Iceland to Greenland: Total Solar Eclipse in Depth (Ocean Explorer)

Welcome to Iceland! When you arrive in Reykjavik, Iceland’s capital, make your way to your hotel for a free afternoon and evening. You can arrive at any time, as you have the full day at leisure to settle in and explore the city at your own pace.

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After breakfast this morning, you'll have time to explore on your own before your afternoon transfer to Ocean Explorer – your home for the next 15 nights. After you embark, set sail for ‘Iceland’s best-kept secret,’ the Westfjords. This rugged peninsula sits on the remote northwestern tip of Iceland and is dominated by mountains, volcanic rock and fjords, providing plenty of opportunities for incredible landscape photography. Spend the day exploring by Zodiac on guided shore landings (weather permitting) and soak up views of dramatic cliffs, waterfalls, beaches, rolling hills, high moorlands dotted with rocky outcrops and tiny lakes. You’ll likely spot Icelandic ponies and shaggy sheep grazing the hillsides, as well as the small fishing communities at the fjord edges and along the shores of the Denmark Strait. You may also visit Vigur – a private island where you can delve into Icelandic culture and heritage as far back as the 11th century. One of the island's co-owners is polar explorer Felicity Aston – the first woman to ski solo across Antarctica. You’ll learn about the Icelandic tradition of eiderdown harvesting and the wide array of Arctic birdlife and seals – the island is home to over 7000 breeding ducks, 100,000 puffins, Europe’s largest colony of black guillemots and huge flocks of Arctic terns. You can also indulge in local cuisine, go cruising, sea kayaking, take a paddle excursion and, potentially, a guided shore hike. Right across the bay is Mongufoss – one of Iceland’s most remote and beautiful waterfalls, which you’ll visit by ship. You may also visit Flatey – a small 1.5 km-long island in Breidafjordur Bay.

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As you sail north across the Denmark Strait between Iceland and Greenland, the Expedition Team will prepare you for the exciting adventures ahead. Your team of polar experts will present on a wide range of topics, including Arctic history, wildlife, geology and climatology. The team will also search for and identify seabirds soaring about the ship, and they’ll alert you whenever there’s a whale sighting!

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Navigating within the boundaries of the Northeast Greenland National Park – the planet’s largest national park covering 972,000 sq km – your crew will sail into Kangerluk Kong Oscar, also known as Kong Oscar Fjord. This major fjord system, popular for its famously bright sandstone, stretches 110 km long and 10 to 25 km wide. You’ll also experience the wonders of nature in Segelsallskapet Fjord, where alternating layers of limestone and dolomite stretches before you in a beautiful canvas created over tens of thousands of years.

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Your purpose-built vessel will cruise deep into Scoresby Sund, allowing you to soak up the overwhelming beauty of the world’s largest fjord system and its icebergs. This area offers plenty of opportunities to explore during Zodiac cruises and onshore visits, and time to visit Ittoqqortoormiit – the most remote community in East Greenland. There will be a palpable sense of excitement in the air as anticipation builds for our much-awaited eclipse viewing. Behind the scenes, your Expedition Leader and the Ship Captain will work closely together, monitoring sea and ice conditions and meteorological forecasts (particularly cloud cover) to strategically position Ocean Explorer in the best location possible to maximize your views of the solar eclipse.

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Ocean Explorer will sail further into Scoresby Sund, where the team will identify the most optimal viewing point along the path of totality. With the total eclipse of the sun lasting 2 minutes and 17.2 seconds, this region of the Arctic provides the longest duration of totality along the entire eclipse path. The eclipse will start at 2.34 pm, and totality will begin at 3.34 pm and end at 3.36 pm. The eclipse viewing experience (a duration of 2 hours, 1 minute and 3 seconds) will conclude at 4.35 pm. Throughout this exciting day, you‘ll have opportunities to learn from your guest eclipse expert, Michael Zeiler. This 2026 eclipse is part of Saros series 126, which is a cycle of solar eclipses that repeats approximately every 18 years. It’s worth noting that total solar eclipses in Polar Regions are relatively rare due to the smaller land area and the fact that the sun only illuminates each pole for part of the year. The Quark Expeditions team and your special eclipse expert will continue to research the geography of this region as they prepare for the event. Right up until the day of the eclipse itself, your team will study the mountainous terrain, the angles of the sun in the sky, localised ice conditions and weather patterns to determine the best possible viewing experience. Your Expedition Leader will outline the day’s agenda in the days and hours leading up to the eclipse.

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Tiny and picturesque, Aappilattoq is home to approximately 100 permanent residents and sits on the shores of one of the world's most scenic fjords – the 100-km-long Prins Christian Sund (also known as Ikerasassuaq). Aappilattoq is the second-most southerly settlement in Greenland (after Narsamiit) and the name means ‘sea anemone,’ or ‘red,’ after the crimson mountain rising above the settlement. The area has been inhabited since the 1800s, but the current village was only established in 1922. The majority of residents rely on hunting and fishing, with local fishermen selling surplus cod and turbot to a small fish factory run by Royal Greenland.

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Ivittuut, formerly known as Ivigtut (grassy place), is an abandoned mining town near Cape Desolation in southwestern Greenland, close to the ruins of the ancient Norse Middle Settlement. Historians and archaeologists believe this settlement (the least documented Norse settlement in Greenland) once comprised about 20 farms. A handful of mining-related structures remain, including barracks, storehouses and a cemetery. The 1987 translocation of muskoxen to Ivittuut from the Kangerlussuaq area is why you may see the lumbering beasts in the area. Otherwise, native wildlife consists mostly of Arctic hares and Arctic foxes. It’s also possible to spot semi-domestic reindeer from Greenland’s only active reindeer husbandry operation – the Isortoq Reindeer Station, located south of Ivittuut.

Accommodation:

Today you’ll arrive back in Greenland’s capital. First, you can enjoy one more Zodiac ride to shore for a group transfer to the airport. Catch your charter flight to Reykjavik, then transfer to your hotel for your final night. When you arrive, maybe head out for dinner with some of your group and cheers to an incredible once in a lifetime experience aboard the Ocean Explorer!

Accommodation:

After a restful night at your hotel, make your way to Keflavik International Airport for your onward flight, or spend additional time exploring Reykjavik at your leisure. If you need help booking additional accommodation, just get in touch with your booking agent ahead of time.