- Ship
- 9 Breakfasts, 9 Lunches, 9 Dinners
Today, the expedition team aims to break ground by attempting to forge toward the northernmost tip of mighty Greenland. If successful, the North of Greenland, wild and untouched, offers breathtaking landscapes and a completely unique experience. The program for the next few depends on the weather and ice conditions, but hopefully to head north to Germania Land, and beyond towards Kronprins Christian Land, the home of the Sirius Patrol, dog-sled patrollers of Northeast Greenland National Park.
Be prepared to experience ice, lots of it! The experienced expedition team will use their expertise to design your trip from day to day. You may explore on land or cruising along spectacular fjords, making the best use of the prevailing weather, ice conditions, and wildlife opportunities. Begin your adventure to one of the most remote areas in the Far North, where only true expeditioners venture.
As you navigate the ice, take in the stunning textures of the sea ice, and be awed by icebergs that have come to a halt, perhaps catching your first glimpse of seals and seabirds. Embrace the magic of the moment and the beauty found in the details of this icy vastness.
Sailing south, travelers approach East Greenland. In the coming days, a host of choices are open to you, and depending on ice and weather conditions, the east coast of Greenland is yours to explore.
East Greenland contains some of the Arctic's most impressive scenery. Deep fjords and narrow channels, flanked by sharp ice-clad peaks up to 2,000 m (6,562 ft) high. Gigantic icebergs calved from glaciers drift throughout the fjord system creating breathtaking scenery. The landscape is filled with multi-colored tundra home to musk oxen and arctic hares. Throughout the area are ancient Thule archaeological sites, historical trappers' huts, and modern Inuit hunters' cabins. A highlight is a visit to the Inuit village of Ittoqqortoormiit, the most isolated and northernmost permanent settlement in the region, with approximately 500 inhabitants. Here you can explore the village, the fascinating museum or sit in the beautiful Lutheran Church. The locals are friendly, and from underneath their Arctic fox fur jackets, the shy young children are keen to say hello and practice their English. The community boasts an excellent museum, gift shop, an abundance of Greenlandic sled dogs, and the opportunity to meet Inuit people.
Thanks to the fertile volcanic soil mountains that protect areas from the strong winds, the area is rich in wildlife. You may spot everything from muskox and arctic foxes to mountain hares and even reindeer near the fjord. Look skyward and you could catch a glimpse of birds including common eider, glaucous gull, black-legged kittiwake, northern fulmar, and arctic terns gracefully gliding or plunging into icy bays for zooplankton.
There are great hiking options in the area, where flowering tundra plants, scattered bones of whales, and muskox from centuries of hunting by the Inuit and fumaroles can be found. These are areas where heated groundwater boil to the surface creating bubbling pools and mineral formations as the water reacts with the atmosphere.
The area also boasts some of the most striking sedimentary sandstone, shale, and siltstone formations imaginable. The layers of sediment here are estimated to have taken about 4,000 years to be laid down, and the alternating colors and patterns in the layers of rocks are stunningly beautiful.