Greenland to Newfoundland in Luxury

Embark and set sail down Sondrestromfjord

We sail Disko Bay en route to an area north of the village of Qeqertarsuaq on Disko Island. We hope to offer tundra walks and a Zodiac tour of the rugged coastline and the many icebergs that get stranded here after breaking off from the Jakobshavn Glacier.

Just after sunrise on day 15, be out on deck to see the fjord of the northern hemisphere’s most active glacier – Jakobshavn – often surrounded by icebergs in all shapes and sizes and in varying shades of white and turquoise. Known as the birthplace of icebergs, the Ilulissat Icefjord produces nearly 35 km³ of ice each year. While here, we may have the opportunity to see a demonstration of ancient fishing methods and enjoy some locally caught and prepared fish. During our guided walking tour of Ilulissat, we will visit the local history museum, located in the former home of Greenlandic folk hero and famed polar explorer Knud Rasmussen. Another tour continues via fishing boat, as we navigate amongst the many icebergs at the fjord’s entrance.

Alternatively, guests have the option to purchase an exciting helicopter excursion to see the magnificent Jakobshavn Icefjord by air (seats are limited).

Located just north of the Arctic Circle, Sisimiut is the northernmost town in Greenland where the port remains free of ice in the winter. Yet it is also the southernmost town where there exists enough snow and ice to drive a dogsled in winter and spring. The Greenlandic sled dog has been bred to be amongst the strongest working dogs in the world and can be seen all over town.

Sisimiut has been used by different cultures and groups for almost 4500 years. Ruins of early settlements can still be seen west of the town. The Sisimiut Museum houses part of its collection in Greenland’s oldest surviving church as well as in a peat house. For those interested in tasting some of the local delicacies, the museum has prepared Greenlandic soup, shrimps, and dried fish which you can taste while visiting the museum.

Another typical and iconic ‘vehicle’ of transportation in the Arctic is the qajaq (better known as ‘kayak’) and although most Greenlandic hunters or fishermen use modern boats, many still have a qajaq. We hope to see a qajaq demonstration in Sisimiut’s harbour.

This morning we arrive in Greenland’s first town (1728) where we will have ample time to explore one of the smallest capitals in the world. Our leisurely walk through this picturesque harbour town allows us to take in Nuuk’s natural beauty, and also to see Inuit ruins, Hans Egede’s home, parliament, and the Church of our Saviour. At the Greenlandic National Museum we can see an outstanding collection of traditional hunting gear, art, colourful traditional clothing and the famous Qilakitsoq mummies.

Cruise the Davis Strait en-route to Baffin Island, keeping watch for marine mammals and birdlife as well as enjoying onboard facilities.

Iqaluit is located at the head of Frobisher Bay, an inlet of the North Atlantic extending into south-eastern Baffin Island. The Bay is so long that it was first taken to be the possible entrance of a Northwest Passage.

Our ship’s experts along with local guides will take us around Iqaluit and will lead us through the Nunatta Sunakkutaangit Museum and the Nunavut Legislative Assembly Building, both housing incredible collections of Inuit artwork. The museum shop has some very interesting local prints for sale. Even walking through town there are many opportunities to see various pieces of artwork.We will also visit the Silvia Grinnell Territorial Park west of Iqaluit for walks and hikes.

Uninhabited Lady Franklin Island is 40 kilometres off of Baffin Island’s Hall Peninsula. There are at least seven smaller, unnamed islands off its northwest shore that lend themselves to be explored by Zodiac, while Lady Franklin Island offers an abundance of bears, ducks, seals, and walrus.

We arrive in Kimmirut, a former Royal Canadian Mounted Police post and Hudson Bay Company trading centre, in the late morning. The terrain of Kimmirut is among the oldest on the planet, sitting on a variety of metamorphic rock formations and the village receives its name from a prominent rock feature.

We visit this village to see the local arts and crafts. The Kimmirut artists blend regional styles and locally available materials. The most predominant kind of art is stone carving, although there is also a tradition of scrimshaw etchings done on walrus ivory. In recent years creating jewellery has become of interest. The material used for this are the semi-precious stones found in the Kimmirut area.

Cape Dorset is the most famous Inuit art village in the Canadian North. Here we will visit the printmakers and carvers of the region and even have the option to purchase a special piece as a souvenir of our visit. Travelling across the bay by Zodiac, we can also explore Mallikjuaq Territorial Park where the remains of winter residences from thousands of years ago can be seen. Our local guide will explain in detail the aspects of daily life for his ancestors.

Today we will be in spectacular Wakeham Bay and the area of the small village of Kangiqsujuaq. In line with our search for art, we want to see how the locals interpret the Dorset culture mask petroglyphs found south of the village. Apart from the village visit, tundra walks might be on offer.

Today we explore around remote Akpatok Island at the northernmost extremity of the Labrador Peninsula. Steep and sheer limestone cliffs jut out of the cold waters. Encased in snow and surrounded with sea ice in the winter months, this uninhabited island lures huge amounts of wildlife, most notably the world’s largest population of breeding Brünnich’s Guillemots (Inuktitut name: Akpatok), estimated at well over a million birds. These auks flock to the bare cliffs of the island between June and September, and incubate their single pear-shaped egg on the cliff’s ledges. Glaucous gulls can be seen soaring above looking for unguarded eggs and chicks, while black guillemots paddle around on the nearby sea. Akpatok Island is also a favourite summer home for polar bears as they wait for the winter ice to form.

On our way south from Akpatok we will be travelling along the Torngat Mountains National Park situated on the eastern side of Labrador’s northernmost point. The park covers an area of 9.700 km² and is dotted with remnants of several cirque glaciers and has an outstanding array of geological features. The steep cliffs provide some of the best exposures to the earth’s geologic history. Herds of Torngat Mountain and George River caribou migrate to and from their calving grounds and Inuit use the area to hunt, fish and travel throughout the park. Red and Arctic foxes will be looking for lemmings and voles. Harlequin ducks, peregrine falcons, Barrow’s goldeneye and short-eared owls are found within the park. While minke whales tend to linger in bays, humpback and fin whales like to stay offshore.

South of Torngat Mountains National Park, and permission pending, we would like to visit Hebron, an abandoned Moravian settlement declared a National Historic Site.

Watch out for birds and marine mammals and enjoy expert lectures and onboard facilities.

Once ashore by Zodiac, you will be taken by local bus to the “Prime Berth Museum” first, which could be well described as a commercial fishing heritage site. You will hear about the glory “salt fish days” before the cod fishery moratorium in the middle of the 1980s let the busy settlement shrink. Afterwards you will visit several historic buildings packed with artefacts near the shoreline. The excursion also goes to the museum, the former house of an Anglican priest, right next to the church. Almost all the objects on display here are from 1900 to the early 1920s –including a giant bicycle from the turn of the century. Afterwards you will have a good view over the Notre Dame Bay and the outer isles at Long Point Lighthouse.

Arrive and disembark