Thingvellir National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the location of Iceland´s Parliament between the years 930 and 1798. Thingvellir is also one of the few places in the world where you can see the effects of the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates pulling apart, clearly visible in Almannagja or Everyman’s Gorge. The park offers a variety of interesting hiking possibilities. For lunch, we visit a family-run greenhouse farm called Friðheimar. Enjoy an introduction to geothermal greenhouse farming and a delicious lunch made with ingredients from the farm  After lunch, we explore the Geyser hot spring area and Gullfoss waterfalls – one of Iceland´s most famous waterfalls. In the late afternoon, we head back to Reykjavík.  ICELANDAIRHOTEL MARINA- Breakfast & Lunch

DAY 3- JUN. 4, FRI: ICELAND’S SOUTH SHORE – EYJAFJALLAJOKULL VOLCANO- SOUTHEAST ICELAND/ VIK

Take a journey through the stunning landscape of Iceland‘s south coast. This is the land of Njál‘s Saga – a region of breathtaking scenery and legendary stories. During your guided tour you‘ll encounter the wonderful variety of the south: from the wide plains formed by glacial rivers, to the sheer sea cliffs of Dyrhólaey or Reynishverfi and to  the spectacular waterfalls of Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss. In clear weather you’ll experience unforgettable views of the Hekla and Eyjafjallajökull volcanoes and, if the conditions are right, the Westman Islands. Also visit Lava Centre: an interactive, high-tech educational exhibition depicting volcanic activity, earthquakes and the creation of Iceland. Exhibition and Cinema. HOTEL VÍK – Breakfast & Dinner

DAY 4, JUN. 5, SAT: VATNAJOKULL NATIONAL PARK – JOKULSARLON GLACIAL LAGOON

This day is chock-full of selfie-worthy destinations! You will be in the vicinity of southern Vatnajokull National Park, a recent UNESCO World Heritage site and the largest national park in Western Europe. Drive from Vik village through the village of Kirkjubaejarklaustur. Explore Skaftafell, a green oasis nestled below the great Vatnajokull glacier, the largest glacier in Europe.  Here you can go on amazing glacier hikes! Continue across black sand plains created by glacial activity. Stop at the incredible Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon, a filming location for many Hollywood blockbusters. These include Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and the James Bond films Die Another Day and A View to a Kill. Enjoy a boat tour on the lagoon. On the other side of the road you can find the unique Diamond Beach. This beach of glittering ice and black sands is where icebergs from the lagoon drift before they are washed to sea. HOTEL VÍK – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 5, Jun. 6, SUN: HVERAGERDI – BLUE LAGOON – REYKJAVIK

Today we leave Vík and head straight to the Blue lagoon.  The Lagoon is a unique wonder; a lake with pleasantly warm mineral-rich geothermal water in the middle of a black lava field. The high natural levels of silica and minerals give the Lagoon its rich blue color. The facilities include modern changing rooms and showers, an indoor geothermal pool, a massage waterfall, restaurants, and other services. A visit to the Blue Lagoon is both invigorating and exciting, whether one bathes there surrounded by snow in the middle of the winter or in the long summer daylight. We continue our travels back to Reykjavík. ICELANDAIRHOTEL MARINA- Breakfast

DAY 6, Jun. 7, MON: DEPART ICELAND or TAKE EXTENSION TO GRREENLAND

Breakfast at your hotel. Guided transfer to Keflavik Airport for the return flight/ or transfer to Reykjavík Domestic Airport for flight to Greenland.

GREENLAND EXTENSION:

DAY 6, Jun. 7, MON: REYKJAVIK / NUUK

We board morning flight to Nuuk and transfer directly to our hotel. Like all other towns in Greenland, you live near nature, but with lots of imprints of modern life. With its approximately 17,500 inhabitants, Nuuk is a big city in comparison with other Greenlandic towns. On the tour, you will be introduced to the major attractions such as the Greenland National Museum, which houses an outstanding ethnographic collection from all Inuit cultures and the world-famous mummies from Qilakitsoq. We visit the architectural highlight; Katuaq  Culture House with a facade shaped like the northern lights. We also walk through the charming old town with the statue of Hans Egede, which overlooks the old colonial harbor, the fjord, and the mountains in the background. We will also pass the local fish and meat market.

Our hotel sits in the heart of Nuuk, and you have the opportunity to explore the nearby area on your own. Streetlights, buses, and lots of cars give off an immediate impression of a busy city, but the amazing scenery and endless horizon automatically put the bustling city life into perspective. HOTEL HANS EGEDE- Breakfast

DAY 7, Jun. 8, TUE: NUUK / ILULISSAT

We fly from Nuuk to Ilulissat, Greenlandic word for icebergs and is Greenland’s third largest town. Approximately 4,500 inhabitants and about 2,500 sled dogs are fortunate enough to live in this amazing town at the mouth of the 45 kilometer-long, and UNESCO World Heritage Site of Ilulissat Ice Fjord. Ilulissat’s location almost 300 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle means that the midnight sun rules until mid-July. It never gets completely dark – everything is shrouded in an orange, almost magical hue.

In the afternoon, we go on a guided tour where the guide will introduce you to modern life in contrast to the traditional hunting life that is still thriving in the town. Also walk to the former Sermermiut settlement located beautifully at the mouth of the Ice Fjord. Due to its excellent fishing conditions, this has been the preferred settlement in the area for several thousand years. The last residents did not move from Sermermiut to Ilulissat until the 1850s when Ilulissat had already existed for more than 100 years. It is a beautiful walk along the fjord with a view of icebergs of all shapes and sizes.

After dinner we will take a midnight cruise among the gigantic icebergs from the World Heritage Ilulissat Ice fjord.   The icebergs change color as the sun comes lower in the sky.   The icebergs here are truly big, some like cathedrals towering towards the sky, others like large islands with peaks and valleys.  We will enjoy the sculptures of nature, as the boat goes among the icebergs. HOTEL ICEFJORD – Breakfast

DAY 8, Jun. 9, WED: ILULISSAT/ QAANAAQ

Fly to Qaanaaq this morning. Explorers and poets have long romanticized Qaanaaq as truly the top of the world. Ancient philosophers called it Ultima Thule, or ‘The edge of known territory’. Greenlanders called the area Avanersuaq, the great north. You don’t have to be an extreme outdoorsman to enjoy Qaanaaq these days, but you do need a certain mentality of openness. Shed your tourist persona somewhere around Ilulissat and head north to a town where the local way is the only way. Here, organically evolving conversations that turn into sailing or dog sledding trips with a local fisherman replace a booklet full of scheduled tours. And fixed regimens give way to a series of days where each afternoon holds a new experience – sometimes a surprise but always an extraordinary adventure. Perhaps your most significant experience in Qaanaaq will be the human connection with Greenlanders, and everyday life and culture in the far north of Greenland has its own distinct rhythm deeply connected to the contrasting seasons of the Polar night and the Midnight Sun. GUEST HOUSE – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.

DAY 9, Jun. 10, THU: QAAAANAQ- ECLIPSE VIEWING

This is an unusual annular eclipse because at this time of year in the high Arctic the sun is above the horizon all day. Strange darkness at mid-day will be a most unusual sight, perhaps with interesting effects on the wildlife. Stunning natural beauty will surround you for this annular solar eclipse and you will get the chance to experience a cornucopia of arctic adventures including, dog sledding, giant icebergs and more. Enjoy a 2-hour dogsledding experience to Icebergs. GUEST HOUSE – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.

ECLIPSE VIEWING LOCATION: Qaanaaq (77° 28′ 01.36″ N  69° 13′ 42.54″ W)

Eclipse Duration 3m 32.8s  ((lunar limb corrected)

Start of partial eclipse      09:30:22.2
Start of annular eclipse    10:33:18.4
End of annular eclipse     10:36:59.1
End of partial eclipse       11:41:52.7

(all times are UT)

View the eclipse from Qaanaaq. Formerly and still popularly known as Thule or New Thule, it is one of the northernmost towns in the world. Explorers and poets have long romanticized Qaanaaq as truly the top of the world. Ancient philosophers called it Ultima Thule, or the edge of known territory. Stunning natural beauty will surround you for this annular solar eclipse.

ANNULAR ECLIPSE & GREENLAND: An annular solar eclipse happens when the Moon covers the Sun’s center, leaving the Sun’s visible outer edges to form a “ring of fire” or annulus around the Moon. This is an unusual annular eclipse because at this time of year in the high Arctic the sun is above the horizon all day. Sudden darkness at mid-day will be a most unusual sight, perhaps with interesting effects on the wildlife. 

WHY QUAANAAQ FOR ECLIPSE **: “The very best observing possibilities can be found atop the hard-to-reach Greenland icecap where cold air contains much less moisture than elsewhere along the track. That cold, dry air spills off of the icecap onto the coast, contributing to the promising statistics at Qaanaaq and Pifuffik revealed in Table 1.

​Qaanaaq sports the lowest average cloud amount of any inhabited site along the eclipse according to the statistics in Table 1. The eclipse also comes at an altitude of 22° in the sky, which increases the probability of a clear line of sight to the Sun in a sky with broken cloudiness. From Table 1, 60 percent of the observations at eclipse time had skies that were less than half covered by cloud, and 43 percent were clear.”

DAY 10, Jun. 11, FRI: QAAAANAQ/ NUUK OR REYJAVIK

Depending upon the flight schedule, we may spend the night in Nuuk or Reykjavik – TO BE ADVISED

DAY 11, Jun. 12, SAT: NUUK OR REYJAVIK / HOME

Time free until transfer to airport for your flight homewards.

LAND TOUR PRICE:

ICELAND – $5,295.00 per person sharing.  Single room- $5,625.00

GREENLAND – $3,595.00 per person sharing. Single room- 4,015.00

CASH/CHECK DISCOUNT PRICE:

ICELAND – $5,050.00 per person sharing.  Single room- $5,250.00

GREENLAND – $3,425.00 per person sharing. Single room- 3,820.00

Please note: Tours can be purchased combined or separately for each country.

•  Iceland tour prices are based on minimum of 10 participants.
• Greenland- Only 4 spots are available.
• Airfares are additional and will be advised soon.

LAND TOUR PRICE INCLUDES:

• Hotel and Guest House accommodations as listed or similar with private bath/shower. Qaanaaq accommodation is basic ‘no frills’ (ie. without internet, tv etc.) and will consist of shared bathrooms. Please note also that there would be no single rooms available for this 2-night stay.
• Meals as listed each day are included. At Qaanaaq: accommodations come with Kitchen and food supplies for Breakfast (participants are to prepare their own Breakfast). Lunches and Dinners are catered, and we have hired a chef to prepare meals.
• Transfers, tours with local English-speaking guide as outlined in the itinerary are included. Transportation by bus according to group size. In Greenland we may use Taxis/ vans due local conditions. Dogsledding at Qaanaaq is based on 2 persons per sledge.
• Entrance fees to monuments, museums and other sights, guide fees are included based on prices applicable at time of tour planning (Sep. 2020)
• First arrival transfer and final departure transfer is provided to participants taking the group flight arranged by us & for participants arriving & departing at the same time as group flight.  Participants making own flight arrangements can purchase a private transfer or take taxi to Hotel to join the tour and return to airport at end of the tour.
• To avoid paying a single room supplement, we are usually able to arrange shared accommodation with a person of the same gender – ‘twin share’ accommodation (2 separate beds).

NOT INCLUDED:

• International and internal Argentina Airfares.
• Transfers and Hotel stay for Jun. 11^th. Supplement price will be advised once the flight schedules are known.
• Optional excursions
• Tips (restaurants, hotels, guides, drivers & Tour Manager etc.)
• Personal expenses
• Baggage handling and Porterage
• Services not mentioned in the program.
• Travel Insurance

PAYMENTS & TERMS- 

ICELAND-

• A deposit of $500.00 per person is required at time of booking
• Balance payment is 60 days prior to start of tour
• Cancellations received up to 61 days prior to departure, Refund less admin fee of $100.00 will be given-  A Future tour credit of $100.00 per person will be given, Credit to be utilized by 2024..
• Cancellation received 59 to 31 days prior to start of tour – 50% cancellation penalty.
• Cancellations must be received in writing and terms apply by date of receipt by ACTC.
• No refunds 30 days or less prior to start of tour, Cancellation for any reason- tour cancelled by participant or ACTC. Please refer to additional terms and conditions. 
• Amendment by Tour participant- A fee of $100.00 per person applies per change + any applicable price changes such as additional tour services, airline fare changes and fees.

GREENLAND: 

• A deposit of $500.00 per person is required at time of booking
• Balance payment is due on or before Apr. 20, 2021
• Cancellations for any reason by Tour participant or by A Classic Tours Collection (ACTC) received up to Apr. 19, 2021- deposit will be refunded less administrative fee of $250.00 per person. A Future tour credit of $100.00 per person will be given, Credit to be utilized by 2024.. Pls. note fee of $150.00 barely covers ACTC travel and admin expenses in arranging tour.
• Cancellations must be received in writing and terms apply by date of receipt by ACTC.
• No refunds after Apr. 20, 2021 for any reason- tour cancelled by participant or ACTC. Please refer to additional terms and conditions. 
• Amendment by Tour participant- A fee of $100.00 per person applies per change + any applicable price changes such as additional tour services, airline fare changes and fees.
• Payment by Check or Direct deposit are accepted. Credit card payments a service fee of 5% applies to both payments and refunds.
• Itinerary is subject to change due flight schedules and other implications beyond our control. ACTC  reserves the right to change itinerary, Hotels without prior notice.
• All tour prices, taxes quoted are based on tariffs and costs that were in effect/ negotiated at the time of publication (Sep. 2020). Consequently, prices herein are subject to change. Due to currency fluctuations, oil prices, taxation changes by local authorities, increase in entrance fees to monuments may be added to your tour fee. You will be advised of details and costs prior to departure.