HIGHLIGHTS
- Flying
in from Keflavík to the airport of Kangerlussuaq, we embark
the ship and head for the colourful town of Sisimiut
- Then
further to the small settlement of Qeqertarsuaq on Disko Island. Here
we can experience the age-old “Kaffemik” tradition
in the community house
- On
the southward voyage we visit the calving glacier at Eqip Sermia, the
town of Ilulissat, Iceberg Capital of the World, and the settlement
Itelleq to experience Inuit hunting culture
- Back
in Kangerlussuaq we disembark MS Ocean Diamond and enjoy a bus tour to
the Icecap before flying back to Keflavík and Iceland
- Unforgettable
experiences await you in Greenland!
DATES / RATES
Rates are listed per person
|
Start Date | End Date | From EUR | From USD |
Rates are listed per person
|
Start Date | End Date | From EUR | From USD |
ITINERARY
DAY
1: ICELAND - KANGERLUSSUAQ. EMBARKATION.
We
board our charter flight in Keflavík bound for Kangerlussuaq.
Upon
arrival in Kangerlussuaq in Greenland, we will be transported to the
small port located west of the airport, where our ship, Ocean Diamond,
will be anchored. Zodiacs will transfer us the short distance to the
ship, where you will be checked in to your outside cabin. After the
safety drill, you will enjoy a dinner as Ocean Atlantic ‘sets
sail’ through the 160-kilometre Kangerlussuaq fjord.
DAY
2: SISIMIUT, GREENLAND'S SECOND-LARGEST CITY.
After
breakfast, we arrive to the colourful town of Sisimiut, where we will
get an idea of what modern Greenland looks like. With 5,400
inhabitants, it is considered Greenland’s second
‘city’. People have lived around Sisimiut on and
off since 2,500 BC.
In
1756, Count Johan Ludvig Holstein, established a colony here and called
it “Holsteinsborg”. The oldest part of
Sisimiut’s historic quarter features town houses from this
“Holsteinsborg” era, and the oldest house in town
dates back to 1756. One of the most culturally significant buildings is
the Blue Church, built in 1775. Nowadays,
Sisimiut is an important place for education and industry, and local
factories process the bulk of Royal Greenland's fishing. The fish
processing plant is one of the largest of its kind in Greenland, and
one of the most modern in the world.
Our
city tour highlights include the historic colonial quarter, as well as
the museum and the beautiful church. Additionally, we will pay a visit
to the busy city centre for a glimpse of what daily life is like in
21st century Greenland. In the afternoon, our voyage will continue
northward. As evening
falls, we will pass the Sisimiut Isortuat Fjord, the Nordre
Strømfjord settlements of Attu and Ikerasaarsuk, and the
small town of Kangaatsiaq. During the course of the bright night, we
will pass Aasiaat and proceed into the southern waters of Disko Bay.
Next, the ship’s heading will be set for Disko Island, known
for its distinctive 1,000-meter/3,280 feet layered crags.
At
this point, we will be north of the Arctic Circle! Here, the nights are
bright and early risers can enjoy the sight of the icebergs on Disko
Bay as they squeeze out of the Ilulissat Icefjord and dance into the
frigid ocean waters.
DAY
3: QEQERTARSUAQ ON DISKO ISLAND, 'KAFFEMIK' IN A COMMUNITY CENTRE AND
EQIP SERMIA GLACIER.
Our
next sojourn lies on the southern tip of the Disko Island, where Ocean
Diamond will anchor in a protected natural harbour, which is named
Godhavn (‘Good Harbour’) in Danish, while its
Greenlandic name, Qeqertarsuaq, means ‘The Big
Island’.
Although
topographically quite different from mainland Greenland due to the
basalt characteristics of the Disko Island’s mountains,
Qeqertarsuaq maintains a long, rich history and once served as one of
the country’s important economic centres. From the 16th
century, the community was relatively prosperous and, in fact,
considered the most important town north of Nuuk until the mid-1900s,
due in part to the area’s sizeable whale hunting population.
During
our visit, we will wander through town, paying a visit to the
characteristic octagonal church, nicknamed “God’s
Inkpot”, as well as to a local community center that will be
hosting a traditional Greenlandic “kaffemik”, which
can be best described as a friendly gathering with coffee, cake and
traditional dances and music. Musicians
from Greenland originally played on a drum (qilaat) made from an oval
wooden frame covered with the bladder of a polar bear. Unlike other
drums, the qilaat was played by hitting the frame with a stick, not the
skin itself. This modest instrument was used for a variety of purposes,
including entertainment, exorcism and witchcraft.
After
the missionaries arrived, drum dancing was prohibited and later
replaced by part-singing of psalms and choral works, which today are
renowned for their particular Greenlandic sound. Today, drum dance is
used as entertainment in cultural events and on festive occasions. Greenlandic
music is inspired and influenced by music from other cultures, like the
Danish and Inuit cultures, and more specifically, Dutch and Scottish
polka, American country and rock ‘n’ roll and even
Hawaiian music, which inspired the so-called Vaigat-musicians in
Greenland in the 1950s and 60s.
As
the day draws to a closing, Ocean Diamond will set a north-easterly
course bound for a magnificent natural highlight – the
enormous Eqip Sermia Glacier. Situated
approximately 50 nautical miles north of Ilulissat, the Eqip Sermia
Glacier is renowned for its jaw-dropping beauty. Legendary arctic
explorers selected this location as a base for their studies. One such
explorer, the acclaimed Swiss glaciologist, Alfred de Quervain, used
the location as a base for his expeditions onto Greenland’s
inland ice sheet over a century ago.
We
will sail as close as possible to the ice’s edge –
but at a safe distance to avoid plunging blocks of ice and violent
waves that often result from the calving glacier.
DAY
4: ILULISSAT, CAPITAL OF THE ICEBERGS.
Ilulissat
is possibly the most well located town in Greenland. The name simply
means ‘icebergs’ in Greenlandic, and the
town’s nickname is rightly ‘the Iceberg
Capital’.
In
Disko Bay, which is located just off the coast of Ilulissat, gigantic
icebergs linger in the freezing waters. These icebergs come from the
Icefjord, which is located a half hour’s hike south of
Ilulissat. These impressive frozen structures are born some 70km/43,5
miles deeper into the fjord by the enormous Sermeq Kujalleq glacier.
This 10km/6 miles-wide glacier is the most productive glacier outside
of Antarctica; Whereas most glaciers only calve at a rate of
approximately a metre/three feet a day, the Ilulissat glacier calves at
a rate of 25m/82 feet per day. The icebergs produced by the glacier
represent more than 10% of all icebergs in Greenland, corresponding to
20 million tonnes/22 million us tons of ice per day!
These
facts, together with the fjord’s unforgettable scenery, have
secured the Icefjord a place on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.
During
the more than 250 years that have passed since the establishment of
Ilulissat, the town has steadily flourished. Today, Ilulissat is
Greenland’s third largest town, with more than 4,500
inhabitants. The town is very vibrant, welcoming and lively with a wide
range of cultural attractions, according to Greenlandic standards. The
legendary polar explorer, Knud Rasmussen, and his good friend,
Jørgen Brønlund, were both born in Ilulissat.
On
this day, you will also have the opportunity to join a boat trip to the
Icefjord (not included). The journey takes about two and a half hours
in total, a great opportunity to take a closer look at the amazing
ice-sculpted scenery. The trip is
definitely something out of the ordinary and a great natural experience
that you will remember for years to come – but be sure to
have warm clothing on! If a hike
or a trip by boat does not present enough excitement, there is also an
opportunity to arrange a helicopter ride over the Icefjord (not
included).
Please
note the boat and helicopter excursions to the Icefjord are not
included in the general tour price. Furthermore, the helicopter
excursion must be booked in advance. Refer to Price Information for
more details. In the
evening, we will cruise southward from “the Iceberg
Capital”, leaving lovely Disko Bay behind us as we part.
DAY
5: THE SETTLEMENT OF SARFANNGUIT.
The
settlement of Sarfannguit, which translates into ‘the place
of the little stream” an appropriate name for a settlement
nestled at the foothills of the mountains and glaciers in the distant
backcountry. The settlement’s slightly more than 100
residents live off hunting, trapping and fishing, most often in pursuit
of arctic char, reindeer and musk oxen. Although
Sarfannguit is quite remote, it lies within a few hours from Sisimiut,
the second-largest town in Greenland. The accessibility to such a large
town provides an indispensable economic benefit to a small community
like Sarfannguit.
A stroll
through the settlement offers insight into rural life in
today’s Greenland, where modern conveniences and
technological advancements, such as internet and smart phones have
become commonplace, yet locals still place great value on important
customs and preserving their traditions and their Inuit heritage. We will
continue our journey toward the fjord of Kangerlussuaq, also known as
Sondre Stromfjord. Especially the first part of the fjord gives a great
opportunity to enjoy an impressive passage with panoramic views of high
mountains and deep valleys.
DAY
6: KANGERLUSSUAQ. AIR TO ICELAND
During
the night, we will have completed our passage through the
160-kilometer/100 mile Kangerlussuaq Fjord. After breakfast aboard the
ship, we will bid farewell to the ship's staff and the Zodiac boats
will shuttle us to shore.
Due
to Kangerlussuaq’s military history and present-day role as
an important air travel hub, Kangerlussuaq remains fairly isolated from
Greenland’s rich cultural traditions, in comparison to other
regions. While you still find cultural experiences when visiting
Kangerlussuaq, the most impressive attraction is the surrounding
nature, which is just beckoning to be explored. It is not
difficult for one to see that Kangerlussuaq’s landscape has
largely been shaped by the last glaciation period, often known simply
as the “Ice Age,” some 18,000 years ago. The
mountains are rounded and soft, and many meltwater lakes remain. From
the inland ice sheet, best known as the Greenland Ice Sheet, the
meltwater cuts its way through the porous moraine landscape and flows
into Kangerlussuaq Fjord.
Kangerlussuaq’s
present-day climate is largely influenced by its well-sheltered
location between Greenland’s Ice Sheet, the fjord and
mountains. This contributes to its stable conditions, minimal cloud
cover and roughly 300 clear nights per year. This close
proximity to the Ice Sheet, combined with the continental climate, is
also of great significance to the local conditions. The dry climate,
combined with warm winds that “fall” from the Ice
Sheet, can result in temperatures that jump up to 30°C
(86°F) in the summer, but then fall to an extreme -40°C
(-40°F) in winter, making it the coldest inhabited area in
Greenland.
In
Kangerlussuaq, we offer an optional excursion to the beautiful Reindeer
Glacier. The duration of the excursion is about four hours. Please note
that the excursion is not included in the general tour price. Refer to
Price Information for more details. We do not recommend the excursion
for people who suffer from bad necks or backs, as the gravel road to
the ice sheet is occasionally bumpy and uneven.
As
our time in Greenland concludes, after breakfast and checkout, your
arctic adventure will have concluded. We hope to see you again soon! We
fly from Kangerlussuaq to Keflavik Airport, Iceland.
(Click image to view Ship details)
WHAT'S INCLUDED
INCLUSIONS
- English-speaking
guides.
- Flights
Keflavík – Kangerlussuaq round trip.
- Local
transport in Kangerlussuaq on day 1.
- City
tours in Sisimiut, Qeqertarsuaq,and Ilulissat.
- Museum
visits in Sisimiut, Qeqertarsuaq and Ilulissat.
- Church
visits in Qeqertarsuaq and Ilulissat.
- 'Kaffemik'
visit in Qeqertarsuaq.
- Briefings
and talks by tour leaders.
- 5-day
cruise in a shared outside double suite with bathroom/toilet.
- Full
board on the ship.
- Coffee,
tea and water on the ship.
- Taxes
and tariffs.
- Guiding
and lectures by our experienced expedition leader and team
- Special
photo workshop
- Welcome
and farewell cocktails
- Digital
visual journal link after voyage, including voyage log, gallery,
species list and more!
EXCLUSIONS
- Extra
optional excursions.
- Single
room supplement and cabin upgrades.
- Meals
not on board ship.
- Beverages
other than coffee, tea and water.
- Tips
for ship crew (approx. 13.5 USD per day per participant).
- Personal
expenses.
ADVENTURE
OPTIONS
- Boat
Trips
- Icefjord
Flight Sightseeing