The most productive glacier outside Antarctica, a UNESCO icefjord, and settlements with no roads between them.
The Sermeq Kujalleq glacier at Ilulissat calves more ice than any other glacier outside Antarctica, and the icefjord it fills is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Icebergs the size of buildings ground on the shallows at the fjord mouth before drifting out into Disko Bay.
Greenland has almost no roads between settlements, so a programme here is built from flights, helicopters and boats. Weather buffers are not optional here — we plan itineraries with slack built in, and say so plainly to clients.
A small selection of hotels in Ilulissat and simpler guesthouse stays in the surrounding settlements.
Icefjord boat trips, kayaking among bergs, glacier flightseeing and time with Greenlandic hosts.
Halibut, snow crab and musk ox — a short larder, handled straightforwardly and often better than expected.
Flights via Nuuk or Kangerlussuaq, with helicopter and boat links onward. Schedules move with the weather.
Sea ice in the bay, dog sledding as working transport and a long aurora window. Cold, and a long way from anywhere.
The ice releases, boat access returns and the light stretches to midnight. Icebergs at their most dramatic.
Full boat and kayak access, mildest weather and the reliable window for glacier and settlement travel.
February — April: Frozen Sea. Sea ice in the bay, dog sledding as working transport and a long aurora window. Cold, and a long way from anywhere. May — June: Break-Up. The ice releases, boat access returns and the light stretches to midnight. Icebergs at their most dramatic. July — September: Open Water. Full boat and kayak access, mildest weather and the reliable window for glacier and settlement travel.
We suggest 4–5 nights. 4 nights: Ilulissat based, with icefjord boat time, a glacier day and a settlement visit — buffer built in for weather. 8 nights: Ilulissat, the Eqi glacier and Disko Island, moving by boat and helicopter with realistic contingency days.
Ilulissat (JAV) via Nuuk or Kangerlussuaq. Flights via Nuuk or Kangerlussuaq, with helicopter and boat links onward. Schedules move with the weather.
Icebergs · Expedition · Photography. The most productive glacier outside Antarctica, a UNESCO icefjord, and settlements with no roads between them.