Iceland to Greenland: Total Solar Eclipse, 17 Days

Reykjavik, the world's northernmost capital, distils the entire improbable beauty of Iceland into one compact, creatively charged city. The soaring basalt columns of Hallgrímskirkja dominate a skyline of primary-coloured rooftops, while the Harpa Concert Hall shimmers beside the harbour like a captured aurora. Day trips from the city unlock the Golden Circle's geysers and Geysir hot spring, the black sand beaches of Vík, and the ethereal glacier lagoon at Jökulsárlón. Geothermal pools — from the legendary Blue Lagoon to intimate neighbourhood hot pots — offer warmth year-round. June and July bring the bewitching midnight sun.

The Westfjords are Iceland’s wildest, least-visited corner—a 16-million-year-old peninsula of deep fjords, the bridal-veil Dynjandi waterfall, and Látrabjarg’s massive bird cliffs where puffins nest within arm’s reach. Must-dos include hiking to Dynjandi’s thundering cascades, photographing puffins at Látrabjarg, and tasting Arctic char in Ísafjörður. Visit June through August when the midnight sun illuminates the fjords and roads are passable.

Northeast Greenland National Park is Earth's largest protected area at 972,000 square kilometers, a roadless wilderness of ice caps, the world's longest fjord, and 15,000 muskoxen with zero permanent human residents. Must-dos include cruising Scoresby Sund, observing muskox herds on the tundra, and experiencing the park's profound Arctic silence. July through September offers the navigable window for expedition vessels.

Aapilattoq is a tiny Inuit settlement of roughly one hundred people in southeastern Greenland, clinging to a fjord shore amid calving glaciers and towering mountains. Expedition cruise visitors can witness traditional Arctic subsistence life and transit the spectacular Prince Christian Sound. The visiting window is extremely narrow — July through early September — when ice conditions permit passage through these remote waters.

Ivittuut is an abandoned mining settlement on Greenland's southwestern coast, once home to the world's only significant cryolite mine — a mineral so strategically vital that American troops guarded it during World War II. Must-dos include exploring the atmospheric ruins, examining rare mineral formations in the old quarry, and absorbing the profound Arctic silence of this ghost town. Expedition ships visit between June and September, offering Zodiac landings weather permitting.

Nuuk, Greenland's diminutive capital, is a city of vivid contrasts — colourful colonial houses against Arctic granite, Inuit heritage alongside contemporary Nordic culture, and world-class museums steps from untamed fjords. Visitors should not miss the Greenland National Museum's Qilakitsoq mummies and a Zodiac excursion into the surrounding iceberg-studded fjord system. The prime cruising season runs from June through September, when extended daylight illuminates the landscape in an ethereal sub-Arctic glow and waters remain navigable for expedition vessels.

Reykjavik, the world's northernmost capital, distils the entire improbable beauty of Iceland into one compact, creatively charged city. The soaring basalt columns of Hallgrímskirkja dominate a skyline of primary-coloured rooftops, while the Harpa Concert Hall shimmers beside the harbour like a captured aurora. Day trips from the city unlock the Golden Circle's geysers and Geysir hot spring, the black sand beaches of Vík, and the ethereal glacier lagoon at Jökulsárlón. Geothermal pools — from the legendary Blue Lagoon to intimate neighbourhood hot pots — offer warmth year-round. June and July bring the bewitching midnight sun.