Board a chartered flight in Keflavik, Iceland, bound for Kangerlussuaq in Greenland. Upon arrival to Kangerlussuaq (Søndre Strømfjord), transfer to the small port located west of the airport, where your ship will be anchored. After the mandatory safety drill, enjoy a dinner as Ocean Atlantic ‘sets sail’ through the 160-kilometer Kangerlussuaq fjord.

After breakfast, we arrive at the colorful town of Sisimiut, where we will get an idea of what modern Greenland looks like. With 5,400 inhabitants, it is Greenland’s second-largest town. 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. In the afternoon, our voyage will continue northward.
After breakfast, we arrive at the colorful town of Sisimiut, where we will get an idea of what modern Greenland looks like. With 5,400 inhabitants, it is Greenland’s second-largest town.

Below Disko Island’s 1,000-meter tall mountains we put into port in a protected natural harbor. The place is aptly named Godhavn (“Good Harbor”) in Danish, while its Greenlandic name “Qeqertarsuaq” simply means “The Big Island”. 

Up to 1950 Godhavn was the most important town north of Nuuk, the main town of Greenland, solely because of the many whales that the whaling boats towed here from the Disko Bay. This bestowed the town with much wealth, starting already in the 16th century. The town is now on its way to oblivion as it gets harder and harder to find work, and because of the infrequent connections to the mainland. We walk through town to the characteristic, octagonal church, nicknamed “the inkpot of God”. During our stay in Qeqertarsuaq, we will visit the local community center that will be hosting a traditional Greenlandic “kaffemik”. It can best be described as a friendly gathering with coffee, cake, and traditional dances and music.

Based on continually updated ice charts the Captain sets as direct a course as possible all the way into Nares Strait and Hans Island. To make sure we have sufficient time to get through any pack ice, we will have a few days at sea. However, the days are by no means wasted: There are always chances to see minke whales and fin whales. We are constantly followed by the little arctic fulmar, moving from windward to lee gaining speed and dynamic in its flight along the vessel. And in the lecture hall, our expeditions staff have a diverse program of lectures about Greenlandic nature and culture.

During the night we cross Melville Bay, with a coastline marked by calving glaciers. The dangerous winter ice in the bay and the long distance to the Danish colonies to the south meant that the polar Inuit from the Thule district were isolated from the rest of West Greenland until just 130 years ago. They thus have a closer relationship with the Inuit in Canada and speak a dialect that differs significantly from the southern Greenlandic language. 
 

If the ice conditions are favorable, we continue north. The ship's speed will be reduced, and we should expect to be at sea most of the time. We sail through Smith Sound and pass Cape Alexander, Greenland's westernmost point. Smith Sound and its northern continuation, the Kennedy Channel have strong currents, acting as an outlet for polar pack ice and icebergs from the Arctic Ocean. Our bridge officers will of course keep a vigilant watch as we approach Hans Island – or Hans Ø, as it is written in Danish.

Hans Island has been widely covered in the media because it is located exactly between Ellesmere Island in Canada and Greenland. The island falls within the 12-mile territorial limit of either shore, allowing both sides to claim it under international law. A veritable flag war has since unfolded between Canadian and Danish authorities, who alternately have hoisted their flag and placed a bottle of either Canadian whiskey or Danish schnapps. In 2018, the governments of the two countries have agreed to resolve the border dispute at the negotiating table and to build a weather station on the island to monitor the special pack ice conditions that occur in Nares Strait.

During the night we have escaped the confines of Nares Strait. Entering Inglefield Bay, we pass some of Greenland’s biggest bird cliffs and are again in habituated areas. The Captain anchors Ocean Atlantic off Qaanaaq, the only proper town in northwest Greenland.

The town was founded in 1953, when the Americans built their base near the original trading post of Thule. All Inuit were transferred to this new place. Today, some 600 people live in Qaanaaq, which is supported weekly by Air Greenland flights and twice a year by cargo ship.  We take a walk through the town, where we can visit the small museum and the well-stocked supermarket.

Having left Qaanaaq in the evening, Captain will cast anchor in North Star Bay at the American Thule Base. The base is off limit for us and not the scope for our visit.
We will make a Zodiac landing at the abandoned settlement Uummannaq at the foot of Dundasfjeldet. 
 
On our route south we will pass below Cape York and Meteor Island, famous for the huge Cape York iron meteorites. The largest of the many fragments, the 40 ton Ahnighito is on display at the American Museum of Natural History. Also at Cape York is the huge cairn, erected by Robert Peary.
 

After a fine morning at sea, we reach the distinctive rock pillar “The Devil’s Thumb” reaching 540 meters above the flat surroundings. The island is home to the 400 inhabitants living in the settlement of Kullorsuaq, which in Greenlandic obviously means ”The Big Thumb”. We are still in polar bear territory, and the local hunters have a quota of several bears. Their skins are used for the much sought-after polar bear pants, and the tasty (to the local palates) meat is shared amongst everybody in the settlement.

The Upernavik territory covers an area nearly the size of Great Britain. The town itself and the ten smaller settlements in the area, inhabits some 3000 people, mostly Inuit hunters. Upernavik is a mix of the hunter culture of old and new high-tech fishing. You can equate old and new with the dog sleighs that exist alongside modern snowmobiles.

The city itself was founded as a Danish colonial station, but the surrounding areas and small villages history go back more than 4500 years. This was when groups of hunters and gatherers traveled along the coasts of Alaska, Canada, and ultimately Greenland. We anchor and make a landing, allowing us to visit the little city and the open-air museum. Nights are getting darker, and it might be a good idea to dress up warm, go on deck a check the sky for aurora borealis, northern light.

When you wake up this morning, you will find yourself almost 600km north of the Arctic Circle, and in one of Greenland’s most beautiful and sunny regions. The ship has reached Uummannaq, situated on a small island. Uummannaq means "place where the heart is," and the impressive 1,175m heart-shaped mountain that gave the town its name dominates the view. Explore the city before heading back to the ship for lunch.

Ilulissat is one of the most scenic located towns in Greenland. The name simply means ‘icebergs’ in Greenlandic, and the town’s nickname is right ‘the Iceberg Capital of the World’. Just south of town, Ilulissat Icefjord expels gigantic icebergs into the cold waters of Disko Bay. These impressive frozen structures are born some 30km deeper into the fjord by the enormous Sermeq Kujalleq Glacier. This 10km wide glacier is the most productive outside of Antarctica. Whereas most glaciers only calve at a rate of approximately a meter/three feet a day, the Ilulissat glacier moves forward at a rate of 25 meters per day, producing more than 10% of all icebergs in Greenland. These facts, together with the fjord’s unforgettable scenery, have secured the Ice fjord a place on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.

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 the internet and smartphones have become commonplace, yet locals still place great value on important customs and preserving their traditions and their Inuit heritage.

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. 

Your arctic adventure and time in Greenland conclude as you board the chartered flight from Kangerlussuaq to Keflavik Airport, Iceland.