For cruises that are truly dedicated to exploring Southern Greenland - as opposed to stopping in on the way from one Arctic destination to another - the routing will likely involve a charter flight. Ours was from Reykjavik to Narsarsuaq. (If you want to know more about our Iceland experience, pre-cruise, please check out that storyline, here.) …

The Ultramarine is described as an expedition-style cruise ship, designed for polar and remote destinations. To me, it’s the absolute most luxury option at the “active adventure” end of the polar cruise spectrum. There are certainly more luxurious ships in the polar fleet - ships with private butlers and white-glove service - …

Folks know Greenland for its ice cap. We’ve all had the fact that Iceland is green and Greenland is icy drilled into us by now. But what makes southern Greenland stand out is the dramatic collection of mountains peeking (or peaking) out from under that giant ice cap. Imagine every granitic mountain range you know - the Sierras, the …

Wildlife is often the top reasons for travelers to visit the Arctic. Southern Greenland is, however… not on the short-list for Arctic wildlife. You’ll have the potential for whale sightings, and for seabird sightings, and for the occasional Arctic fox or reindeer. But this is not the prime real estate for polar bears or narwhals, …

Having been a naturalist in a past life, and subsequently trained guides in another life, I understand what it is like to explore an area you know, with a new set of travelers every week. It can be hard to be authentically excited. But the staff on the Ultramarine were amazing.

There was the sheer joy of the guides when we found a den of …

One of the more unique capabilities on the Ultramarine is the ability to launch helicopters off the aft deck. The Ultramarine makes great use of these helicopters - two twin-engine H145s from Airbus - with three different activities on the Southern Greenland itineraries.



- On Flightseeing excursions, passengers are whisked from …

Beyond the usual zodiac tours, shore landings, and even kayaking on the Southern Greenland itinerary, the Ultramarine offers a handful of quite unique experiences for additional charge.

- The Camping experience was not the usual out-after-dinner and back-before-breakfast sort of experience. It was a full 24-hour affair. Travelers …

Ships like the Ultramarine will make zodiac landings at one or more Inuit villages on a Southern Greenland sort of cruise. But few will have spent the time and energy to really make a connection with that village. For the Ultramarine in particular, we had a guest naturalist from Apillatoq on board with us for the duration of the voyage, while …