A reluctant explorer learns the benefits of venturing outside of his safety zone while sailing on an exploration ship that has recently undergone refurbishment.
Hester is a deserted village located on the northern shore of Iceland, and the amount of time you spend there will test your fortitude and bravery. For this reason, I was eager to go my separate way. Our group of travelers, some of whom had never been on an expedition before like myself, and others who had been through it all before, descended upon the deserted community in order to investigate the remains of a whaling station. The unplanned halt was one of many that could be made in the barren Westford's of the country, but if the truth be told, it was the most eerie.
I made the suggestion that we become reacquainted with the conveniences of our ship, the Nansen Explorer, as the clouds began to become darker and move in from the harbor. My apprehension was compounded by the fact that, when we came across a solitary park warden, she told us that, for the past week, she had been patrolling the 440 square kilometers of nature reserve that surrounded Hester all by herself. This made my anxiety levels even higher. Before she retreated into the undergrowth, we gave her the nicest gift we could find, which was a bag of freshly made pastries brought from the ship. We admired her fortitude as she accepted the gift. During the summer of 2021, I was a passenger on the Explorer, and the encounter was only one of many weird encounters I had during that time. The population of Iceland is barely 375,000, despite the fact that the country is roughly the same size as Kentucky. A significant portion of the country is still difficult to access, particularly around its jagged perimeter.
It's exactly the kind of environment that our expedition ship was designed to navigate. The Explorer was initially constructed in the 1980s as a floating casino that operated between Russia and Japan. Subsequently, it functioned as a Norwegian government surveillance vessel, during which time the lifestyle on board was likely more subdued. Late in the year 2020, a group of Scandinavian polar explorers, which included a well-known wildlife photographer, a ship's officer, and an expedition leader, purchased the cruiser and converted her into an unapologetically high-end exploration vessel. Who exactly are we trying to reach? Travelers who aren't afraid to get their hands dirty but nonetheless want the finest standards of luxury on their trips.
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The Explorer used to have the capacity to sleep sixty passengers, but currently it only has twelve beds spread among seven staterooms that range in size from 131 to 229 square feet. The presence of a helipad makes it possible to take scenic flights over the icebergs and floes, and there are two Zodiacs, as well as kayaks and stand-up paddleboards, available for excursions. The inventive chef who prepared our meals throughout our vacation was familiar with dishes made with Nordic products. For example, the menus included tender slices of venison infused with black garlic, raw scallops with black lava salt, and the freshest haddock presented with spinach and lovage.
One further distinctive characteristic that sets Explorer apart from other expedition companies is its exclusive cooperation with Eyes Expeditions. The Eyes team on board every Explorer trip is responsible for overseeing the logistics of itineraries that may include heli-skiing jaunts to Greenland; polar-bear encounters in Svalbard, Norway; or iceberg- and penguin-spotting cruises along the Antarctic coast. This team is considered by many to be the preeminent experts in the world when it comes to coordinating trips through remote maritime environments. In most cases, Eyes will work with vessels that require a complete charter, which is when one group hires the entire vessel together with its crew. On the other hand, individuals are able to make reservations for certain journeys on Explorer. Although they aren't cheap—for example, an 11-day sail to Svalbard starts at $15,685 per person—they do make the possibility of a once-in-a-lifetime trip accessible to a wider audience.
The itinerary we chose for ourselves in Iceland served as a daily reminder of why trips like these are such a good investment of time and money. After only a little time on the road from Reykjavik, we found ourselves gliding into the welcoming arms of Arnarfjordur, one of the largest fjords in the northern region of Iceland. After being brought ashore by a tender, we went on a trek through the wilderness and picked delicious blueberries that grew abundantly along the way. In the evening, we went kayaking in the bay below Dynjandi, which is a cascade of seven waterfalls that are connected to one another and fan outward like a wedding veil. After that, we toasted the night sky with champagne while we sweated it out in a natural geothermal pool.
On our very last full day, we had one of the most unforgettable moments. Following our exploration of the secluded island of Vigor, which is located in a fjord just south of Hester, we were making our way back to the Explorer by Zodiac. Along the way, we zipped past diving arctic terns and bobbing puffins. Suddenly, a humpback whale dove right in front of us and burst the water. Our intention to have sundowners back on the ship was instantly thrown out the window, and instead, we sailed alongside our new buddy for the following hour.
https://www.travelandleisure.com/cruises/seabourn-venture-new-expedition-ship
As the whale performed a variety of behavior's, including fluking, tail slapping, and fin waving, some of us were so impressed by the incredible performance that we shed tears. It was a fitting conclusion to an adventure that had been so lavishly blessed with the beauty of nature.