Special Greenland cruise - the westcoast onboard coastal ship
Authentic cruise onboard Greenland's own coastal ship. One departure only!
This journey takes you to all the beautiful sites along the West coast of Greenland.
The ocean is Greenland’s highway connecting the coastal towns on the west coast. To experience Greenland from the sea side is something special and Greenlanders have always benefitted from the sea - not only of pure necessity and survival, but also because of the amazing nature.
This is why you should choose this tour
- small ship which can get very close to the sights
- very experienced local crew who knew Greenland
- so many highlights in one tour in only 9 days
- midnight sun, icebergs, whales, glaciers...you name it
- specialist guides from Greenland Travel
- small ship with information and personal atmosphere
On this unique trip we exchange the rapid air transport with a relaxing sailing trip allowing us to enjoy the fantastic coastline and landings in some of Greenland’s beautiful towns. We sail with Arctic Umiaq Line’s coastal ship Sarfaq Ittuk, which for decades has brought the Greenlanders from town to town.
The trip starts in the town of iceberg Ilulissat down the coast via the lush Qeqertarsuaq, the cosy Sisimiut and two of Greenland’s absolute attractions: The calving glacier Eqi and the beautiful Evighedsfjord (Eternity Fjord). Nuuk - Greenland's capital – is our final destination.
A wonderful 9 day mini cruise that introduced you to a fantastic nature and exciting cultural experiences and the highlights of Greenland: The unique landscapes with mountains of ice and stones spiced up with the incredible contrasts between the traditional way of life and the modern lifestyle. Throughout the trip, our experienced tour guides make sure that safety and a high level of information are in focus.
Day to day programme
Day 1 Flight from Copenhagen to Kangerlussuaq and on to Ilulissat
Day 2 Exploring Ilulissat. Stay at Hotel Arctic****
Day 3 Onboard Coastal ship, Sarfaq Ittuk, and sailing to the Eqi glacier
Day 4 The calving glacier Eqi, optional 5-hour hike
Day 5 The Disko Island-town tour and short hike
Day 6 Sisimiut town
Day 7 Evighedsfjorden (the Eternity Fjord)
Day 8 The capital Nuuk
Day 9 Departure via Iceland to Copenhagen
Day 1 Copenhagen-Kangerlussuaq-Ilulissat-check in at Hotel Arctic
We fly from Copenhagen to Kangerlussuaq with Air Greenland. With a 4,5 hour flight there is time to enjoy a light meal and a movie – and plenty of time to look forward to an unforgettable adventure. If it is the first time you visit Greenland, the first sight of the country, the vast white expanse of ice and nunataks will most likely give you goose bumps.
The first stop on the trip is Kangerlussuaq. A former U.S. military base with approx. 600 inhabitants surrounded by a wonderful nature. After a short stay we continue to Ilulissat, situated in the Disko Bay, 250 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle. The town lies at the mouth of the 50 kilometre long ice fjord, where the world's most productive glacier Kangia produces more than 20 million tons of ice a day.
Ilulissat is Greenland's third largest town with approx. 4500 inhabitants and is a wonderful mix of modern impulses and the more traditional Greenlandic lifestyle. Kayaks and dried fish hang on racks practically next to each other and several thousand sled dogs dominate the town and provide a cosy and peculiar atmosphere with their howling.
Day 2 Ilulissat by the UNESCO Icefiord
You have all day to explore Ilulissat and the many attractions in North Greenland's capital. The guides take you on a city tour of the beautiful town, and a wonderful hike to the abandoned settlement Sermermiut panoramic situated at mouth of the Icefjord, is also on the program for the day.
Day 3 On board Coastal ship Sarfaq Ittuk - sailing to the Eqi glacier
Up until late afternoon there is time to enjoy Ilulissat on your own. Ilulissat is packed with attractions. As in many other towns houses in different colours and icebergs in a variety of sizes and colours grasp you attention. On a hiking trip to Sermermiut you get an insight into the history of Greenland with Ilulissat’s icebergs as the most beautiful setting. Visit also Knud Rasmussen’s birthplace, which today is the town’s charming museum and enjoy a breathtaking helicopter trip to Ilulissat glacier over mountains, lakes, rivers and the fjord.
Also enjoy a cup of coffee at one of the town’s cafes and visit the open fish and meat market where today’s catch is on parade. Perhaps there is also a chance to experience an evocative Greenlandic service in the beautiful Zion church, almost symbolically located directly overlooking the fjord.
In the afternoon we embark Sarfaq Ittuk. Check out the ship and find a favourite spot to enjoy the trip and the beautiful view. Well on board we enjoy a 3-course welcome dinner in the ship's restaurant with a perfect view to the ice - and lots of water. The course is now set towards north and the amazing Eqi glacier.
Day 4 The calving glacier Eqi - optional 5 hour hike
Today you can enjoy an entire day at the beautiful glacier Eqip Sermia. In this remote paradise you will experience the camp 'Ice Camp Eqi’ - 15 charming cottages all with a view to the glacier. Perhaps an idea for your next holiday in Greenland?
Eqi stretches over 3.4 kilometres and the average height from bottom to top is approx. 200 meters, of which 30 to 80 meter range above sea level. It is fantastic to experience the glacier calve and hear the almost explosion-like sounds. Many animals also benefit from the oxygen-rich ice is - both birds, seals, hares and arctic fox are frequent guests in the beautiful area.
It is possible to go on a 5 hour hike to the lagoon and the moraine edge. From the cabins we walk around the small lagoon located in the glacier’s south end. We cross the river on and proceed up the beautiful moraine from where we can see down into the glacier’s huge cracks. A wonderful trip where you come very close to the adventurous scenery and the deafening silence.
Day 5 The Disko Island – sightseeing tour and hike
Today we call Qeqertarsuaq on the Disko Island. The town is a small, quiet, yet colourful town. The nature is very different from the rest of the Disko Bay as the island is of volcanic origin. The area is characterized by high basalt mountains covered with glaciers and traversed by deep, lush valleys and hot springs that form the basis for a rich flora. Small trails, pristine areas, roaring rivers, cosy sheltered nooks and huge rocks with a breathtaking view to the great nature as far as the eye can see.
At today's town tour, we get a glimpse of the town’s history. Qeqertarsuaq was founded by the legendary whaler Svend Sandgren way back in 1773 and since then has been the focal point and playground for the great Greenland whales and research at the Arctic Station, which especially during the summer buzzes with activity.
There is approx. 992 inhabitants, of whom approx. 41 live in the in the settlement Kangerluk. Hunting for whales, seals and halibut are the primary occupation and the town is today a well-functioning and modern society.
Qeqertarsuaq invites to a beautiful hike to Blæsedalen and the mouth of the Red River. The area around Red River’s mouth is marked by the iron containing rock.
The roaring river delivers with all its force melted ice from Lyngmarksbræen – the Lyngmark glacier out into the Disko Bay. We walk along the river and are rewarded with the sight and sound of two very powerful waterfalls. Small paths, mighty rocks, green carpets of flowers and desert areas as far as the eye can see. The silence is interrupted only by the snow bunting’s chirping. You won’t get any closer to the asthonishing nature on this remarkable island.
Day 6 Sarfaq Ittuk calls Sisimiut.
Sismiut is Greenland's second largest town with 6,200 inhabitants (of which 800 in 3 settlements), 42 km north of the Arctic Circle. Sisimiut is located in the open water area where the sea does not freeze in winter. Dog sleds are extensively used in winter and the many sled dogs can be seen and heard from afar. The typical coloured houses are scattered almost randomly into the hilly landscape and you almost jump back to ancient times in the interesting museum area with historic houses and with two large jawbones from a baleen whale decorating the entrance.
Sisimiut is a very thriving town with a modern shrimp and crab processing factory, bustling fishing trawlers, construction activity and educational institutions. Still, the area is characterized by unspoiled nature and true tranquility.
In the old red warehouse in the harbour, several of the town’s artists work creating jewellery and other traditional and more experimental crafts of soapstone, tooth and bone. Today’s material us very varied: Musk, soapstone, caribou antler, gemstones, fish.
The open fish and meat market in Sisimiut welcomes you with carved and painted animals on the facade and gives you an opportunity to feel and inhale the local life – and the day’s catch of fish, seal and birds.
Day 7 Evighedsfjorden (the Eternity Fjord)
In the morning we land at the bottom of the beautiful Eternity Fjord, which is covered with glaciers that are pressed down between the steep mountains and hang like tongues toward the water. The fjord is about 100 kilometre long and the landscape alternates between very steep coastal areas and numerous glaciers, several of which calve in the fjord, while others are glaciers which melt up on the mountain sides or plunge into the fjord.
The highest peaks are above 2000 meters so you will undoubtedly feel the truth of the saying 'to feel very small in nature'. After lunch we go ashore at another scenic place further out of the fjord – yet another day rich in grand nature and photo shots. 
Day 8 The capital of Greenland, Nuuk
The capital Nuuk is the last stop on the trip. Upon check at Hotel Hans Egede, located in the heart of the town, there is time both to join a guided town tour and to experience Nuuk on your own.
Nuuk is Greenland's largest town with approx. 15,500 inhabitants and was founded in 1728 by the Danish-Norwegian priest Hans Egede. The town is beautifully situated at the mouth of the vast fjord system Nuup Kangerlua.
On the town tour you will experience the old town around the colonial harbour in sharp contrast to new blocks and houses. Visiting the harbour is almost like going back in time with the old church, the red / yellow teacher’s college and Hans Egede yellow house. You will also see also the Greenland National Museum and Archives in the old warehouse with kayaks, umiaqs, amulets and traditional clothing – as well as the famous mummies from Qilakitsoq.
Not far from the museum the hunters and fishermen offer their newly caught cods, seals and ptarmigan.The architectural gem Katuaq, shaped like the northern lights was inaugurated in 1997 and features art exhibitions, theatre performances, lectures, concerts and Greenland's largest cinema - and check out the cafe with well-prepared dishes and freshly baked cakes.
Right outside the Greenland government’s modern building you will find the Kaassassuk sculpture combining tradition and innovation.
Day 9 Departure via Iceland to Copenhagen
In the morning we fly from Nuuk to Iceland and onwards to Copenhagen with arrival in the evening.
- Further information about the tour (Click to unfold!)
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