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6 days, 5 nights exploring West Greenland
What's included: Greenland package flights from Iceland included
The scale, power and beauty of Greenland’s ice sheet hast to be seen to believed. Icebergs calve from glaciers to begin their long journey out to the sea – unique and powerful natural events. At the Ilulissat Icefiord, a UNESCO world heritage site, massive icebergs rise more than a hundred meters above sea level and are stranded at the mouth of the fjord. The Arctic wildlife of Greenland is best seen in Kangerlussuaq, where thousands of wild reindeer and musk oxen are grazing. During this 6-day journey to West Greenland, we also take you whale watching, travel to the Inland Ice Cap and encounter the Greenlandic sledge dogs.
Highlights & Experiences
Flight depart times:
Select your most convenient flights and departure airport. (Subject to change and availability)
What you'll do
Day 1: Arrive in Greenland, Ilulissat city walk and sunset cruise
Flight from UK to Ilulissat in West Greenland, 300 kilometres north of the Polar Circle. Transfer and welcome meeting at 4-star Hotel Arctic. Enjoy a guided city walk of Ilulissat. With a population of about 4.500, Ilulissat is the 3rd largest town in Greenland and is home to almost as many husky dogs. After dinner, depart for a sunset cruise to the famous Ilulissat Icefiord, the world’s largest ice sculpture park. The icebergs are all products of the mighty and most productive glacier in the northern hemisphere. The experience is overwhelming, lights and colours constantly change and enjoy a late drink on “the real rocks”. Duration is about 3 hours. Dress warmly.
(Note: The season for midnight sun is approx. May 22-Jul 24. Outside this season, the excursion is operated as an evening cruise with the beautiful sunset reflecting over the icebergs).
Accommodation: Hotel Arctic, in a standard (Puisi) room
Meals included: Welcome dinner
Day 2: Icefiord sightseeing flight & boat trip to Eqi glacier and Rodebay island
Breakfast at the hotel. In the morning, take a 35-minute Icefiord photo sightseeing flight on a 5-seater aircraft, where skilled and experienced pilots fly at low altitude and show you a world you will never forget!
Afterwards, we departure by boat to Eqi – the calving glacier. Experience up-close towering ice cliffs of the glacier that send slabs of ice crashing into the water. The sound of the active glacier is quite remarkable, while the sight of icebergs toppling into the water is breathtaking. Next, we continue to the small settlement of Oqaatsut/Rodebay, where we will enjoy a delicious lunch or dinner. The local population of about 40 persons is dependent on fishing and hunting. You experience an entirely different world compared to the nearby town of Ilulissat. Guided walk through the village before enjoying a local meal at the old trading station. For hundreds of years, Oqaatsut/Rodebay was a stopover place for Dutch whalers, who dragged the huge whales onto land here in the old village. The village, which lies in a beautiful natural setting just 15 km north of Ilulissat, has its school, church, shop and a single restaurant, “H8”, which serves excellent meals in the old colonial building.
Duration: 1-hour photo sightseeing flight and about 7-8 hour boat trip / Level of difficulty: Easy
Accommodation: Hotel Arctic, in a standard (Puisi) room
Meals included: Breakfast & lunch or dinner
Day 3: Boat trip to a Hunter's settlement & whale watching tour in the Disko Bay
Breakfast at the hotel. Today we sail south along Ilulissat Icefiord, where we admire the huge icebergs and the local fishermen in their small boats. We reach the Ilimanaq settlement, still dependent on hunting and fishing. When we arrive at the pier, we will see wooden houses from the old Danish trading station, dated back to 1730.
In the summertime, humpback whales (a protected species) come to the Disko Bay to feed on small herring-like fish. Please be aware that we are not visiting a zoo, and therefore we cannot guarantee that the whales will ‘visit’ our boat! Packed lunch included.
Duration: 6 hours / Level of difficulty: Easy
Accommodation: Hotel Arctic, in a standard (Puisi) room
Meals included: Breakfast & lunch
Day 4: Inuit settlement at the Ilulissat Icefiord & visit the huskies dogs
Breakfast at the hotel. By bus as far as the road goes. Guided walking tour to the old Inuit settlement in the Sermermiut valley located in the famous Ilulissat Icefiord that was inscribed on UNESCO’s world heritage list in 2004 because of its outstanding glaciology and natural beauty. Learn about local history and Inuit customs and admire the views across the majestic icebergs. Sit down and try listening to the many different sounds of the ice. This is nature at its best. The ancient settlement of Sermermiut and Ilulissat Icefiord are about 1,5 km south of the town. Please wear proper boots or hiking boots. The approximate excursion time is 3 hours. The hiking distance is about 3 km (1,9 mls) round-trip; hiking time is about 1 hour. Terrain: mainly track bridge and a bit of uneven nature and rocky trail.
Ilulissat is a dog sledge area, and the dogs in town are still used for both work and play every winter. We invite you to visit local hunter’s dogs. The owner will demonstrate the equipment and tell about life as a sledge dog in Greenland. Duration: Dog visit is about 1,5 hours
Accommodation: Hotel Arctic, in a standard (Puisi) room
Meals included: Breakfast & farewell dinner
Day 5: The Inland Ice cap by 4x4
Breakfast at the hotel. Early morning airport transfer and flight from Ilulissat to Kangerlussuaq, a place with lush mountains, beautiful lakes and raging glacier rivers. A guided 4-wheel-drive tour takes you through an Arctic desert, along streams, through old glacier valleys and over small mountains directly to the Inland Ice Cap. If weather and road conditions are suitable, you have the chance to walk on ice. Along the way, we make several photo stops and walk to some viewpoints overlooking the fantastic Arctic landscape.
Duration: 4-5 hours / Level of difficulty: Easy
Accommodation: Hotel Kangerlussuaq, in a standard room
Meals included: Breakfast
Day 6: Arctic wildlife tour & travel back to UK
Breakfast at the hotel. The world’s biggest population of wild Musk Ox lives within close range of Kangerlussuaq. We drive by minibus to an area where it is possible to see musk oxen and reindeer. Please note that we are going into the wilderness; it is not a zoo. We cannot guarantee that you will see the animals, but the viewing rate is high. Depending on the flight schedule to UK, the wildlife tour might be offered on the previous day.
Afternoon flight back to UK
Duration: 2 hours / Level of difficulty: Easy
Meals included: Breakfast
Call us on +44 (0) 1773 850222
ATOL Protected
Thank you so much Gareth for organising such a lovely holiday for us! We gave a basic outline of what we wanted from our holiday and Gareth organised everything. Everything ran very smoothly and what an amazing experience. Thank you for all your suggestions, so glad we took them on
We are here to reassure you that you can trust our team with your Iceland holiday plans, knowing that all bookings with us are ATOL protected
