Escape to a remote and remarkable region of the world on our 10-night Greenland Discovery: West Greenland tour on board our boutique ship. Traditional ways of life can still be seen against a backdrop of stunning arctic scenery and immense mountains. We navigate through an intricate fjord system that keeps the secrets of Norse people and settlements more than 4,500 years old, the pathways of Inuit migrations and Viking ruins. Discover UNESCO-listed World Heritage sites and unspoilt, picturesque waterways filled with floating icebergs. Join us on our voyage to a fascinating and varied part of Greenland, one of the world’s last great adventures.
Your cruise ends in Reykjavík. Make sure there is sufficient time before you begin your journey home to explore this diminutive but dramatic capital city. Despite its small size, you won’t be short of things to see and do. To get your bearings, take the elevator to the top of Hallgrímskirkja. This church, designed by famed Icelandic architect Gudjón Samuelsson is one of the most distinctive buildings in town. When you return to earth, visit the city’s other renowned building Harpa Concert Hall, located at the heart of Reykjavík’s regenerated harbour – also the home of the Maritime Museum. Speaking of cultural spaces, tour the National Museum to learn the story of Iceland from past to present. The Reykjavík Art Museum houses an impressive contemporary collection including eye-catching pieces by Erró. And, of course, just 50 kilometres outside the city lies Thingvellir National Park, the site of Iceland’s original Viking parliament.
Sea days are rarely dull. Take the time to sit back and let the world go by. The ship’s observation decks provide stunning views of the passing ocean. A day at sea gives you the opportunity to mingle with other passengers and share your experiences of this incredible trip or head to our library which is stocked full of reference books. Get an expert’s view in one of our on-board lectures or perhaps perfect your photography skills with invaluable advice from our onboard professional photographers.
On the craggy east coast of Greenland, the stunningly scenic, U-shaped Skjoldungen Fjord is surrounded by lofty snow-capped mountains, dwarf birch, Arctic wildflowers and willow forests with the Thrym Glacier at one end. High rock walls, serpentine rivers and large crevasses of ice pillars known as seracs give way to carved icebergs in the fjord that gleam in a white to blue spectrum. You also have the opportunity to see whales under pure blue skies.
A beautifully dramatic fjord in the south of Greenland, in Prins Christian Sund we move among fin, blue and minke whales, while you may also see muskox, polar bears and bearded seals. Enjoy these unspoilt, picturesque waterways where magnificent glaciers tower and granite cliffs yield to crystal-clear waterfalls.
The small, colourful and pretty Nordic homes of Aappilattoq, the only settlement in Prins Christian Sund, stand stark against snow-tipped mountain ridges in this icy wilderness.
Today, explore Ivigtut’s deserted buildings, enormous cryolite hole and above-ground cemetery. This settlement played a crucial role in WWII as cryolite was used to produce Aluminium to build fighter planes. Walk around the abandoned houses and learn about the history of the Ivigtut.
Home to more than a third of Greenlanders, the capital of Nuuk can easily deceive you that you’re travelling through such a wild and secluded country. Also known by its Danish name of Godthåb (Good Hope), you’ll see the busy old Colonial Harbour with Nuuk Cathedral prominent, colourful wooden houses, avant-garde architecture and a wonderful array of fjords with clear ice waters and an unspoiled mountain backdrop. Look out for whales and on land arctic foxes, arctic hares and reindeer.
Just north of the Arctic Circle and the northernmost city in Greenland, Sisimiut remains ice free in winter and is known as an adventure sports hub. Inhabited for more than 4,500 years by the Inuit, Dorset and then Thule people, dog sled remains a common form of transport and we have a chance to see abandoned settlements but it also has a cool, modern side. Watch out for humpback whales and walrus between Sisimiut and the Thule district in the north.
Sailing through the iceberg capital of the world to Disko Bay, the Ilulissat Icefjord is one of the cruise highlights. Given UNESCO World Heritage Site status, the Ilulissat Icefjord is a popular tourist destination, and thanks to the productive Sermeq Kujalleq glacier, thousands of gargantuan icebergs calve from the Greenland ice cap into the sea. The city of Ilulissat, formerly Jakobshavn or Jacobshaven, is home to as many sled-dogs as people.
At the head of one of the longest fjords in western Greenland, Kangerlussuaq has a history as a World War II airbase. Visit the 60-metre tall face of the Russell Glacier on the edge of the Greenland ice cap to hear and see it crack and break off into the meltwater. Other popular activities include kayaking on the fjords and wildlife tours of the glacial areas that attract muskoxen, reindeer, arctic foxes and gyrfalcons.
My voyage was great. All of the logistics worked out perfectly, right down to the correct size of allocated wellington boots!
I enjoyed Spitsbergen. The wildlife was like nothing I have ever seen before (polar bear, puffins, reindeer, birdlife). I still get a thrill every time we cruise around in Zodiacs and the glaciers were quite spectacular. Looking back at my photo’s reminds me of how astonishing the scenery is in Spitsbergen. The crew were great, and it was nice to meet up again with some familiar faces on board.
June 23, 2018
My trip in June to Svalbard was one of the high spots of my life. I am a wildlife devotee and green supporter so for years I have had a huge conflict about pursuing the former without transgressing the latter too much. Somehow, this cruise felt right – Ice Tracks and the entire ship’s crew are really conscientious about their environmental impact and told us about it – very reassuring. I loved the zodiac trips out right up to huge glaciers – one of which we saw calving – and onto the land where we trekked and got a real sense of the presence of polar bears – their tracks and where they’s scrambled out of the water onto the snow. We saw all 3 land mammals of the Arctic – wonderful birds including King Eiders – a bird high up on all birders’ ‘must see’ list, and whales including a Beluga with two calves, swimming so close to us!
I was travelling on my own – but everyone was very sociable and I was never on my own for long. The on board staff were always kind, helpful and hugely knowledgeable. A brilliant trip.
June 20, 2018
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