The Great Greenland Adventure

Arrive independently to Ilulissat, Greenland’s third biggest town, where immediately upon arrival you may be awestruck by the natural beauty that surrounds you, with hills, glaciers and a bay filled with icebergs. The remoteness from everyday life is obvious! Today you will transfer to your hotel for your included overnight stay where you will stay surrounded by breathtaking views of the surrounding ice-choked waters.

With its breathtaking landscapes and unique positioning, the incredibly impressive Ilulissat area offers the perfect introduction to this remarkable island. Before embarkation today you will be offered the chance to join a gentle hike to the World UNESCO heritage site of the Ilulissat Icefjord (Sermeq Kujalleq). The scenery here is simply out of this world and may well be a highlight of your whole trip.

In the afternoon you will board the ship and settle in to your comfortable cabin as we set sail for an epic voyage covering more than 2000 nautical miles along one of the world’s most spectacular shorelines. As with all Polar expeditions, your itinerary here will be flexible and may be dictated by ice and sailing conditions, with your captain and crew choosing the best course for adventure each day, and we plan to cover all the way from West Greenland to the last outpost of civilization in the far Northeast Greenland.

The first adventure on board will see us continue our exploration of the ice-choked area around the Ilulissat ice fjord looking for the best ice-free passage out of the harbour, before we head towards the beautifully situated settlement of Qeqertarsuaq further west in Disko Bay.

Adventures over the next few days will offer unique perspectives of Greenland and its wonderfully diverse and unforgettable coastline. First up will be a further exploration of Qeqertarsuaq where you can join a short hike that will reward in magnificent views of the tremendous icebergs below, and the first of many thrilling Zodiac cruises. Back on board, keep your eye out for the humpback whales that are often spotted here around Disko Bay’s gigantic icebergs.

Sailing south, we will sail through a fascinating passage past small islands, cliff and fjords towards Sisimiut and the numbers and sizes of icebergs will begin to decrease. Our next stop is likely to be around the magical Eternity Fjord (Kangerlussuatsiaq), where huge mountains up to 2000 metres high rise dramatically, straight from the ocean. Here, the sight of the extraordinary steep valley glaciers flowing down from the mountain cliffs is likely to be a highlight.

We will then make our way to Nuuk, the charming capital of Greenland, where, surrounded by a spectacular setting, you will have the opportunity to visit the National Museum, Greenland’s largest museum of cultural history, as well as spending some time looking for the humpback, minke and pilot whales that are often found in the nearby waters.

Continuing further south, we will hope to navigate further away from the coast in order to search for more whale sightings along the continental shelf, before making our way to the abandoned mining town of Ivittuut. Here you can take an enjoyable stroll through this remarkable “ghost town” to learn all about how this was one of the few places in the world where naturally occurring cryolite was discovered and how the settlement was abandoned when this discovery made mining here obsolete. You can also take a short hike here to search for sightings of muskoxen.

It’s now time to discover Greenland’s enchanting south coast and our first stop will bring us to Qaqortoq, southern Greenland’s largest city, beautifully situated under the mountain slopes and surrounded by fjords. We hope to visit Hvalsey Church, the best-preserved Norse ruin in Greenland, as well as a trip to nearby Eriksfjord, a picturesque settlement founded by Erik the Red.

Throughout your time here you will learn all about Inuit culture and life this far north, both present and past. As well as a wonderful insight into the culture and history here, the natural surroundings are equally impressive. As we explore around you will encounter dazzling mountain peaks, hot springs, bird cliffs and picturesque remote islands. Enjoy a bathe in the hot springs of Uunartoq surrounded by incredible scenery of mountains and drifting icebergs, and discover the extraordinary fjord system of Prince Christian Sound where steeps cliffs up to 2000 metres high plunge dramatically into the sea and the resemblance to Mordor, in Lord of the rings, is striking.

We now begin our cruise north along East Greenland, through remarkably wild and uncharted lands where few have been lucky enough to explore and where the ever-changing weather conditions may dictate our plans more than ever. Pushing against the strong East Greenlandic current that carries a parade of icebergs southwards we will slowly make our way towards the expansive Sermelik Fjord system near Tasiilaq. Here we will be greeted by icebergs of all shapes and sizes, and in a never-ending spectrum of blue and we will stop to collect some glacier ice for our drinks! We may spend a few days exploring around this ever-changing environment where each turn will bring a new scenic wonder and new chances for unforgettable stops and chances of spotting marine mammals, before arriving to the town of Tasiilaq via a tiny secret passage. Home to 2000 inhabitants, this is the largest settlement in East Greenland and offers us the chance to meet some of the locals, enjoy a story telling of local myths and legends and learn all about the life and traditions this far north.

True Polar exploration continues as we sail further northwards along the “Forbidden Coast” where we will make stops that are so remote that we may be the only people that visit these places this year!

In the ice choked Tuttilik Fjord, meaning the place where the reindeer live (a long time ago), we hope to go ashore and explore some abandoned Inuit winter houses. With some luck we might also find the memorial built in honour of the famous explorer Gino Watkins that vanished here in 1932 while hunting seals from his kayak.

Even further north, the wild coastal landscapes continue as we attempt to reach Kangerlussuaq Fjord and Watkins Fjord to enjoy some fantastic hiking opportunities. We will hope to move even further up the coast to visit Nansen Fjord, Rømer Fjord, Deichmann Fjord and Steward Island. These areas offer our best chance of spotting Polar bears! Although spotting these mighty Kings of the Arctic is not an overly common occurrence in Greenland, if we’re going to spot them then this will be the place, so we will be keeping a constant lookout for any opportunity!

We will then make every effort to sail through the sea ice to reach the spectacular Scoresby Sound, the world’s largest fjord system. Sea ice often blocks the entrance here until around mid-July, and although we are travelling in August when the passage has usually opened up, we can take nothing for granted here so a visit is unfortunately not guaranteed. If we do make it, then we may visit Vikinge Bay a sheltered place perfect for Zodiac cruising amongst magnificent basaltic columns and icebergs. In Hall Bredning huge icebergs from the deeper fjords tend to accumulate; icebergs in a density and size we have not seen since leaving Ilulissat at the very start of our voyage. Though, the difference now is the magnificent mountain scenery in the background giving us even new perspectives. Finally, landing at Sydkap, we might get another chance to see Muskox or Arctic hare. Should sea ice block our route, we will still find comfort in the wildlife that comes with the sea ice such as seals and good numbers of marine mammals.

As our epic Greenland cruise nears its conclusion, we will now arrive at Constable Point where we disembark for our flight to Reykjavik in Iceland. Please note: a mandatory transfer package is required for this trip which covers flights from Constable Point to Reykjavik and transfers and hotel stay in Reykjavik. This mandatory package is currently priced at USD 1050 per person.

After an overnight stay in Reykjavik your itinerary will come to an end and it will sadly be time to make your way homewards or onwards. Should you wish to extend your stay in Reykjavik to experience some of the wonders of Iceland, please let us know and we will be happy to help you arrange stays, tours and adventures.