71.2966° N, -25.0413° W · SCORESBYSUND, EAST GREENLAND

Everything you need
before we go into the wild

Your pre-departure brief for the March 2027 photography expedition.

Departure
March 2026
Duration
10 days
Conditions
0°C to −40°C
01

Flights & Luggage Restrictions

Outbound
15–16
March

Arrive Reykjavík (KEF) — recommended

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 book
17
March

Reykjavík → Akureyri (AEY)

Domestic 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 hotel
Irina's notes

Camera bags can usually be brought into the cabin — but if yours looks very large, staff may not allow it. A few workarounds that work:

  • Talk to the flight attendants before boarding. They can let you walk the bag to the plane yourself, and they'll load it carefully into the hold.
  • Try bringing it into the cabin anyway — I did this with my Atlas Packs Adventure Pack, which is honestly quite big.
  • Take your camera body and big lens out of the bag and hold them on your lap. Smaller bags shouldn't have any issue.
18
March

Akureyri → Constable Pynt (CNP) — Twin Otter

A Twin Otter prop flight over the Denmark Strait into East Greenland. Weight limits are strict — the overall limit is 20kg. Camera gear in the cabin, always.

We arrange
Irina's notes

No 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.

Return
30
March

Constable Pynt → Reykjavík (KEF) — direct

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 arrange
Luggage rule — the Twin Otter has hard weight limits per passenger. We will send exact figures once all clients are confirmed, but plan for roughly 20 kg total including carry-on. Weigh your full kit at home.
02

Packing List

Documents & Admin

  • Passport
  • Travel Insurance Documents
  • Currency / Credit Card Visa/Mastercard/Debit work in Iceland & Greenland

Top Layers

  • Base layer thermal shirt (x2)
  • Mid layer warm fleece top (x2)
  • Insulated down / synthetic jacket
  • Outer layer warm fleece / jacket

Bottom Layers

  • Sports / warm underwear (x2)
  • Base layer trousers / leggings
  • Warm / insulated trousers / salopettes
  • Windproof breathable salopettes or trousers

Feet

  • Thin base layer socks (2–3 pairs)
  • Thick warm ski / mountain socks (3 pairs)
  • Toe warmers

Hands

  • Thin thermal base layer gloves
  • Windproof ski / mountain gloves
  • Hand warmers

Head & Face

  • Thin full face balaclava
  • Warm / fleece / insulated hat

Extra Clothing

  • Normal set of warm outdoor clothes

Bags & Carry

  • Soft travel kit bag / check-in not a hard suitcase, goes on the sled
  • Camera backpack
  • Plastic zip bags for condensation-sensitive items

Hygiene & Personal

  • Toothbrush / toothpaste / comb
  • Small towel & washing items no running water at the hut
  • Body wipes / cleansing tissues provided by us
  • Razor (optional)
  • Hydrating face / body lotion
Provided by us

Snowmobile suit, Baffin boots, helmet, and gloves. Bring your own ski goggles if you have them — snowmobile goggles are provided but extras are useful.

Field Kit & Hydration

  • —1L metal thermos flask
  • —Insulated drinking cup provided by us
  • —Spoon provided by us
  • —Toilet bottle — Nalgene 1L wide mouth
  • —She-Wee
  • —Wrap-around sunglasses, 100% UVA/UVB
  • —Binoculars (optional)
  • —Watch (optional)
  • —Diary / pen / notebook / book (optional)

Personal First Aid Kit

  • —Lip balm with SPF
  • —Adhesive plasters (assorted)
  • —Blister treatment (e.g. Compeed)
  • —Contact lenses (if applicable)
  • —Women's sanitary products (if applicable)
  • —Painkiller / anti-inflammatory — Aspirin, Paracetamol, Ibuprofen, Cocodamol, Voltarol
  • —Nausea medicine
  • —Diarrhoea medicine

Always consult your GP for full medical advice before departure.

arctic fox

Example: Irina's Packing List

What I personally bring. Take it as a reference — not gospel. Links go to the exact products I use.

✦ Irina's kit — what I actually bring

Base Layers

Mid Layers

Outer Layers

  • Warm insulated trousers cheapest Decathlon ones, genuinely the best I've had
  • Windproof breathable trousers Mammut ski pants, used less
  • Snowboard outer jacket (Montec) I wore this instead of the snowmobile jacket

Feet

Hands, Head & Face

  • Thin base layer gloves (66 North Vik)
  • Windproof thick gloves I'd recommend The Heat Company SHELL — unless you have tiny hands like me, in which case children's sections are your best friend
  • Thin full face balaclava
  • Warm insulated hat ×2
  • Fleece-lined buff
  • Wrap-around sunglasses 100% UVA/UVB
  • Ski goggles

Bags & Carry

  • Atlas Adventure Backpack — camera bag / cabin bag
  • Duffel bag for checked luggage — cheap Decathlon waterproof 60L

Extra

  • Bikini not mandatory, but worth it for all the lagoons in Iceland

Field Kit, Hydration & Extras

  • —1L metal thermos (Sigg)
  • —1L Nalgene pee bottle
  • —She-Wee
  • —Hand warmers
  • —Watch — Garmin Fenix
  • —External battery
  • —Headphones
  • —Chargers

Hygiene & Personal Care

  • —Toothbrush / toothpaste / Miswak stick
  • —Comb
  • —Dry shampoo
  • —Small towel
  • —Mini washing items — shampoo, conditioner, shower gel
  • —Sunscreen SPF 50
  • —Hydrating face cream
  • —Body hydrating cream
  • —SPF lip balm ×2 I always lose one
  • —Period products
  • —Nail clippers
  • —Tweezers
  • —Pretty sparkly makeup ✨

First Aid & Medication

  • —Ibuprofen 400mg fast release ×2 strips
  • —Ibuprofen 800mg slow release
  • —Coldrex / Lemsip ×8
  • —Voltaren ×1
  • —Nausea medicine ×1
  • —Diarrhoea medicine
  • —Band aids
  • —Blister treatment
  • —Athletic bandage tape
  • —Bandages
03

Camera Gear Recommendations

Body

Canon R5 ×2

Full-frame mirrorless with excellent weather sealing. Handles cold well. Ideally have a spare body with you — hard to find a camera store run by Arctic foxes.

Lenses — Long

RF 400mm f/2.8 prime rental option

The wildlife lens. Exceptional reach and speed for musk ox, arctic fox, and birds at a distance. This is an expensive piece — local rental (e.g. Visuals.ch in Switzerland) is a solid option if you don't own one. Pairs well with the 1.4× extender.

RF 100–500mm f/4.5–7.1L

The best Canon telephoto lens without a ridiculous price tag. The zoom range provides plenty of versatility for capturing wildlife and details in ice formations, as well as the vast open landscapes of Scoresbysund fjord.

RF 70–200mm f/2.8 (new version)

The versatile workhorse. Use this for environmental portraits, icebergs at mid-range, and anything in between.

Lenses — Wide

RF 24mm f/1.8 prime

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.

RF 16mm f/2.8 prime

Ultra-wide for dramatic ice scenery and tight interior shots at the camp. Light and compact — earns its place even given the weight constraints.

Extender

RF 1.4× or 2× extender

Worth having to give you that extra bit of reach — in case the polar bears decide to keep their distance.

Power

4× Canon LP-E6NH batteries + dual charger

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.

Drone

DJI Mavic 3 (or equivalent) + 3 batteries + controller

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.

Support

Tripod

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.

Peak Design neck strap + front hook

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.

Maintenance

Lens cleaning kit

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.

Bag

Atlas Packs Adventure / Shimoda

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.

04

Accommodation Details

Nights 1–2

Reykjavík — staging

Hotel base in central Reykjavík. Plenty of options for cute souvenir stores, excellent food, lagoons (Sky Lagoon & Blue Lagoon), and day trips to the Golden Circle, Snæfellsness Peninsula, and the South Coast of Iceland.

Ask Irina for recommendations 😉

Nights 3–8

Scoresbysund — Sydkap hut

Heated hut on the edge of the Scoresbysund fjord, shared facilities. Expect basic but warm: bunk-style sleeping, communal cooking, generator power for a few hours daily. No phone signal — this is the point.

Nights 9–10

Return staging

Buffer nights built in for weather delays on the connector flight back. If skies are clear, this becomes a free day in Reykjavík.