The Grand Greenland Tour from South to North

Today we go on some great excursions.

Qassiarsuk/Brattahlid

In the morning, we transfer by boat to Qassiarsuk located at the bottom of Tunuliarfik, at the exact place where Erik the Red settled when he discovered the green land in 985. We will visit the properly restored ruins of Erik the Red's settlement, Brattahlid, and see reconstructions of his longhouse and his wife Thorhild’s church. Both reconstructions were built in 2000 to mark the 1000-year anniversary of Leif Ericsson's discovery of America and the introduction of Christianity in Greenland.

On the guided tour, you will get great insight into life in South Greenland 1000 years ago. There will be plenty of time to experience Qassiarsuk. We suggest that you enjoy your lunch in the small café Brattahlid.

Igaliku/Gardar

In a smaller boat, we continue out into the beautiful Qooroq Fjord to the landing site Itilleq from where we will walk for one hour to Igaliku, the old King's Road (after Danish King Frederik the 9th’s visit in 1952). Igaliku is a beautiful sheep farming settlement at the bottom of the Igaliku Fjord, surrounded by a lush, green landscape and steep, bare hills in the background. Here, the Norsemen established their Gardar bishopric.

The remnants of the small cathedral are now visible between the colourful houses and vegetable gardens. Today, approx. 40 people live in Igaliku, primarily from sheep farming. We will spend 2 nights in the country hotel with a perfect view to the azure fjord.  

The wonderful area invites us to do a guided hiking trip north of Igaliku to a fantastic vantage point with a view of the Qooroq glacier and the icecap in the back ground. The Qooroq glacier produces no less than 200,000 tons of ice every 24 hours! On the way we pass a small lake where there are excellent opportunities to find moonstones. It is also possible to do a lot of other hiking trips – for example to the roaring waterfalls or Nuluk hill.

Today, we will be sailing to Qaqortoq – a wonderful trip through fantastic scenery with icebergs, cliffs and maybe sea eagles and seals. We will pass Hvalsø – a beautifully situated church ruin with a view of the fjord Qaqortup Ima.

Qaqortoq

We arrive at Qaqortoq early in the afternoon and will be staying at Hotel Qaqortoq. From the hotel there is a nice view over the harbour, and inside the hotel you can study fine pieces of artwork made by local artists.

After check-in at the hotel, we will take a walk around the town. The picturesque town is located in a pot between the Qaqortoq Fjord and the great lake Tasersuaq. The town is characterised by colourful houses, gardens with flowers and herbs, a fountain from the 1930s and the modern stone sculpture project Stone and Man carved directly into the cliffs.    

Today it is time to experience Qaqortoq on your own and there is plenty to see and do. At the tourist office, you can get a map of the sculptures scattered around in the town. Take a walk over the river and visit the open fish and meat market and the cozy museum, which is also the oldest house in town, built in 1804.

Optional excursion

Another option is visiting the wonderful hot springs Uunartoq. The lakes are situated on an island approx. 50 kilometres south of Qaqortoq near the settlement Alluitsup-Paa. It is a great experience to enjoy the warm water surrounded by huge mountains and floating icebergs. During the 2.5-hour boat trip, there is a good chance that you will get to see whales frolicking in the water.  

In the late afternoon, we will board the coastal ship Sarfaq Ittuk. You can now relax, enjoy the view of the coastline from a vantage point, looking for whales and seals. Along the way, we get an impression of life along the west coast of Greenland at a pleasant, leisurely pace.

Our evening meal is served on board the ship.

The coastline varies with desolate areas, rocky landscapes, icebergs of different sizes and colors with the beautiful reflections of the sunlight.  The ship's rhythm automatically turns you off and gives you a chance to reflect a little about life.

You will also time to sit back and enjoy the view, a good book or maybe strike up a good conversation with some of the locals who also sail along the coast with the ship.

We arrive at Nuuk in the early morning at approx. 7:30 AM and then we go to the 4-star Hotel Hans Egede. It has great views of the mountains and the entrance to the Godthåb Fjord.

We will have our breakfast at the hotel, and then it's time to explore our Arctic capital.

City tour with the Greenland National Museum and the old colonial harbor

On the city tour, you will be introduced to the major attractions such as the Greenland National Museum, which houses an outstanding ethnographic collection from all Inuit cultures and the world-famous mummies from Qilakitsoq. We visit the beautiful cultural house Katuaq with a facade shaped like the northern lights. We also walk through the equally beautiful old town with the statue of Hans Egede which overlooks the old colonial harbor, the fjord and the mountains in the background. We will also pass the local fish and meat market.

You can spend the afternoon on your own. If you are looking for Greenlandic handicrafts, you will find a great selection in the city's souvenir shops, ranging from small fine earrings to seal furcoats.

The hotel sits in the heart of Nuuk, and you have the opportunity to explore the nearby area on your own. Street lights, buses and lots of cars give off an immediate impression of a busy city, but the amazing scenery and endless horizon automatically put the bustling city life into perspective.

Like all other towns in Greenland, you live near nature, but with lots of imprints of modern life. With its approx. 17,000 inhabitants, Nuuk is a big city in comparison with other Greenlandic towns. Many new homes are built every year, and the commercial and restaurant life is lively.

Finally, Nuuk also boasts an excellent art museum, where the permanent exhibition contains many paintings by the famous Greenland painter Emanuel A. Petersen (1894-1948).

At night, we will enjoy a delicious 3-course dinner at Hotel Hans Egede.

The day is at your disposal. For the hikers, the tour guide will arrange a hike around the mountain Lille Marlene behind the airport.

The hiking is approx. 8-10 km long and it requires that you are in good/normal physical form and used to hike in an uneven terrain. Your reward is that you will be close to an unspoilt, quiet wilderness with streams that flow with fresh, ice-cold water, surrounded by the mountains around Nuuk and overlooking the beautiful Godthåb Fjord.

If you want to go sailing in the beautiful Godthåb Fjord to angle and taste fish, you have the opportunity today.

Boat trip to Qooqqut - catch your lunch (optional)

At 9:00 AM, we depart from Nuuk on a boat trip to the lovely Qooqqut Nuan' Restaurant. However, this is no ordinary restaurant visit.

We sail through the vast fjord system behind Nuuk, which is the second largest fjord system in the world. In the Qooqqut Fjord, we stop the engine and try to catch our lunch. Today, there will be no complaints that the fish is not fresh!

Qooqqut lies in a wonderful valley in the Godthåb Fjord. The mountains surrounding the valley are up to 2,000 meters high. One of Nuuk's most respected chefs moves here in the summer and serves the most amazing dishes. For lunch, we get to eat our own freshly caught fish.

As something rather unique in Greenland, trees are scattered beautifully in the area behind the restaurant. Consider taking a small hike for a good photo opportunity while the chef is at work with your fish.

After lunch, we go back to the boat and return to Nuuk, where we arrive around 3:30 PM.

The trip to Qooqqut has to be booked from home.

We fly from Nuuk to Ilulissat where we will be staying at Hotel Arctic that offers a delightful view of the fjord.

Town walk

In the afternoon, we will go on a guided tour where the guide will introduce you to modern life in contrast to the traditional hunting life that is still thriving in the town.

Sermermiut

Today's program also offers a hike to the former Sermermiut settlement located beautifully at the mouth of the Ice Fjord. Due to its excellent fishing conditions, this has been the preferred settlement in the area for several thousand years. The last residents did not move from Sermermiut to Jakobshavn until the 1850s when the colony of Jakobshavn had existed for more than 100 years. It is a beautiful walk along the fjord with a view of icebergs of all shapes and sizes.  

Today, we will sail northward, to Eqi, the calving glacier. Look out for seals and whales. As we reach Eqi, the boat sails close to the impressive glacier front, where you may be lucky enough to witness small calvings.

Glacier Lodge Eqi

Afterwards we go ashore at Glacier Lodge Eqi, located in the middle of nature with beautiful direct views of the glacier. We will spend the following 2 nights in small cozy one-room wooden cabins for one or two persons (no bunk beds and no sleeping bags).

The standard cabins have no running water or sewerage facilities. This is part of the concept! The cabins are equipped with a gas stove for heating and candles as a light source. All meals are served in Café Victor.

Your guide organises hiking trips in the area, including trips to the lagoon and the moraine, which offers a spectacular view of the Eqi glacier. The area provides numerous hiking opportunities, and it is up to you to decide whether to join a hiking trip or meditate amid the harsh, desolate and beautiful landscape - perhaps out on the cabin’s terrace. 

From the cabins, we take a walk around the small lagoon, located south of the glacier, and cross the river on an easy transition and proceed up the great moraine where we can look down into the huge cracks of the glacier. From this position, you are able to see a large part of the tall glacier front – rising up to 80 metres in some places – and both see and hear mighty calvings. A wonderful trip in the middle of the wild paradise.  

The morning is at your own disposal. At noon, we will sail back to Ilulissat with arrival late in the afternoon. Enjoy the passing scenery while looking out for whales. Fin whales, humpback whales and various other whales are often spotted in this area. In Ilulissat, Hotel Arctic welcomes you once again.  

Enjoy Ilulissat at your own pace! Go for a hike in the mountains, inhale the atmosphere of the town – either on your own or on organised excursions.

Sailing on the Icefjord (optional)

Our local excursion office, World of Greenland, at the heart of Ilulissat, offers a wide range of excursions: A boat trip on the fjord during the day or in the evening under the dazing midnight sun is a wonderful experience. The most productive glacier in the northern hemisphere, Kangia, is located only approx. 60 kilometres from Ilulissat where it produces some of the world's largest icebergs.

You will have to be on a boat in order to get a true impression of the size of these giants of ice. It is often also possible to book a helicopter ride to Kangia – an absolutely breath-taking experience. It is also possible to pay a visit to one of the nearby settlements on a boat trip, which offers unique insight into the everyday life in small, isolated communities. 

It is time to say goodbye to Greenland. We fly from Ilulissat to Reykjavik (Reykjavik Domestic Airport).