Greenland by Sea and Land!

Expeditions are a bit like fingerprints (or whale tails it turns out) as no two are going to be exactly the same. A variety of factors can affect the possibilities such as weather, local regulations, and the terrain of the destination that you are exploring, but most important is to travel with a ship operator who values the expedition philosophy and has the knowledge and experience to take advantage of the conditions each day. 

Aurora Expeditions excels at this, and Greenland proved to be the perfect place for a wide variety of daily activities. When near towns and settlements, travelers had the option to join guides on city tours, checking out museums and local places of interest. This was a great way to get a glimpse of daily life in Greenland, with no shortage of picturesque buildings, towering mountains, and scenic bays. 

Of the nearly two weeks we spent exploring the country, we only had about three days amongst towns, with the rest exploring wilderness or abandoned settlements, where the excursions became even more adventurous. On offer at most sites was the option to hike, with the expedition team splitting up the travelers based on the amount of distance they wanted to cover. A hike could range anywhere from a light stroll to a 10+ kilometer trek that would take multiple hours! The hikes were often over tundra, which squished beneath your feet like a sponge with each step, getting you to vistas such as waterfalls or sweeping views of sea, ice and glaciers from the top of hills. 

For those less actively-inclined, there was also the option to join light walks, zodiac cruises, or citizen science workshops such as those that aided scientists in identifying cloud cover, whales in the area, or organisms in the sea. A unique offering that I loved was the “zen” zodiac, which is a cruise to see ice and rock formations up close with the expectation that everyone remains silent to appreciate the majesty without distractions. For those that want to move a bit more in the water there is an excellent kayaking program, which I will write more about in another post. 

Of course, not all activities are off of the ship with many areas ideal for taking in the wildlife via the observation decks. Our intrepid leader Ashley really pushed the boundaries of this expedition cruise philosophy, with her and the captain exploring nooks and crannies that no other ships had really traveled to before. We even had multiple days of the expedition team getting up early in the morning to sail in front of the ship, taking sonar impressions of the areas we were exploring since we were frequently literally in uncharted waters! After just a few days we left other expeditions ships behind in the area, and made it to a latitude of nearly 75 degrees north!