Iceland and Greenland (trip)
Iceland and Greenland
- Reykjavik
- Active & Adventure
| from $3,495* per person | 12 Days | August |
| Comfort accommodations | Exertion level: 3 | |
| Operator: Adventure Canada | 12 people max | |
Greenland's lofty mountains and barren lands in shades of gray contradict its very name, but the warm smiles of the Greenlandic Inuit welcome us to this rugged island. Today the culture is a delightful mosaic of the traditional Inuit and modern European. Greenland has a long human history dating back to 2500BC, when hunters followed the muskoxen migration from North America to Greenland. Thule culture arrived roughly 1500 years later but it was the Viking discovery of Greenland that put the island on the map for the Western World. From here Leif Erikson discovered, and later explored, North America. Greenland is the world's largest island with a population of only 56,000 inhabitants in seventeen towns and some sixty settlements. None of these communities are connected by road, making shipboard travel the most exciting and suitable way to explore the coastline. As we travel under the shadow of the Greenland icecap, what at first seemed a forbidding landscape will come alive with a rich spirit that will shine as we explore and experience all that lies unseen before us.
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Locations visited/nearby
Greenland, Iceland
Itinerary
Day 1: Reykjavik
We join the Clipper Adventurer in Reykjavik, which aptly means "steamy bay", a cosmopolitan capital city and as much a part of the Icelandic experience as the midnight sun or the fire and ice that creates the island's landscape. Entirely powered by geothermal energy harnessed from the Earth below, the city boasts air that is crisp, clean and pollution-free.
Day 2: Heimay and Surtsey, Westman Islands
Here in the Westman Islands the world's youngest island was created in November of 1963. Later named Surtsey, it is a part of a group of volcanic islands well known for their sheer cliffs and huge Puffin populations. On the only inhabited island, Heimaey, an active volcano challenged its existence withan eruption in 1973. The town's firefighters were able to dam the flow before too much damage was done. The surrounding waters are known for whales and huge, echo-filled caves perfect for exploration.
Day 3: Denmark Strait
Today we get our sea legs as we cross the icy Denmark Strait. These waters are rich in marine life, including sperm, humpback, minke, sei and even the occasional blue whale. Northern fulmars, petrels, murres, skuas and other seabirds will follow us on our way. We begin our lecture series today retracing the route of early Norse explorers, a journey they once made in skin and wooden ships - our journey will be much more comfortable!
Day 4: Tasiilaq / Ammassalik (Angmagssalik)
On the eastern coast of Greenland, the town of Tasiilaq is the largest community. Located on the island of Ammassalik, Tasiilaq is split in two by a river. A picturesque town, perfect for walks of varying distances, it is beautifully situated in a protective fjord creating a perfect habitat for unique Arctic flora.
Day 5: Greenland's Wild Eastern Coast
One of the most beautiful and scenic coastlines in the world, Greenland's east coast is also one of the most inaccessible. Cliffs reaching 1500m into the sky border some of the deepest and largest fjord systems in the world. We keep watch for humpbacks, white beaked dolphins and the less conspicuous bottlenose whales.
Day 6: Prins Christian Sound & Herjolfnaes
Today we continue on the trail of the Vikings, making an expedition stop at Herjolfsnes, an important first landfall of the Norse upon reaching Greenland. A landscape of gothic peaks will surround us as we make our way sailing through towards Prins Christian Sound.
Day 7: Alluitsup Paa
Also known as Sydprøven, this area is home to traces of Norse settlements. Hot springs in Greenland are a common natural phenomenon, but the island of Uunartoq is home to the only place where the springs are 37-38 degrees Celsius - an absolutely perfect bathtub temperature! Nearby we'll also find the ruins of a nunnery built soon after Greenland was Christianized, around 1000AD!
Day 8 and 9: Hvalsey and Qaqartoq (Julienhaab)
Hvalsey is the site of the largest and best-preserved Norse church-ruin in Greenland. A wedding in Hvalsey Church in 1408, described in annals kept in the Vatican, is the last account of Norsemen in Greenland. After that, there is only intriguing silence. On our way to Qaqortoq, the charming and strikingly beautiful centre in southern Greenland, we spend some time on deck watching for the world's largest mammal, the blue whale.
Day 10: Paamiut (Frederikshab)
The Paamiut area has been inhabited at different times since 1500 BC. At the mouth of Kuannersooq fjord, the town?s name means 'population at the mouth'. Fishing is of great importance to the 2,000 folks who live here, as the sea around Paamiut does not freeze in the winter due to winds strong enough to create a northerly current keeping ice floes away from shore.
Day 11: Nuuk
Nuuk is the oldest town in Greenland, but this world's smallest capital city is bustling in Greenlandic terms with 15,000 inhabitants. A short walk up from the harbour is 'the Brodtet' where the day's catch of seal, birds and fish is offered for sale. We have a chance to explore the Katuaq Cultural Centre and its collection of traditional kayaks (Greenland?s best-known invention) and the Greenland National Museum where the famous 600-year old mummies from northern Greenland are housed.
Day 12: Kangerlussuaq
The final day of our journey brings us up Sondre Stromfjord, the longest (185km!) fjord in Greenland to Kangerlussuaq. Here we disembark the Clipper Adventurer and make our way home.
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