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A zodiac landing on remote shores

Thule

Example 18 Day Cruise aboard Rembrandt van Rijn
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Sail by the enormous Greenlandic icecap on a route through Melville Bay on this epic 18-day adventure. The coast in this region is dominated by the vast icecap that reaches into the sea in the form of a series of enormous glacier fronts - the largest outside of Antarctica!
Unique houses in Greenland.Hiking the arctic tundra.Sailing the Arctic watersPurple Saxifrage on a Arctic hillsideA zodiac landing on remote shores
Places Visited
  • Arctic
  • Greenland
  • Aasiaat
  • Bjornefaelden
  • Davis Strait
  • Flakkerhuk
  • Hareøen
  • Herbert Ø
  • Kap Seddon
  • Kap York (Cape York)
  • Melville Bay
  • North East Balles Ø
  • North Star Bugt
  • Savigsivik
  • Svartenhuk Halvo
  • Thule
  • Upernavik
Activity Level: Relaxed
Involves minimal physical effort and is typically associated with leisurely activities. Activities are low-intensity or last less than a few hours each day.
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Full Itinerary

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Day 1: Embark in Aasiaat, Greenland

Arrive in Aasiaat from Kangerlussuaq by chartered plane. Aasiaat is a settlement founded in the 17th century to support whaling at the mouth of Disko Bay. Its port is ice-free from late spring to early winter. Embark your ship and depart this evening.

Day 2: Hareøen

  • Ship
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
On Hareøen, make a landing at the northeast side at Umivinguaq, a lovely little bay with Thule houses.

Day 3-4: Davis Strait

  • Ship
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Spend today at sea sailing north in Davis Strait, and enjoy the ever-changing view of the Greenland ice cap.

Day 5: Cape York

  • Ship
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Cape York is where Royal Navy ships under John Ross arrived in 1818, introducing the Inuit and Westerner Europeans for the first time. Today the small settlements on the eastern side of the cape are deserted. Just east of Parker Snow Bugt, cruise below the spectacular ice-capped Crimson Cliffs.

Day 6: Umanak and Thule Mountain

  • Ship
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
At North Star Bugt, visit the old Thule settlement where you can see Umanak and Thule Mountain (the American Base is off limits). Later land at Umivik at the northeast of Saunders ø, with beautiful geological formations.

Day 7: Thule (Qaanaaq)

  • Ship
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Call at Thule (Qaanaaq), the main settlement of the area. In the 1950s the inhabitants of Old Thule were forced to move to Qaanaaq when NATO created an air base at their former village. The ship's crew hopes to sail some way to the east into the Inglefield Bredning. Later cruise to Siorapaluk, the northernmost Greenlandic village. Behind it is a mountain with little auks. In Atikerdluq, a valley more to the west, we see Thule dwellings, graves and again little auks.

Day 8: Qeqertarssuaq on Hebert Ø

  • Ship
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Qeqertarssuaq, on Herbert Ø, is one of the many deserted settlements in Greenland. At the Missumassoq Glacier (south of Hvalsund) you can take a zodiac glacier cruise, which brings you quite close to the formation.

Day 9: Kaminski Bugt-Qarsuarssuk

  • Ship
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
In Kaminski Bugt-Qarsuarssuk enjoy a beautiful view of the Putigfik Glacier and take another zodiac cruise along the glacier front.

Day 10: Savigsivik

  • Ship
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
On Meteor Island, land at Savigsivik, the southernmost Thule settlement. It was on this island that the famous York meteorite provided the Inuit with a source of iron - until Peary removed it and sold it to an American museum. A visit to the site at the east side of the island is planned if there is enough time.

Day 11-12: Greenlandic Icecap

  • Ship
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Sail by the enormous Greenlandic icecap through Melville Bay south of the perimeter of the Nature reserve. Land at N.E. Balles Ø, Depot Øer. Cape Seddon and Red Head, areas completely surrounded by glacier ice, are other possibilities.

Day 13-14: Melville Bay and Upernavik

  • Ship
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
In the maze of channels and straits between Melville Bay and Upernavik, plan to make some landings and zodiac cruises. Qavdlunat (8 miles south of Cape Shackleton) offers a colorful landscape. The settlement Tasisusaq is surrounded by icebergs and is nice for zodiac cruising, as is the Upernavik Isfjord. At Kingigtorsuaq, where 14th century Viking ruins were found, go ashore and try to walk to the top of the island. On your way, try to imagine how these Norsemen stood on the same island seven centuries ago. From there sail to Upernavik, the main town in North Greenland.

Day 15: Svartenhuk Peninsula

  • Ship
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Svartenhavn is a secluded bay in the Svartenhuk Peninsula where you can expect to see musk oxen.

Day 16: Bjørnefaelden

  • Ship
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
At the western tip of Nussuaq Peninsula land at Bjørnefaelden, which is assumed to be named after a bear trap from the Viking period.

Day 17: Flakkerhuk

  • Ship
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Depending on the weather, sail through Vaigat into Disko Bugt with a landing at Flakkerhuk, a tundra with a rich birdlife. Alternatively, sail west by Disko Island and land in Fortune Bay (Kitdlit, or "whale bay" in Greenlandic) and Engkelsmanshavn near some warm springs. Here there is a good opportunity to see humpback whales when you sail south of Godhavn.

Day 18: Disembark in Aasiaat, Greenland

  • 1 Breakfast
Arrive in Aasiaat. In the morning fly from Aasiaat to Kangerlussuaq by chartered flight, and onward by scheduled flight to Copenhagen (flights not included in the voyage cost).

Ship/Hotel

Rembrandt van Rijn

Exterior image of the Rembrandt van Rijn.
Relax at the bar aboard the Rembrandt van Rijn.
Lounge area aboard the Rembrandt van Rijn.

Dates & Prices

My Preferred Start Date

Per person starting at
$5,850
Rembrandt van Rijn's Triple Private Porthole Cabin.
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Triple Private Porthole
Main deck, upper and lower berths, private bath facilities and porthole.
Rembrandt van Rijn's Twin Private.
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Twin Private Inside
Lower deck, upper and lower berths, inside cabins with private bath facilities.
Rembrandt van Rijn's Twin Private Porthole.
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Twin Private Porthole
Lower deck, upper and lower berths or two lower berths, private bath facilities and porthole.

Notes

- Rates are quoted in U.S. dollars and represent costs per person, double occupancy.
- Cabins are available for single occupancy at 1.7 times the double occupancy rate.
- Children between the ages of 3-15 receive a 40% discount in triple cabins, one child per cabin.
- Due to the extreme nature of itinerary destinations, travel insurance is mandatory for all cruises aboard the Rembrandt Van Rijn - including medical, accident and repatriation/evacuation insurance.
Included
  • 14 Breakfasts, 13 Lunches, 14 Dinners

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