South Greenland Exploration: Fjords, Waterfalls, and Fishing Villages

Day 1: Arrive Reykjavík, Iceland & Embark Ship
Arrive in Reykjavík, the world’s northernmost capital, which lies just below the Arctic Circle. Transfer from the airport and spend the day exploring the sights, sounds, and tastes of this Arctic capital before embarking the ship in the afternoon. Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 2: Grundarfjörður
Serving as the center of trade on the Snaefellsnes Peninsula since the 15th century, Grundarfjörður is now best known for its Kirkjufell Mountain and picturesque waterfall. Alongside the National Geographic Photography Expert, capture your own images of this dynamic landscape and the weather swirling around the peninsula. Alternatively, hiking through a local lava field or explore the town’s Saga Center. Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 3: Crossing the Denmark Strait
Sail away from the Peninsula and across the Denmark Strait. Connecting the Arctic and Atlantic Ocean, the strait is home to the world’s largest waterfall, caused by powerful currents and glaciers. Listen to talks by our experts, relax with a book in the lounge or the observation deck, and keep an eye out for wildlife as we sail across the continental shelf. Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 4: Exploring East Greenland
The coast of the world’s largest island is etched with thousands of fjords, some of which reach back to the Greenlandic ice sheet. Spend the day exploring these stunning inlets of the eastern coast, using our underwater cameras and Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) to discover marine life and fascinating underwater geology. Ice permitting, sail deep into Skjoldungen fjord and soak in our arrival to Greenland on a Zodiac cruise or in a kayak among the icebergs. Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 5: Prins Christian Sund and Tasermiut Fjord
Sail into Prins Christian Sund, which cuts into the southern tip of Greenland. We pass between soaring pinnacles and glaciers and through the sheltered waters of this dramatic landscape. As we round the southern coast of Greenland, we enter Tasermiut Fjord, known as Arctic Patagonia, for its sheer granite rock faces and dramatic valley filled with glaciers or their moraines. Spend time exploring by foot, kayak, or zodiac along its shores. Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 6: Qaqortoq
Our exploration of Erik the Red’s Eastern Settlement continues in the fjords around Qaqortoq. The Sissarluttoq World Heritage Center is dotted with ruins of Inuit and Norse farm, stables, and storerooms made of sandstone and granite blocks, allowing you to imagine what farming was like on the edge of the ice cap over 1,000 years ago. Explore the ruins of the 14th-century Hvalsey Church, and venture deep into the fjord to witness how these ancient remnants create the backdrop for daily farming life in southern Greenland. Continue to Qaqortoq, inhabited since the Viking era and now the largest town in South Greenland, with just over 3,200 residents. Stroll through the town square and visit the museum, where Greenlandic kayaks, hunting equipment, and local art and handicrafts are on display. Sample traditional Greenlandic food this afternoon. Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 7: Qassiarsuk
Today we spend our last day in what was known as Erik the Red’s Eastern Settlement, to present day Qassiarsuk. Visit Brattahlíð, where Erik the Red established his farm in 982 A.D. after his exile from Iceland. Erik’s wife, Þjódhild, built the first Christian church in the western hemisphere here. Visit replicas of the church and Erik the Red’s longhouse and see the shores from which their son, Leif Eriksson, launched the first voyages to North America—500 years before Columbus. Later in the day, visit a local family farm that continues the farming tradition which has earned this region a UNESCO World Heritage designation for Arctic farming on the edge of the ice cap. Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 8: Paamiut and Kuannersooq Fjord
Lying at the unofficial boundary between western and southern Greenland, Paamiut serves at the gate keeper to a fjord system filled with hundreds of islands, fjords, and bays, as well as terminal glaciers stretching out from the Greenlandic ice sheet. Enjoy an exploration day in these fjords, on the lookout for a view of the ice sheet as well as the wildlife that calls the fjords home, such as fin whales and sea eagles. Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 9: Nuuk
Perched on the seaside in the shadow of ice-capped Sermitsiaq Mountain, Nuuk is the world’s smallest capital city by population, with some 19,000 inhabitants experiencing tremendous cultural and economic growth. Watch for harp seals as we enter the harbor, and hear from local residents to learn how the community has changed over the generations. At the National Museum, examine the extraordinary 15th-century Qilakitsoq mummies found near Uummannaq—a discovery that was featured in a National Geographic magazine cover story in 1985. The Arctic ice preserved these mummies so well that researchers have been able to study their tattoos, their medical conditions, and even what they ate. Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Days 10-11: Nuuk / Disembark Ship / Reykjavík, Iceland
Disembark and take a charter flight back to Iceland, and check into our hotel near the airport for an included overnight stay. In the morning, transfer to the airport for flights home. Meals Included: Breakfast