Upon arrival in Kangerlussuaq, we will be transported to the small port located west of the airport, where our ship, will be anchored. Zodiacs will transfer us the short distance to the ship, where you will be checked in to your stateroom. After the safety drill, you will enjoy a dinner as we ‘set sail’ through the 160-kilometer Kangerlussuaq fjord.

Experience Greenlands Second-largest city at the foot of Nasaasaao Mountain 

Under Disko Island’s 1000-meter-high mountains, enter the protected natural harbor that has the Danish name Godhavn or "Good Harbor" and in Greenlandic Qeqertarsuaq which means "The Big Island."

Godhavn was until 1950 the most important town north of Nuuk, solely because of the large number of whales caught and landed here. This gave the town great wealth. Now it is on the way to oblivion with declining job opportunities and connections to the mainland.

The local community center hosts a traditional Greenlandic “kaffemik”, best described as a friendly gathering with coffee, cake, and traditional dances and music.
Musicians from Greenland originally played on a drum (qilaat) made from an oval wooden frame covered with the bladder of a polar bear. Unlike other drums, the qilaat would be played by hitting the frame with a stick, and not the skin itself. This modest instrument was used for a variety of purposes, including entertainment, exorcism, and witchcraft.

During the afternoon the ship heads east towards the giant glacier Eqip Sermia in the north-easterly corner of Disko Bay. This glacier is one of the most impressive in Greenland. Here you can experience a glacier calve up close. Experience the great crevasses, deep blue glacial streams, a landscape so unique and stunning that words are simply not sufficient. An outstanding opportunity to see, hear and smell this mighty ice world. In the evening, prepare for departure.

Ilulissat is possibly the most well-located town in Greenland. The name simply means ‘icebergs’ in Greenlandic and the town’s nickname is rightly "The Iceberg Capital of the World."

The icebergs come from the Icefjord, which is located a half hour’s hike south of Ilulissat. These impressive frozen structures are born some 70km deeper into the fjord by the enormous Sermeq Kujalleq glacier. This 10km-wide glacier is the most productive glacier outside of Antarctica. Whereas most glaciers only calve at a rate of approximately a meter a day, the Ilulissat glacier calves at a rate of 25 meters per day. The icebergs produced by the glacier represent more than 10% of all icebergs in Greenland, corresponding to 20 million tons!

These facts, together with the fjord’s extreme beauty, have secured the Icefjord a place on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.
During the more than 250 years that have passed since the establishment of Ilulissat, the town has steadily flourished. Today, Ilulissat is Greenland’s third largest town with more than 4,500 inhabitants. The town is vibrant, welcoming and lively, with a wide range of cultural attractions, according to Greenlandic standards. 

On this day, you may also have the opportunity to join a boat trip to the Icefjord. The journey takes about two and a half hours in total and presents an opportunity to gain a closer look at the amazing ice-sculpted scenery. The trip is definitely something out of the ordinary and a great natural experience that you can remember for years to come - but be sure to remember warm clothes!

If a hike or a trip by boat does not present enough excitement, there is also an opportunity to arrange a helicopter ride over the Icefjord.

**Please note the boat and helicopter excursions to the Icefjord are optional outings and therefore not included in the general tour price. Furthermore, the helicopter excursion must be booked in advance. Ask a Trip Planner for more details.

In the evening, the ship cruises southward from “the Iceberg Capital”, leaving lovely Disko Bay in its wake.

The lecturers onboard make inspiring and enriching presentations about both Iceland’s and Greenland’s past history and about nature, wildlife, and climatology.

During the night, the ship cruised north to reach Nuuk in the morning. As you enter the Nuuk Fjord you have fair chances of encountering the area's seasonal visitors, humpback whales.

The world's smallest capital is considered by many in Greenland a mighty metropolis - a total of 17,000 people live here today, almost a third of the country’s population.

The area has been inhabited since 2200 BCE by pre-Inuit hunters. From the year 1000 to 1350 CE, the Icelandic Vikings and farmers settled in South Greenland and in the Nuuk Fjord, while at the same time Inuit hunters of the Thule culture moved south from North Greenland. The Nordic settlers disappeared around 1350 CE, but the Inuit stayed, being far better equipped to hunt and survive in the tough Arctic nature.

The modern history of Greenland began in 1721 when the Norse missionary Hans Egede founded a permanent colony and trading station near Nuuk. In fact, Egede’s main purpose to return to Greenland was to convert the Catholic northerners to Lutherans, but soon after his arrival he realized the Norse had disappeared, a mystery yet unresolved.

In 1979, the Landsting (Parliament) was established in Nuuk, and the town was finally recognized as the country's capital.

Late in the afternoon, leave the capital and continue the northbound journey.

Discover Qassiarsuk, Eric the Rec Settlement Around lunch we sail into Eriksfjord, which in Greenland is called Tunulliarfik. We throw anchor off Erik the Red's Brattahlíð settlement, where the Qassiarssuk village is today. Here we see, among other things, a reconstruction of Tjodhildur's church, which was the first church on the North American continent. There are also other ruins after the Norse people, which disappeared in the 1400s. Here one can really sense the path of history and wonder why the Norse people suddenly disappeared from Greenland.

It was from Brattahlíð that Erik and Tjodhildur's son Leif Eriksson, about 1000, went west and discovered Baffin Island, the Labrador coast and Newfoundland, before returning to South Greenland a few years later. Around lunchtime, we sail out of Eriksfjord close to Qooroq Isfjord.

Kap Farvel, or Cape Farewell, is renowned not only as Greenland's southernmost point but also for its infamous, although mostly seasonal, gale-force winds.

Deliberately opt for a far more comfortable but at the same time more spectacular route, cruising via the inside passage through the Prince Christian Sound. This 60 km long waterway runs from the Atlantic in the east to the settlement Aapilattoq in the heart of the fjord lands of South West Greenland. 

The sound has steep mountainsides, and many adventurous kayakers have had to turn around because of a very limited number of landing sites available. The old weather station of Prince Christian Sound, manned until a two years ago by sturdy meteorologists, is another classic point-of-interest along this itinerary.

The island of Skjoldungen is, without doubt, one of the most beautiful areas in East Greenland. Situated at 63° N, the island is surrounded by narrow, steep fjords and glaciers, and with plenty of the cool, crisp and clean air of the nearby ice sheet. Still, you can find and experience a lush landscape and a milder climate than most would expect. Acclaimed Norwegian explorer Fridtjof Nansen came here in late summer 1888 in search of a suitable ascension point for the first inland ice crossing.

Skjoldungen is also the name of an abandoned settlement, located on the southwest side of the island. Up to 100 people lived here until 1965, and some houses remain. Continue the journey to Dronning Marie Dal in the area's northwestern corner to get a closer view of its interesting flora.

After Skjoldungen and Ilertakajik fjord, the Alpine peaks and mountainous landscape diminish and from here, you may find that over large stretches, the ice sheet reaches all the way to the shoreline, forming cohesive ice shelves, a type of icy landscape that some travelers who have been to Antarctica probably recognize.
Visit Bernstorff Icefjord, the most productive glacier on the southeast coast, but keep a good distance from big icebergs in these waters.

The lecturers onboard make inspiring and enriching presentations about both Iceland’s and Greenland’s past history and about nature, wildlife, and climatology.

Disembark after breakfast at Reykjavik, the colorful capital city of Iceland