West Greenland - Aurora Borealis

At this time of year the possibilities of seeing the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) is strong. We will be watching out every night and wake you up if there's a really good display!

Your Itinerary

Thursday 20th September
Your Icelandair flight leaves London Heathrow (Terminal 1) at 1300 hours, arriving in Keflavik International Airport at 1500 hours. From here you take the Flybus (at your own expense) which will drop you off at Hotel Cabin in the business centre of the city, a short walk from the shopping area. Dinner tonight is at your own expense.

Friday 21st September
The charter flight to Greenland leaves from Reykjavik Domestic Terminal in the City Centre - again there is a Flybus which will pick you up at the hotel. The flight leaves at 1115 hours and gets into Ilulissat at 1430 hours. The town, with 5,000 inhabitants, is located at Disko Bay with its amazing icebergs and views to the distant snowfields and glaciers. It's Greenland's most important tourist destination and has associated facilities with museums and shops, including an excellent bookstore. You join the ship in the late afternoon for an evening sailing.

Saturday 22nd September
Today we sail along the large Jakobshavn Glacier which produces 10% of Greenland's icebergs! Although it has retreated significantly over recent years, it's still an amazing and awe-inspiring spectacle. South of it we land at Avangnardlit and climb a hill from which we have a fantastic view across the World Heritage Site of Jakobshavn Isfjord.

Sunday 23rd September
The island groups of Hunde Ejland and Kronprinsens Ejland in the mouth of the Disko Bay, are surrounded by rich waters which attract both seabirds and whales. We intend to call at the small settlement on Hunde Eijland where old dwellings of Greenland's Thule culture (dating from the 11th century) and graves from 18th century Dutch whalers can be seen.

Monday 24th September
We arrive at Sydbay (Ukivik), where the 18th Century whalers traded with the Eskimo's at the occasion of the yearly Assivik , when people from a large area come together, on a beautiful sandy beach. We land also at nearby Isortoq with remains of houses of the Thule culture. In this area we may see Reindeer.

Tuesday 25th September
Kangaamiut at the mouth of Evighedsfjord is a friendly Greenlandic village where people still indulge in handcraft.

Wednesday 26th September
Nuuk (Godthåb), the capital of Greenland has a population of about 14,000. An excursion should include a visit to the museum which has a remarkable collection of Inuit mummies, dating from the 15th Century, which were found near Uummannaq, further to the north. The Cultural Centre of Nuuk, which each year has an exhibition of the work of a Greenlandic artist, is also worth visiting. The waters to the west of the town are a good place to see Humpback and Blue Whales. In the evening we land at the southern tip of Akilia, where the oldest exposed rocks of our planet (3.8 million years) can be found.

Thursday 27th September
We call at Fiskenaes (formerly called Brielse Haven) and Lichtenfels, a Hernhuters mission post from the 18th century.

Friday 28th September
We sail past Flade Isblink and keep a lookout for Humpback Whales and Minke Whales.

Saturday 29th September
In Ivittuut we walk along the remains of a Cryolite mine and around a small cemetery connected with it. Later we sail into Ikat Fjord famous for the curious underwater structures formed by mineral precipitation. In this area we see Musk Oxen, which were introduced into the area in the last century.

Sunday 30th September
We will try to get to Uunartoq, where we take a bath in a hot spring surrounded by ice bergs. Later we sail along a great series of stranded ice-bergs to Lichtenau, a lovely but nearly deserted Greenlandic village, where the Hernhuters (Moravian brothers) had a mission in the 18th Century.

Monday 01st October
In the morning we sail to the beautiful glacier fronts of Qaleralik Sermia, where we will have some zodiac excursions and make some landings near the glacier. Deeper into Bredefjord at Qoornooq, we land in an area with beautiful remains of houses from the Thule culture.

Tuesday 02nd October
In Eriksfjord we visit the Viking sites of Gardar (a walk of 3 km from the landing site) and Brattahlíð, where Erik Red lived about a thousand years ago. In the evening we arrive at the airport of Narsarsuaq.

Wednesday 03rd October
From Narsarsuaq we fly by regular plane to Reykjavik, arriving at 1430 hours. The FlyBus takes us to Hotel Cabin for an overnight stay. Dinner is at your own expense.

Thursday 04th October
There are three options. The first is to make a very early start for the first flight to London or you may prefer to have a morning in Reykjavik and take the afternoon flight. If you wish to spend additional time in Iceland, Island Holidays is happy to discuss your requirements and make your arrangements for you.

Alternative Greenland Tours

• West Greenland - Whale Safari
• West Greenland - Disko Bay Whale Safari
• West Greenland - Disko Bay to Umanak
• North-East Greenland
• North Greenland - Ultima Thule
• North-East Greenland - Scoresby Sund
• About our Greenland expedition cruises