Greenland to Newfoundland: Mountains, Wildlife and Viking History

Arrive at Keflavik International Airport near Reykjavik and transfer to the nearby group hotel included in the Charter Flight & Hotel Package. Spend the remainder of the day exploring Reykjavik, a city rich in Norse history and distinctive architecture. Allow approximately one hour for the transfer between the airport or hotel area and Reykjavik city center.

Take a morning charter flight to Kangerlussuaq, Greenland, and board Ultramarine to begin the expedition. Attend a welcome and safety briefing led by the Expedition Leader, preparing for the adventures ahead.

Today you explore the Qeqqata Municipality on the west coast of Greenland along the Davis Strait. You wander through the historic town of Sisimiut, where several 18th-century colonial buildings still stand, including Bethel Church. Look for the striking blue-and-red wooden place of worship. Activities also include a demonstration of the traditional art of kayak making. Experiencing a cultural resurgence, the kayak symbolizes Greenland and traces back over 4,000 years to the Inuit, who use the vessels for hunting and transportation. You also team up with local mountain-biking partners in Sisimiut, exploring trails that lead outside the town limits.

Ilulissat, Greenlandic for icebergs, is one of the highlights of any journey along west Greenland. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004, Ilulissat Icefjord gives birth to countless icebergs. It is home to one of the most productive glaciers in the northern hemisphere, Sermeq Kujalleq (also known as Jakobshavn Glacier). A Zodiac excursion offers a unique way to enjoy the spectacle of enormous bergs floating out to Disko Bay. You Zodiac cruise ashore to visit the nearby town of Ilulissat, then hike to the icefjord, where you view this incredible parade of icebergs from the rocky shore. Expect to see many dogs while in town. Sled dogs actually outnumber citizens in Ilulissat, which is the birthplace of the first European to traverse the Northwest Passage by dogsled, explorer Knud Rasmussen. If time allows, you visit a local museum dedicated to his memory.

As your ship navigates across the Davis Strait, onboard polar experts present on a variety of topics such as glaciology, history, and wildlife. You even get a taste of the traditional music of Newfoundland and Labrador and learn about the origins of the famous kitchen party tradition.

Today you explore the Canadian Arctic as you arrive in Nunavut, Canada’s youngest territory. Nunavut, which means “our land” in the Inuktitut language, stretches north of the Arctic Circle and covers over 1.8 million square kilometers (695,000 square miles), and serves as the homeland of the Inuit in Canada. You spend time in Pangnirtung, located at the mouth of Pangnirtung Fjord, which merges with Cumberland Sound. It is a stronghold of the Inuit community and an ideal place to learn about Inuit culture while admiring finely crafted traditional art, especially the textiles. You may want to purchase a famous Pang toque, a must-have knit cap for anyone visiting the community.

Located just off the southeast shore of Baffin Island, Monumental Island—Oomienwa in Inuktitut—carries the name given by Arctic explorer Charles Francis Hall in tribute to Sir John Franklin, who vanishes while searching for the Northwest Passage. Like the adjacent lands, the island is barren, rocky, and windblown. Positioned at a confluence of currents, it hosts prolific numbers of black guillemots in peak summer, nesting, incubating, and fledging. Monumental also attracts massive walruses with impressive tusks, often seen in groups at haul-outs. If the wind is right, you smell them before you see them. Shoals here capture massive icebergs drifting south, and Zodiac cruising on the edge of Davis Strait—linking Baffin Bay to the Labrador Sea—is unforgettable.

Torngat Mountains National Park leaves you awestruck. Within the 10,000 square-kilometer (3,861 square mile) national park, established in 2008, are Canada’s highest mountains east of the Rockies. The park presents a wilderness landscape painting brought to life: breathtaking fjords, dramatic glacial formations, stunning landscapes, boreal woodlands, and wildlife. For students of Indigenous history, Torngat Mountain National Park is especially meaningful: the park sits at the northern edge of semiautonomous Nunatsiavut territory, recognized as the homeland of the Labrador Inuit in 2005, operating under its own constitution and administration. These lands have hosted the Nunatsiavut and their predecessors for over 7,500 years. Torngat, in Inuktitut, means “place of the spirits,” reflecting the spiritual significance of the region to the Inuit communities. As a national park, this wilderness domain protects boreal woodland caribou, black bears, Labrador wolves, red and Arctic foxes, polar bears, and peregrine falcons, among other species. You explore this national wilderness area during Zodiac and kayaking excursions, as well as guided hikes.

Nain, which has a population of approximately 1,200, serves as the administrative capital of Nunatsiavut, the semi-autonomous region in northern Labrador claimed by the Inuit. Visitors learn about Labrador Inuit heritage through interactive exhibits, artwork, and cultural programs at the modern-looking Illusuak Cultural Center. To explore the other cultural group that influences the region, stroll through town to discover the historic Moravian Mission complex, established in 1771. The white-painted church and mission house bear witness to centuries of cultural exchanges between the Inuit and European missionaries. You engage with friendly locals to hear stories passed down through generations and sample traditional foods like arctic char and cloudberries. A guided hike offers breathtaking vistas of the surrounding mountains and sea.

As your ship heads south, you enjoy views of the Labrador coast. While at sea for the day, join expedition staff on deck as they look for whales and birdlife. You also relax with a glass of wine or hot tea and take in the wondrous beauty around you.

Consider the wooden longboats that transport the Vikings an incredible 2,180 kilometers (842 miles) from Greenland to Newfoundland in 1000 AD. Today, you visit the archaeological remains at the place they land in their hand-hewn vessels. L’Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site (also a UNESCO World Heritage Site) is the only confirmed Norse or Viking settlement in North America. Join a guided tour to see where Norseman Leif Erikson, son of Erik the Red, founds “Vinland” (the East Coast area including what later becomes Newfoundland) around 1000 AD. Explore the reconstructed sod huts and Norse ruins throughout the historic site—proof that Vikings discover North America 500 years before Christopher Columbus’ arrival.

Your final at-sea day offers a great opportunity to ask any lingering questions for the onboard experts, attend one last presentation, or relax in one of the outdoor Jacuzzis.

Your ship arrives at the pier in St. John’s for a morning disembarkation. After breakfast, you make your way to St. John’s International Airport to connect with your onward flight, or stay longer if you book additional accommodation.