To holiday in Greenland is to holiday on the edge of a giant ice cap (over 80% of the world's biggest island is covered in ice) with a fertile coastal fringe indented with glacial valleys and fjords, many of which in summer have calving glacier tongues at their edge with bergs drifting leisurely out to sea. Above all Greenland is awesome grandeur: eerily quiet with a tiny population still a long way from the 21st century in both mind and spirit.
Greenland's fleeting summer brings migratory birds and a plethora of flora and fauna: bluebells, broad leaf fireweed, mountain crowberry, herbs, mosses and heather. Wildlife is prolific with white tailed Eagles, Polar Bears, Reindeer, Fin and Humpback Whales, Harp Seals, Musk Oxen and Blue & White Arctic Foxes.
For those interested in the complexity of climate change Greenland is one giant resource centre: researchers have drilled down over 3 kilometres to extract a core providing a 100,000 year old climate change record; in 2007 a new island 'Warming Island' was revealed as the ice sheet retreated and Greenland's ice sheet stores 10% of the world's fresh water.
Narsaq’s eponymous bay with its waters invariably flecked with floating icebergs is the vista that greets you each morning on this 7 day discovery tour of Southern Greenland. Hiking on the Dyrnaes peninsula; taking a boat trip up to the inland glacier and fjord bird cliffs; exploring the remnants of Eskimo life and sailing through the narrow Mato Strait are just some of the optional excursions that bring Greenland to life.
Wednesdays 30 June – 25 Aug
South Greenland is the tip of the country and synonymous with the name Greenland: pastoral landscapes peppered with villages and working sheep farms set against a backdrop of majestic mountains. The Ice Cap is just a few kilometres from Narsarsuaq and it is here that you will find the remnants of the Norse Age including a meticulous reconstruction of Erik the Red’s farm.
Monday 14 June – 30 Aug
Huskies baying outside brightly painted houses, melted pack ice drifting down the fjords and majestic scenery characterise East Greenland. This tour features a chance to get up close and personal with people who still fish and hunt in their traditional way, an exhilarating helicopter trip and several optional excursions.
Sun, Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri. 20 June – 27 Aug
Giant icebergs, calving glaciers, baying sled dogs and magnificent wild life, including seals musk oxen and eagles, make Greenland quite unique. Get up close and personal with reindeer and the arctic fox; walk up on the inland Ice Cap and fly up across the Arctic Circle to Disko Bay to see the glaciers continuously dropping ice chunks into the turquoise blue water with a thunderous clap.
Mondays 21 June – 23 August
Discover the west coast of Greenland on a coastal voyage book ended between stays in Ilulissat, the town of icebergs and Narsaq, a settlement of brightly coloured clapboard houses in the fertile south of the island. Built in 1992 the Mv Sarfaq Ittur was extensively refitted in 2000, has a cafeteria, salon with panoramic windows and our cabin accommodation is in outside ones with WC/bath. During your stay in Ilulissat and Narsaq there are numerous excursion options to fit every passion ranging from a whale safari to a helicopter flight to the Ice Cap.
Fridays 25 June – 20 Aug
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