When you embrace the adventurous spirit of expedition travel, you open yourself to experiencing candid,
spontaneous encounters with Greenland’s iconic wildlife, breathtaking landscapes, and Inuit culture.
While there are a lot of different ways to see the world—planes, trains and automobiles, boats, bicycles and backpacks—when it comes to Greenland, the only real route is to escape on an expedition ship built specifically for adventure.
Cruising down the ice-choked fjords, watching the sky change with every breath, drinking in the grandeur of nature and the sheer size of the land, letting your thoughts wander, letting yourself wander—this is the true essence of Greenland. And the best way to experience the breathtaking sights and sounds of the largest island in the world by planning an authentic expedition with the best polar explorers around.
Expeditions of this nature let you cross everything off your list all at once, offering a full adventure itinerary—seeing iconic Arctic wildlife in their natural setting, experiencing Indigenous Arctic culture, learning about the people and their history, and topping up that hands-on experience with insider information from field experts. Onboard scientists from the worlds of zoology, biology, geology, anthropology and history really help make sense of what you’re seeing and doing.
More importantly, expedition travel leaves room for unscripted moments, like the candid wildlife sightings, the Northern Lights that can appear without warning, and spontaneous experiences that take you by surprise and leave you with your mouth open in total awe. While traditional cruises hop from port to port, keeping to a tidy schedule, an expedition ship lets you travel like legendary polar explorers, going wherever the action is, the schedule continuously and blessedly subject to change.
As one of the most unique places in the world, Greenland lends itself well to being explored via expedition ship. Communities and points of interest are scattered along the coastline, with little to no road access. The capabilities of an expedition ship crewed by the most experienced Arctic explorers can enhance your journey in ways that will take you further than any other mode of exploration.
There are crowning moments of every trip you take. But only an expedition can create the freedom of exploration you’ll need to experience Greenland in a way that will resonate long after you return home. Here are our favourite highlights from Greenland, after nearly 30 years of exploring it.
The Arctic landscape is a powerful and awe-inspiring draw. Red mountains, rocky hillsides, dramatic cliffs, stirring glacier faces, pebble-filled shorelines—the whole place is a geologist’s dream. The famed Ilulissat Icefjord is the most renowned glacier in the northern hemisphere, the second largest glacier site listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List—and one of the most active for calving. Having the ability to cruise into an uncharted fjord just to get a closer look at a calving glacier is an unforgettable experience unique to the spirit of expedition travel.
Possible sightings of the most iconic Arctic wildlife on daily land and Zodiac excursions are beyond thrilling. Polar bears, muskoxen, foxes, whales and more might be just over the next hilltop as you hike the arctic tundra or Zodiac around icebergs. The bird life is so incredible, sightings of glaucous gulls, guillemots and snow buntings will make a birder out of just about anyone. When you sit quietly on a rock and watch a herd of muskox lazily graze their way through a hillside valley, you can’t help but be moved—at one with the moment. This is nature at its finest.
No travel brochure can prepare you for the Northern Lights. You’ll even sleep in your clothes waiting for the call to hustle up to the top deck of your ship to see that night’s light show. This is truly the most celestial display on Earth and will leave you speechless.
The Thule and Inuit cultures are examined in fine detail, both on hikes through ancient ruins and onboard via comprehensive presentations on Greenland’s history by guest experts. You’ll see the remnants of winter and summer camps, pause at mounds of rocks covering a turn-of-the-century grave, and examine bits of handmade tools scattered across the shoreline sand. The people in the modern communities that dot the coastlines in the west and northwest also have their own stories to tell—and they’re happy to share them with you.
