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Greenland or "Kalaallit Nunaat" ("Land of the People") in the Greenlandic language, is the largest island in the world, it stretches from 60º to 83º north latitude. Kap Farvel, its southern tip, is located at almost the same latitude as the Shetland Islands in Scotland. The extreme north of Greenland is the northernmost point of land on our planet. Greenland is dominated by the second largest ice-sheet in the world; more than 80% of its surface area is covered by ice reaching a thickness of over 3000 meters (10,000 feet) in the interior. Although huge in size (2,166,000 km²), it is inhabited by less than 60.000 people. Greenland is geographically a part of the North American continent but has more social and political ties with Europe.

The coastline of Greenland is spectacular. Heavily indented with numerous fjords, the coastline consists of spectacular high mountains, 2000 meters (6500 feet) high cliffs and innumerable glaciers. The large glaciers produce the huge, cathedral-like ice-bergs that are abundant in Greenlandic waters. The largest fjord is Scoresby Sund and is more than 300 kilometres (185 miles) long. Our voyages focus on East and North-East Greenland, among the most isolated, sparsely populated and scenically superb parts of the island.

The name Greenland was given by Eric the Red, a Norwegian-born Icelandic settler who was banished from Iceland around the year 982 after committing a murder. He found refuge in Greenland. When his exile was over, he returned to Iceland with stories of a green and fertile land to the north-west to lure potential settlers, hence the name Greenland. Although initially flourishing, the Icelandic settlements disappeared from Greenland around 1400, probably due to a climatic change, the Little Ice-Age. But the Norwegian settlers were certainly not the first humans to have lived on Greenland. For thousands of years Palaeo-Eskimos (the Dorset culture) had been living on the coasts of Greenland: they were finally replaced by Inuit (or Kalaallit as they call themselves in Greenland) around 1300 A.D. The Inuit now make up the majority of the Greenlandic population. The Inuit, the word means "men" in the Inuit language, are nowadays seen as the indigenous people of the North American Arctic. Inuit are traditionally subsistence hunters, living primarily from whales, walruses, Caribou, Musk Oxen, Arctic Foxes, Polar Bears and seals.

Climate

Our expeditions in North-East Greenland are planned in August and September. The reason is that access to this wild coast is dependent on the ice conditions. For much of the year the region is locked in by pack-ice, which only by late summer has broken up sufficiently to allow vessels such as ours to reach land.

Please note; although we expect to be able to reach Greenland, nature does not give us a guarantee. Pack-ice is unpredictable and may prevent our ships to complete the planned itinerary.

The Greenlandic weather varies enormously depending on where you are on this vast island. Influenced by its high latitude, the gigantic ice-cap and the surrounding oceans and seas, Greenland has an Arctic to High Arctic climate. Still, East Greenland has on average 300 days of sunshine in the year. In August we can expect surprisingly warm daytime temperatures. In Scoresby Sund the average daytime temperatures are between 5 and 9ºC (41 and 48ºF) with the highest observed temperature being 21ºC (70ºF). On a sunny, windless day even 9ºC feels quite warm. By September, autumn rapidly begins to take a hold. Temperatures drop below zero, the sea in sheltered fjords begins to freeze, the winds strengthen and snow can be expected. Still, the low sun gives spectacular sunsets and the snow adds to the Arctic feeling.

Itinerary

We arrive in Upernavik from Reykjavik by chartered plane. Upernavik (1500 inhabitants) is the main town in North Greenland, where the people still live from hunting seals.

We will go ashore on Kipak, and Kap Shackleton on Agparsuit which still have huge colonies of Brünnich’s Guillemots.

At the southern end of Melville Bugt we land at Kuvdlorssuaq the northernmost settlement of the Upernavik district.

We land at Lille Renland, where Reindeer have been found. Here we can walk on the Greenland ice-cap. In this area we may encounter our first sea ice and, if so, there is a chance of spotting Polar Bears hunting seals at the ice edge. Later we land at Red Head. The coast here is dominated by the vast Greenland ice cap which reaches the sea as a series of enormous glacier fronts, the largest outside Antarctica.

Today we sail to the western side of Melville Bugt, calling at Cape Melville and then continuing into Meteor Bugt where the shoreline mountains teem with Little Auks.

On Meteor Island we land at Savigsivik, the southernmost Thule settlement. It was on this island that the famous York meteorite provided the Inuit with a source of iron - until Peary removed it and sold it to an American museum.

At the west side of Saunders Island we will cruise below cliffs on which nest 150,000 Brünnich’s Guillemots, together with Kittiwakes and Fulmars, making it, perhaps, the largest seabird colony in Greenland.

We land at Cape Chalon, where we visit old houses of the Thule culture. Then we sail to Siorapaluk, the northernmost Greenlandic village where the people still depend on the hunting of Polar Bear, Narwhal, seals, seabirds and wildfowl. Later we sail into Inglefield Bredning where the icebergs are carved into fantastic shapes by the natural forces of wind and water.

Today we call at Thule (Quaanaaq) the main settlement of the area. In the 1950s the inhabitants of Old Thule (Dundas) were forced to move to Quaanaaq when NATO created an air base at their village. We continue to Hakluyt Island to view a large colony of Brünnich’s Guillemots. At this time of year the young are jumping from the ledges into the sea to start their southward migration.

In Booth Sound we make a trip inland to visit an area of High Arctic tundra. There are many lakes here, with a breeding population of ducks and geese.

Just east of Parker Snow Bugt we visit again some colonies with Brünnich’s Guillemots and cruise below the spectacular, ice-capped Crimson Cliffs to reach Cape York where, in 1818, the Inuit and White Men first met when Royal Navy ships under John Ross arrived. Today the small settlements on the eastern side of the Cape are deserted, though the mountains behind the shore are still home to thousands of Little Auks.

We sail east through the immense Melville Bugt, admiring again the awesome Greenland ice cap to the east. As we sail close to the edge of a nature reserve we have some chances to see Narwals along the ice edge.

We will sail as close to shore as we can and hope to land on Cape Seddon near the remains of a Thule culture village.

Depending on our schedule we land in the area of Kraulshavn.

At Kingigtorsuaq, where 14th Century Viking Ruins were found, we will try to find the place where the Vikings built a cairn with the inscriptions. From there we sail to Upernavik the main town in North Greenland.

From Upernavik we fly to Reykjavik by chartered plane.