Your pre-departure brief for the March 2026 photography expedition. Read it twice — once now, once the week before you fly.
Book your own international flight to Reykjavík. Arriving one or two days early gives you a weather buffer — March storms can close regional airspace at short notice. The 17th is the hard deadline.
You bookDomestic flight to Akureyri, Iceland's northern hub. Your seat is arranged by us — no action needed. Plan to stay overnight in Akureyri; we recommend booking Hotel Akureyri or similar yourself for the night of the 17th.
We arrange You book hotelCamera bags can usually be brought into the cabin — but if yours looks very large, staff may not allow it. A few workarounds that work:
A Twin Otter prop flight over the Denmark Strait into East Greenland. Weight limits are strict — you'll receive a final luggage briefing in Akureyri the evening before. Camera gear in the cabin, always.
We arrangeNo issues here with camera gear. There's footwell space in front of each seat for a camera backpack, and additional space at the back of the plane for extra equipment.
Direct flight back to Reykjavík. Departure time is weather-dependent; build flexibility into any onward connections and avoid booking a same-day international departure. This leg is arranged by us.
We arrangeBottom: Leggings → snow pants (cheap Decathlon ones work fine) → snowmobile overalls on top (provided).
Top: Merino base layer → thin Patagonia fleece → 66 North puffy fleece if it's cold → thin puffer jacket → snowboard jacket. The snowmobile jacket goes over all of this.
Feet: Merino liner socks first, thick expedition socks over. I run cold feet — I add toe warmers inside the Baffin boots on the coldest days.
Hands: Thin 66 North gloves as liners, old snowboard gloves over the top. This combo handles the snowmobile wind well.
Neck: A buff with a fleece section at the front — this matters more than you'd expect when you're riding into wind.
Full-frame mirrorless with excellent weather sealing. Handles cold well but battery drain accelerates below −10°C — keep a spare warm and on your body at all times.
The wildlife lens. Exceptional reach and speed for musk ox, arctic fox, and seabirds at distance. This is an expensive piece — local rental (e.g. Visuals.ch in Switzerland) is a solid option if you don't own one.
The versatile workhorse. Use this for environmental portraits, icebergs at mid-range, and anything where you need to move fast without switching glass. Pairs with the 1.4× extender to reach 280mm.
Primary landscape and aurora lens. The f/1.8 aperture is a real asset for night sky work — you'll want this the moment the northern lights appear.
Ultra-wide for dramatic ice scenery and tight interior shots at the camp. Light and compact — earns its place even given the weight constraints.
Effectively turns your 70–200mm into a 280mm f/4 — useful if the 400mm is rented and unavailable for a day. Minimal size cost.
Cold halves your effective battery life. Four bodies' worth of cells is the minimum — rotate them through an inside pocket against your body heat throughout the day. Generator power at camp allows nightly charging.
Aerial perspective is transformative in fjord terrain. Drone battery performance in arctic cold is severely reduced — keep all batteries warm before launch and plan shorter, more frequent flights. Check Greenlandic airspace rules before departure.
Essential for aurora and long-exposure ice work. Carbon fibre preferred — aluminium legs become painful to handle barehanded in deep cold. Practise your setup routine with gloves on before you leave home.
Keep your body accessible and secure while snowmobiling. The front hook on your camera pack lets you clip the body to your chest without removing the bag.
Blower, microfibre cloths, lens pen. Snow and breath condensation will hit your front element constantly. Minimise outdoor lens changes — plan your focal length before stepping outside and stick with it.
A dedicated camera backpack with internal organisation is essential. See the flights section for notes on what fits in the cabin on the Reykjavík–Akureyri leg — bag size matters there specifically.
Hotel base in central Reykjavík. Final kit check and weight briefing happens here the evening before the connector flight.
Heated huts at the field station, shared facilities. Expect basic but warm: bunk-style sleeping, communal cooking, generator power for a few hours daily. No reliable signal — this is the point.
Buffer nights built in for weather delays on the connector flight back. If skies are clear, this becomes a free day in Reykjavík.