Greenland & Wild Labrador: A Torngat Mountains Adventure

Kangerlussuaq sits in a broad glacial valley between the Greenland Ice Sheet and the sea. Its dry climate and stable weather led to the establishment of an American air base during World War II, and the town remains an important aviation gateway to Greenland. The surrounding region has a much longer history of Inuit travel and hunting.

After arriving by charter flight from Toronto, board the expedition vessel and sail through Kangerlussuaq Fjord. Pass mountains, glacial valleys, and meltwater channels as the landscape changes from Greenland’s interior to its western coast. Cross the Arctic Circle and continue into the open waters of the Arctic during the long daylight hours of late summer.

Kangerlussuatsiaq means “the rather big fjord” in Kalaallisut, while its Danish name, Evighedsfjorden, translates to “the fjord of eternity.” The names reflect the fjord’s size and length. Explore this coastal landscape by expedition vessel and Zodiac, passing calving glaciers, steep bird cliffs, and streams flowing down the surrounding mountains. The waters are relatively warm due to the influence of the West Greenland Current and the fjord’s subarctic location.

At the mouth of an immense fjord system, Nuuk rises between the sea and the mountains. Its name means “headland” in Kalaallisut, the Greenlandic language, a fitting description for a capital gathered at the water’s edge. Colorful wooden houses line the old harbor, contemporary buildings reshape the skyline, and the saddle-shaped peak of Sermitsiaq rises across the water, giving Nuuk its unmistakable natural backdrop.

Human history in the region reaches back thousands of years, while the modern city grew from a colonial settlement established in 1728. The Greenland National Museum brings these layered histories together through boats, clothing, archaeological finds, and the remarkably preserved Qilakitsoq mummies.

Nuuk is also a center of contemporary Greenlandic life. Kalaallisut carries through everyday conversation, music, and public life, while artists and chefs draw new ideas from culture and place. Katuaq, Greenland’s cultural center, takes its name from the word for “drumstick,” fitting for a gathering place that helps set the city’s creative rhythm. There is much to discover in this distinctly Greenlandic capital, where a lively cultural scene extends beyond museums and performance spaces into cafés, shops, and everyday city life.

Cross the Davis Strait, a storied stretch of ocean connecting Greenland and Labrador. While whales and seabirds trace your course, life aboard turns to learning and exchange. Inuit cultural educators, scientists, artists, and historians share knowledge, stories, and laughter that deepen understanding of the Arctic and its peoples. Reflection and discovery flow together on this day at sea. 

The sea that has shaped this expedition reaches its most dramatic expression in Torngat Mountains National Park. At the northern edge of Labrador, some of the highest and most rugged mountains in eastern North America rise directly from the water. Fjords extend deep into the range beneath walls reaching 900 meters, while small glaciers endure among rocks nearly four billion years old.

Torngait means “place where the spirits dwell.” This is the homeland of Labrador and Nunavik Inuit, whose travel routes, hunting grounds, stories, and knowledge are inseparable from the landscape. Inuit hosts bring this relationship into view, sharing perspectives shaped by generations of travelling, living, and observing the land and sea.

Polar bears travel the coast, caribou move through the valleys, and the Torngats support the world’s only known black bear population living entirely above the tree line. Over four days, the scale of the park unfolds through changing fjords, weather, wildlife, and time shared with Inuit. Here, sea, stone, and living culture come together at the heart of the journey. 

Above the tree line on Labrador’s northern coast, the long white building of Hebron Mission National Historic Site of Canada stands against a vast landscape of mountains, tundra, and sea. Established by Moravian missionaries in the 1830s, Hebron became a center of religious, commercial, medical, and community life for Labrador Inuit.

In 1959, Hebron was closed without consultation, and 249 Inuit were relocated to communities farther south, separating families from their homeland. A monument now records their names, the provincial government’s apology, and the relocatees’ response in Inuktitut and English.

Yet Hebron is more than a place of loss. As families return and restoration continues, it is again becoming a place of gathering, where the past is remembered and connections to homeland are renewed for generations to come. 

Come ashore in a Nunatsiavut community, where the spirit of the Labrador coast comes vividly to life. Here, history, art, and daily life intertwine, revealing stories of resilience, pride, and connection to land and sea. Walk through a community where tradition and modern life coexist, where voices rise in song, artisans share their craft, and every conversation offers insight into Inuit self-governance and cultural renewal. Framed by striking coastal hills and ancient rock formations, this visit offers a powerful sense of place and a deeper appreciation of Inuit Labrador.

Along the Labrador coast, sheer headlands give way to quiet coves and forested valleys that reach toward the sea. For centuries, Inuit, Innu, and settler communities have lived within this landscape of contrasts, its beauty matched only by its demands. During the great cod fishery, harbors once filled with schooners, salt fish, and the rhythm of seasonal life. Today, cultural sites and small outports echo those stories, revealing how people and sea have long sustained one another. Guided hikes and Zodiac excursions invite you to trace these same shorelines, where every turn offers a glimpse of Labrador’s raw power and enduring spirit. 

At the tip of Newfoundland’s Great Northern Peninsula lies L’Anse aux Meadows, the only authenticated Norse site in North America and a UNESCO World Heritage treasure. Step back a thousand years to when Norse voyagers made landfall here, marking the first known meeting between Europeans and the Indigenous peoples of this continent. Wander among grassy mounds and reconstructed sod dwellings that bring the past to life, and trace the stories unearthed by archaeologists who followed the sagas and clues preserved in the earth. 

Follow the Labrador Current along Newfoundland’s rugged northeast coast, where fishing villages cling to headlands shaped by wind and tide. Its cold waters once supported the greatest fishery in the world, king cod, drawing settlers to carve out lives along the rocky shores. These coastal communities, though ever adapting, still carry the imprint of their sea-going heritage. Out at sea, whales surface and seabirds wheel overhead, drawn by the nutrient-rich flow. Here, wild landscapes and enduring traditions meet, revealing a shoreline defined as much by people and history as by the restless sea itself.   

Cradled by steep hills and guarded by the dramatic Narrows, St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador’s spirited capital, is one of the world’s great natural harbors and one of North America’s oldest cities. Brightly painted row houses climb the slopes beside Signal Hill, where the Atlantic stretches endlessly beyond. In its winding streets and lively waterfront, history and creativity thrive side by side, filling the air with music, laughter, and the unmistakable spirit of Newfoundland.