Expedition To The Edge Of The Ice Sheet

HIGHLIGHTS

• Outings and shore visits in zodiac inflatables with a team of experienced naturalist guides.
• Hiking opportunity.
• UNESCO site: Ilulissat Icefjord.
• Visit traditional villages and meet the Inuit people and Visit to Nuuk, the capital of Greenland.
• Following in the footsteps of the Vikings, from the east coast of Greenland to Hvalso, home to ancient remains and Nuuk.
• Sail along the Prins Christian Sund, a narrow, 100-km long passage that winds its way through cliffs and glaciers.
• Discover the Eqi Glacier, at the bottom of Disko Bay, where the Paul-Émile Victor base marked the departure of many expeditions to the ice cap.
• Discover Disko Bay, where you will see the largest icebergs in the Northern Hemisphere.
• The scenery: fjords, iridescent glaciers and icebergs, wild tundra, lakes, and mountain ranges.
• The wildlife: humpback whales, orcas, seals, musk oxen, Arctic foxes.

*Subject to ice and weather conditions. The expedition highlights and itineraries described above illustrate possible experiences only and cannot be guaranteed.

ITINERARY

12 AUGUST 2024  13 AUGUST 2024 - REYKJAVÍK

Embarkation 12/08/2024 from 16:00 to 17:00
Departure 13/08/2024 at 00:00

Iceland’s capital stretches along the edge of a vast bay in the west of the country. Perlan, the “Pearl of Reykjavík”, a museum located on ’Oskjuhlið hill, offers a panoramic view of the lush, green landscapes. A little further, one can easily spot the signpost showing the way to the evangelical Hallgrímskirkja church, and to the historical centre where one can stroll along the Skólavördustígur and the Laugavegur, two lively streets with charming small shops. For some relaxation just outside of the city, visitors have the opportunity to visit the Reykjanes peninsula and its famous thermal lagoons of the Blue Lagoon.

14 AUGUST 2024 - AT SEA

Arrival 14/08/2024
Departure 14/08/2024

During your journey at sea, make the most of the many services and activities on board. Treat yourself to a moment of relaxation in the spa or stay in shape in the fitness centre. Depending on the season, let yourself be tempted by the swimming pool or a spot of sunbathing. This journey without a port of call will also be an opportunity to enjoy the conferences or shows proposed on board, depending on the activities offered, or to do some shopping in the boutique or to meet the PONANT photographers in their dedicated space. As for lovers of the open sea, they will be able to visit the ship’s upper deck to admire the spectacle of the waves and perhaps be lucky enough to observe marine species. A truly enchanted interlude, combining comfort, rest and entertainment.

15 AUGUST 2024 - TASIILAQ

Arrival 15/08/2024
Departure 15/08/2024

In Tasiilaq, on Ammassalik Island, follow in the wake of Captain Jean-Baptiste Charcot’s famous ship, the Pourquoi Pas ?, which set off with its crew in 1935 to discover this small island of primitive and wild beauty that remained unexplored until the end of the 19th century. Along with Ittoqqortoormiit, a village with 500 inhabitants located at the entrance of the Scoresby Sound, the village of Tasiilaq and its surroundings, 800 kilometres (500 miles) further north, are the only inhabited areas on the east coast of Greenland. The name of this island is a reference to the capelin, a small flamboyant silver-coloured fish whose presence in the thousands announces to inhabitants the return of spring. A surprising discovery in a spectacular setting.

15 AUGUST 2024 - SERMILIK FJORD

Arrival 15/08/2024
Departure 15/08/2024

You will be captivated by the spectacular scenery of the Sermilik Fjord, the largest in the south-east of Greenland. To the north, above the glacial valleys, the Schweitzerland Alps and their peaks that rise to an altitude of more than 3,000 metres (10,000 feet) stretch out in the distance, while in the south, where it opens onto the Irminger Sea, heavy erosion has carved the landscape. Three main glaciers calve a multitude of dazzling icebergs that drift serenely along the indigo waters of this majestic fjord. It owes its name to the Inuit word Sermilik, which generally refers to a fjord into which a glacier flows. It was mapped in 1884 by the Danish explorer Gustav Holm and his crew, while they wintered in the Ammassalik region.

16 AUGUST 2024 - SKJOLDUNGEN

Arrival 16/08/2024
Departure 16/08/2024

Discover Skjoldungen Island on the south-east coast of Greenland. This uninhabited land boasts magnificent landscapes that are sure to dazzle you. The island is surrounded by a stunning fjord, a distinctive feature of which is its double entrance: it forms a bend before joining the sea on the other side. Mountains, glacial valleys, rocky outcrops, tundra and willow forests make up the beautiful scenery which you will be able to admire more closely when you land here. At this port of call, surrounded by wild and pristine nature, it is quite common to see bearded seals, orcas, but also birds such as the common redpoll, the northern wheatear, or the common raven.

17 AUGUST 2024 - AAPPILATTOQ (AUGPILATOK)

Arrival 17/08/2024
Departure 17/08/2024

Aappilattoq (Augpilatok), is a small Inuit village of around one hundred inhabitants, whose name means “sea anemone” in Greenlandic. Located in a mountainous region inaccessible by road, its picturesque, colourful houses stretch out to the southern tip of Greenland, on the banks of the spectacular Prince Christian Sound. Some one hundred kilometres long, the sound connects the Labrador Sea to the Irminger Sea, meandering through stunning landscapes such as majestic glaciers, craggy peaks, and rocky cliffs with waterfalls fed by the ice sheet. This region was uninhabited in the 19th century. The village was created in the 1920s and the main activities revolve around hunting, fishing and livestock farming.

18 AUGUST 2024 - HVALSO

Arrival 18/08/2024
Departure 18/08/2024

Around you, a grassy meadow filled with flowers stretches out, dotted with imposing granite rocks. A few semi-wild sheep and horses greet you; they are the only inhabitants of this place surrounded by beautiful mountains. You are in Hvalsø, in the heart of the fertile lands in Greenland’s south. During the 10th century, this site was colonised by the Vikings, who established a large community here. When your ship calls at these lands brimming with history, you will see the ruins of a church whose remains are still very well preserved. It was most likely built in the 14th century. It has lost its timber roof, but its four stone walls continue to stand proudly as a moving relic of a long-gone era.

18 AUGUST 2024 - NARSAQ FJORD

Arrival 18/08/2024
Departure 18/08/2024

From your ship, discover the town of Narsaq. You will be dazzled by the beauty of the surrounding icebergs − large masses of ice in different shapes and shifting colours. Dominated by lush mountains, this small town is typical of Greenland and is located in the heart of a wonderful natural landscape. The multicoloured house facades and the glaciers with their myriad shades of blue offer a magical setting, conducive to wonderment.

19 AUGUST 2024 - IVIGTUT

Arrival 19/08/2024
Departure 19/08/2024

Located in the Arsuk Fjord, Ivigtut, now called Ivittuut, is a small town in southwestern Greenland known for being rich in cryolite, a very rare mineral used in the ceramics industry and to extract aluminium from bauxite. The open-pit mine was a once major economic resource for Greenland: a prosperous mining activity developed there in the 19th century until 1963 when the mine was closed. In the 32 km-long (22 miles) fjord that runs along the small town surrounded by tundra landscapes, you might be fortunate enough to see whales or rorquals swimming nonchalantly in the cold water.

20 AUGUST 2024 - NUUK

Arrival 20/08/2024
Departure 20/08/2024

When Erik Le Rouge, the exiled Norse chief, landed on the coast of Nuuk, he found a fertile and welcoming land dotted with fjords. He settled there with a group of his former countrymen, and the Norse remained the principal inhabitants until, over a period of 500 years, their population declined and gave way to the Inuit. Nuuk is situated at the mouth of one of the largest networks of fjords in the world, where the waters never freeze. The town spreads gently out towards the Davis Strait and enjoys an historic center that is particularly rich in national heritage. The vivid reds, blues, greens and yellows of the houses are a lively contrast to the somber waters of Greenland and serve to lift the spirits of the locals during the Winter months.

21 AUGUST 2024 - SISIMIUT

Arrival 21/08/2024
Departure 21/08/2024

During your cruise, we invite you to discover Sisimiut, founded in 1756 and the second largest town in Greenland. This small town is typical of Greenland, boasting bewitching panoramas: here and there, colourful stilt houses dot the undulating landscape, and the small fishing port stands as the gateway to an icy realm. As for the town centre, it is home to a number of historic buildings, a small church and a museum which retraces the history of the Inuit people, as well as many craft shops. When your ship drops anchor here, you will set out to meet the locals in a typically arctic atmosphere.

22 AUGUST 2024 - PAUL-ÉMILE VICTOR BASE CAMP, EQI GLACIER

Arrival 22/08/2024
Departure 22/08/2024

"The most beautiful place in the Arctic" is how Paul-Émile Victor described Greenland, a land of great icebergs and of towering ice formations calved by the giant glaciers of the polar ice cap. The Eqi Glacier is one of the region’s most impressive sights. Here, the silence is broken only by the roaring and cracking of the ice. It is impossible to know if one is shivering from cold or from the sheer thrill of being here... Imagine the vast outline of a glacier, its translucent crystals glowing with an ice-blue fire in the sunlight. Paul-Émile Victor’s shelter cannot be overlooked; it was from here that the French Polar Expeditions’ anthropological and geographic explorations set off in the 1950s.

23 AUGUST 2024 - DISKO BAY

Arrival 23/08/2024
Departure 23/08/2024

To the east of Baffin Bay, discover Disko Bay, scattered with countless icebergs produced by the Ilulissat Icefjord, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. From your ship, admire the majestic ballet of these ice giants as they slowly drift across the dark waters. This site is a natural marvel of Greenland, and is also renowned as an observation point for the region’s many humpback whales. The encounters with wild fauna and stunning landscapes in the heart of this spectacular and fragile nature will be pure moments of wonder for you.

24 AUGUST 2024 - ITILLEQ

Arrival 24/08/2024
Departure 24/08/2024

Itilleq is a tiny island lying within the Arctic Circle, 45 km south of Sisimiut. Home to barely 100 people, they mainly earn a living from fishing and hunting in their typical Greenlandic village, whose bright colours evoke those of their traditional clothing. During your visit, you will maybe have the pleasure of playing a game of football with them, enjoying a “kaffemik” (a coffee break) or a moment of contemplation when the gentle light of the midnight sun dapples the horizon.

25 AUGUST 2024 - KANGERLUSSUAQ

Arrival 25/08/2024 at night
Disembarkation 25/08/2024 at 07:00

From 1941 to 1992, the town of Kangerlussuaq in Greenland was home to an American military base. Nowadays, thanks to its international airport, it has become a transit point for travellers seeking adventure in the Far North. Located to the north of the Arctic Circle, this town is the starting point of magnificent discoveries surrounded by unspoiled nature. Indeed, just a few dozen kilometres from there it is possible to get close to the Greenland ice sheet, the largest body of ice in the Northern Hemisphere. From Kangerlussuaq, admire also the superb landscapes of tundra in autumnal colours, where Arctic hares, musk oxen, Arctic foxes, reindeer, falcons and eagles live. 

WHAT'S INCLUDED

For your serenity, PONANT selects a flight and organises the transfer between the port and the airport. This package is included in your cruise fare.

Disembarkation Day - Kangerlussuaq/Paris

• Disembarkation.
• Meet and greet at the port by our local English-speaking representative.
• Transfer to the airport in time for check-in of flight Kangerlussuaq/Paris selected by PONANT.
• Flight Kangerlussuaq/Paris selected by PONANT.
• Approximate flight duration: 5 h.

We highly recommend you stay one night in Paris after this flight.

This programme includes:

• Flight Kangerlussuaq/Paris selected by PONANT in economy class.
• Transfer as mentioned in the programme.
• English-speaking assistance.

This programme does not include:

• Personal expenses.
• Any other service not mentioned in the programme.

Please note:

• Due to limited local transportation resources, waiting might be generated.
• Flight included in the programme is as of today, operated in economy class, on a European airline.
• For passengers in transit in Paris, we recommend staying one night in Paris after this flight.
• Programme and flight schedule are subject to change without prior notice.
• PONANT will adapt the content of the transfer offer from and to airport according to your flight schedule.