Overview
Navigating along Greenland’s old intercoastal routes, we can indulge in the multitude of wonders, including “Iceberg Capital of the World”, Ilulissat, and the nearby UNESCO-protected Icefjord. Visit the small town of Qeqertarsuaq on mountainous Disko Island where we can experience the “Kaffemik” tradition in the community house, and we’ll cruise close to the calving glacier of Eqip Sermia. Even make a call to the Polar Circle settlement of Itilleq. While overnighting in Iceland, have the opportunity to experience the island nation’s unique nature, as well as centuries-old history and culture.
DAY 1 - ICELAND - KANGERLUSSUAQ. EMBARKATION
Upon arrival from Keflavík in Iceland, we will be transported to the
small port located west of the airport, where our ship, Ocean
Atlantic, 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 Atlantic will dock 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 Atlantic 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 - A VISIT TO ITILLEQ.
In the morning, we will wake up to a picturesque sight — the
settlement of Itilleq, which translates to ‘the hollow’ or ‘the
flatlands’, quite an appropriate name for a settlement nestled at the
foothills of mountains and glaciers in the distant backcountry to the
east. 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 Itilleq is quite remote, it lies
within a few hours via dinghy sail 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 Itilleq’s. 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 Inuit heritage. Before lunch, we
will return to Ocean Atlantic and continue our journey toward the
fjord of Kangerlussuaq, also known as Sondrestromfjord. 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 Reykjavík.
