Fire and Ice

Join this active trip to South Greenland and Iceland. This adventure takes you beyond the Arctic frontier to discover the Inuit people's home with their traditional lifestyle and ongoing adaptation to an icy and often harsh environment. This trip features a helicopter ride over Greenland's Inland Ice Cap, a very special ice crampon hike on one of the oldest ice fields on the planet, small ship boating among fjords, exploration of Iceland's active volcanoes, and interesting tundra hiking in beautiful valleys.  You will gain firsthand knowledge of the Inuits' home, the history of the first European settlers, and the many outstanding natural features of these unique and seldom-visited lands. Here, where roads are rare and nature is practically untouched, you will take spectacular treks through the tundra and in glacier valleys, see herds of caribou and marine fauna and visit geothermal hot springs. On starry nights, enjoy the awe-inspiring show of the northern lights. Nowhere is the impact of global warming more evident; your trip will include direct observation of the evidence.

The second part of the trip begins with a short three-hour flight to Iceland. With more than 30 active volcanoes and eruptions every four to five years, Iceland is truly the land of volcanoes. Visit some of Iceland's most famous eruption sites, including seeing the changes wrought by the eruption in Eyjafjallajokull in 2010. Explore smoldering lava fields, search out colorful geothermal hot springs, and enjoy the beautiful and dramatic scenery of the Icelandic wilderness.