South Greenland Exploration: Fjords, Waterfalls and Fishing Villages

Arrive in Reykjavík, the world’s northernmost capital, just south of the Arctic Circle. After a transfer from the airport into the city, explore at your own pace. In the afternoon, check in at the hospitality desk and board the National Geographic Explorer.

Leave Iceland behind and sail across the Denmark Strait, which links the Arctic and Atlantic oceans. Hidden below the surface lies the world’s largest waterfall, shaped by powerful currents and glaciers. Join talks by the expedition team, read in the lounge, or watch for wildlife from the observation deck as the ship crosses the continental shelf.

The coast of the world's largest island is etched with thousands of fjords, some of which reach back to the Greenlandic ice sheet. Spend these days exploring these stunning inlets of the eastern coast, using underwater cameras and a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to discover marine life and fascinating underwater geology. Ice permitting, sail deep into majestic fjords and soak in your arrival to Greenland on a Zodiac cruise or paddling a kayak among the icebergs.

Sail into Prins Christian Sund, which cuts into the southern tip of Greenland. Pass between soaring pinnacles and glaciers and through the sheltered waters of this dramatic landscape. As you round the southern coast of Greenland, enter Tasermiut Fjord, known as Arctic Patagonia for its sheer granite rock faces and dramatic valley filled with glaciers or their moraines. Spend time exploring by foot, kayak or Zodiac along its shores.

Your exploration of Erik the Red’s Eastern Settlement begins in the fjords around Qaqortoq. The Sissarluttoq World Heritage Center is dotted with ruins of Inuit and Norse farms, stables and storerooms made of sandstone and granite blocks, allowing you to imagine what farming was like on the edge of the ice cap over 1,000 years ago. Explore the ruins of the 14th-century Hvalsey Church, and venture deep into the fjord to witness how these ancient remnants create the backdrop for daily farming life in southern Greenland. Continue to Qaqortoq, inhabited since the Viking era and now the largest town in South Greenland, with just over 3,200 residents. Stroll through the town square and visit the museum, where Greenlandic kayaks, hunting equipment and local art and handicrafts are on display. Sample traditional Greenlandic food this afternoon.

Spend your day in present-day Qassiarsuk. Visit Brattahlíð, where Erik the Red established his farm in 982 A.D. after his exile from Iceland. Erik’s wife, Þjódhild, built the first Christian church in the western hemisphere here. Visit replicas of the church and Erik the Red’s longhouse, and see the shores from which their son, Leif Eriksson, launched the first voyages to North America—500 years before Columbus. Later, visit a local family farm that continues the farming tradition that has earned this region a UNESCO World Heritage designation for Arctic farming on the edge of the ice cap.

Between the southwestern farmland and the central capital region of Nuuk lie miles of fjords filled with opportunities for modern-day explorers. Following the lead of your experienced expedition team, navigate unchartered waters and savor the unspoiled nature Greenland is known for.

Disembark in Nuuk and join the recommended group flight to Keflavík. Transfers to the nearby hotel and luggage assistance will be provided.

After breakfast, transfer to the airport for flights home.