Kayak and trekking in South Greenland, 15 days (2050)

160 km of navigation, among icebergs and glaciers in complete autonomy. Visit of different glacier fronts, ascent to the Inland Glacier, polar fauna, Northern Lights.

Using soundless kayaks and in total freedom, we will travel across part of the Arctic, surrounded by a spectacular setting of icebergs and glaciers.

A genuine expedition, in kayak and on foot, without a support boat to disturb the harmony of the trip, in total contact with the magical environment of one of our planet’s last frontiers: the largest island in the world, Greenland.

On our trip, we will combine travelling the fjords on kayak with hiking, which will allow us to cross the tundra and approach the ice cap, Greenland's great inland glacier that covers more than 80% of the land.

Along the way, we will have the opportunity to enjoy the wide variety of Arctic fauna, as well as to get to know different Inuit settlements and the area's most important inuit ruins.

There is also a shorter 8 day version of this trip.
Read more here!

Dates (2050)   2023: July 8 - 22 July 22 - August 5 August 5 - 19 Departure with some extra focus on the Northern Light August 19 - September 2 Groups: 6 to 12    Price   From Reykjavik 38250 SEK or 3395 € (+ taxes) From Copenhagen on request NB! The above prices are subject for change. Already booked tours will normaly not change.    Price includes   • Flight Reykjavik-Narsarsuaq, return (or flight from Copenhagen) • Guide (English speaking) • Zodiac trip Narsarsuaq – Narsaq – Narsarsuaq • Rental of kayaks and navigation equipment (see the list provided) • Meals on a full board basis (except dinner last day in Narsaq and lunch on departure day) • Accommodation in Greenland, as stated in the program • Camping and zodiac boat travel equipment    Price do not include   • Airport taxes and fees (~210 €) • Last day dinner in Narsaq and lunch on departure day • Unexpected expenses as a result of weather conditions (including difficulties due to ice conditions) or flight or boat delays. We strongly advice that you buy a travel insurance that cover such delays. • Any other aspect not listed in “Price includes”

To book the tour or to contact us for any queries, just send us an email at info@gronlandsresor.se
or give us a call at +46-8-55626970

Program
Day 1:
Reykjavik-Narsarsuaq (also possible to fly from Copenhagen). Arrival in Greenland, reception in the airport. Transfer to Narsaq by Zodiac; with about 1,700 inhabitants, it is one of southern Greenland's biggest cities. Introduction and preparation of equipment. If the conditions are right, the first tests of navigation will be carried out. Night in hostel-home.

Days 2 to 13

Tuttutooq Island
AWe start the journey crossing the great fjord of Narsaq, sailing among icebergs heading southwest toward Tuttutooq Island. The landscape is one of low mountains with waterfalls running into the sea and the constant presence of seals. We travel parallel to the coast, doing some trekking and sheltered by the islands until we reach the cabin of Ujaraq, a local fisherman. Depending on the weather and how the journey progresses, the guide will decide whether to circumnavigate Tuttutooq island or take the “shortcut” to the Qaleraliq fjord: carrying our kayaks over an isthmus for 400 meters and arriving at a point right across from the fjord that leads directly to the Qaleraliq glaciers, the Perito Moreno of the Arctic. Nights spent in a tent. Opportunity to observe Northern Lights in the peacefulness of the night from 2nd half of August.

Torsukattak Fjord
Firstly, we cross the wide Kerssuaq fjord, often plagued by ice and with luck visited by whales. We spend two days skirting the coast in a northeast direction through an area relatively unchartered by kayakers, approaching the mouth of the Torsukattak fjord and its islands until we reach the Qaleraliq Fjord. Nights spent in a tent.

Towards Qaleraliq glacier
The next stage is a beautiful 15 km sail along the cliffs before reaching the three gigantic Qaleraliq glaciers, the gateway to the 2,500 kilometers of icy plateau leading to the northern coast of Greenland. It goes without saying that the spectacle, seen and heard from our silent kayaks, is awesome… Still surprised by the intermittent roar of cracking or seracs collapsing into the sea, we set up camp on a sandy beach. After a break, we trek up to Lake Tasersuatsiaq, where we have a privileged view point of the infinite Greenlandic ice cap. We are in caribou, arctic fox and hare country. Night spent in a tent.

The Ice Cap
After breakfast and dismantling the tents, we sail to the end of the fjord, disembarking to enter the perpetual Inlandis ice-sheet. It is about four hours of hiking, enjoying the sights of the rimayas or large transverse cracks, as we reach the great moraine (mixture of ice and sediment) following our guide’s instructions. The return journey will take us back to our kayaks, where we set camp for the night. Night spent in a tent.

Glacier fronts
The easiest and probably the most spectacular day: we travel by kayak around all the Qaleraliq glacier fronts and might see some calving of ice drop into the sea. We will set up the camp on nearby Caribou Island. Night spent in a tent.

Sermiat Naajaat Glacier
Once we backtrack Qaleraliq Fjord, we set sail in a north-eastern direction, circumnavigating the island of Akuliaruseq (also called caribou because of their presence there) to visit the two Naajaat Sermiat glaciers. This is the day we cover the longest distance but by now our muscles are up to the challenge! Night spent in a tent.

Qingaarsuup Island
Today we head towards Qingaarsuup Island, our second last objective. We camp next to a cabin and have an easy trek up to get a unique view of Inlandis and much of the route traveled during the previous days. By now we are already expert salmon fishermen and gatherers of mushrooms and wild arctic blueberries (from August), very tasty. Night spent in a tent.

From Qingaarsuup to Narsaq town
We will cross the Ikersuaq fjord towards Stephensen bay in the island of Tuttutooq. This was a inuit settlement called Manitsuarsuk. Ruins of the settlement can be seen. Our kayaking will continue towards Narsaq or we might be ending here and be transferred by boat to Narsaq. Accommodation in hostel.

Fjords and Glaciers
After leaving Qaleraliq, we will travel into a labyrinthine system of islands and outcroppings of land. We will visit several glaciers, some of which can be reached on foot, and others which we will need the kayak to reach. We will have the opportunity to trek through unique and wild areas, as beautiful as they are inaccessible, unknown places that we will have the exclusive privilege of exploring. Time for fishing arctic salmon, gathering mushrooms and cranberries.

Day 14 Optional excursion to Qaqortoq, Capital of South Greenland
Stay in Narsaq. Free time to visit the city, Inuit market, hunters' harbour, church, leather shop, museum, etc. Option of a small trek to nearby mountains.

Optional: Excursion to Qaqortoq – Hvalsoy Church and Upernaviarsuk agricultural centre RIB boat transfer to Qaqortoq which represents South Greenland capital. It was founded in 1775, and nowadays has almost 3000 inhabitants. It’s described as the most charming and attractive town in all Greenland.

Time off to walk around town, where you will discover the beauty of its colourful buildings, the awe-inspiring landscapes and some of its thirty different rock sculpture designs, spread over the town. Explore on your own the museum, the fur shops, the traditional kayak club, the church, the only fountain in the country, and have dinner in one of its restaurants or enjoy a drink with the local people. Then, we will pursue our sailing from Qaqortoq to visit the best preserved Norse ruins in Greenland. We sail past the large island of Arpatsivik, the Norse “Hvalsey” or Whale Island, and into the fjord with the ancient Norse name “Hvalseyfjördur”, where the church ruins stand in a quiet and peaceful setting.

In the afternoon, RIB boat transfer way back to Narsaq.

Night in Narsaq,

Day 15
Transfer to Narsarsuaq. Time to walk around in the area and visit the local museum.

Optional: Helicopter excursion

Flight Narsarsuaq - Keflavik or Copenhagen.

NOTE:

The optional excursions need to be booked in advance and are subject to availability. Please contact us if you are interested.

This trip is done in a true expedition style, with a spirit of discovery and adventure. The rhythm is relaxed, but continuous, and the options surrounding us many and varied. The route can be done as it is explained above or in reverse order. The order of the activities may not be exactly as planned in this outline. Greenland is the wildest country in the northern hemisphere, infrastructures are almost non-existent and logistics pose enormous challenges. For this reason, we may not follow this daily itinerary exactly as planned. It is subject to change in order to adapt the journey to the weather conditions, sea conditions, or technical and organisational difficulties, and it therefore requires flexibility in the traveller.

Physical Condition
This trip has been planned so that anyone in reasonably good physical condition can participate; it is recommended that exercises for strengthening arms and building endurance are done for at least one month before the trip. The stages include 3 to 5 hours of rowing (15 to 20 km a day) with frequent stops and rest periods.

In the two-person kayaks, those in better shape will be paired with those who are a little less fit, so that the group can be balanced. The trip is not recommended only for those with serious back problems, due to the difficulties that can result from carrying the kayaks from the beach to the water and back.

We recommend that those who are in doubt about their physical abilities take a weekend kayak trip. 

Difficulty
It is not absolutely necessary to have had prior experience in a kayak in order to participate in our trip, because the kayaks are stable, wide and safe, although if you haven't got any experience, we do recommend that you take a course and practise all you can before the trip. Travelling in these kayaks is not technically difficult, and is only done when conditions are favourable.

Those participants with prior experience in kayaking may choose to do the trip in an individual kayak (ask Tasermiut, South Greenland Expeditions before the trip).

The expedition is carried out in direct contact with Nature, without any contact with civilisation from the time we leave Narsaq until our return to this settlement.

Guide: South Greenland Expeditions
The trip will be accompanied by a veteran kayak guide, who has got several years' experience guiding kayak expeditions in hazardous environments.

The Guide’s job is to point the group in the right direction, to ensure all travellers’ safety and to solve any possible problems that may arise along the itinerary, making changes or adjustments if necessary. Activities such as setting up the tents in the camp or taking them down, making lunch or other shared activities will be everybody’s responsibility, including the guide’s.

Hostel - homes
Accommodation in hostel-homes will be made in a regular house, temporarily prepared to be used as hostels, with similar services, exclusively for the members of the group. We will use sleeping bags at night. Overnight stays at Hostel - Homes may be substituted by overnight stays at another local hostel.

Communication and Safety
Main mobile telephone networks can be reached in the cities and in some parts on the coast. The guide will carry a satellite phone throughout the entire trip.

At the start of the trip, the guide will share some basic tips on behaviour, safety and kayak self-rescue.

While travelling in the kayak, each participant will wear a special suit and a life jacket. The expedition is carried out in an area of fjords where there are hardly any waves, and the winds are usually very light. Travelling in the kayak is only done when the conditions are optimum, and with few exceptions, along the coast.

If there is an emergency, the guide will call a rescue boat, which will arrive within 2 to 3 hours –conditions permitting– to any point of the excursion and carry out an evacuation to the hostel or hospital in Narsaq if necessary.

Food
Breakfast: Coffee, tea, infusions, cocoa, powdered milk, biscuits, bread, jam, muesli and cereals.
Packed lunch: Bread, cheese, chorizo, salami, ham, paté, chocolate, nuts, biscuits, soup, hot tea…
Dinner: Meals cooked at the camp. Rice, pasta, fish, mashed potatoes and meat, sausages, bacon, chorizo, tuna, squid…

Northern Lights
The northern lights are one of the most wonderful of nature’s phenomena on our planet, a beautiful, delightful display of movement and light against the dark polar skies on clear, calm nights. 

It is usually possible to witness the aurora in winter. Late summer, however, especially in September, is the best time of the year to watch it in Southern Greenland, which is famous for offering some of the best places to view this spectacular natural display. In July, there is more sunlight and therefore it is not so easy to see it, but in August it can be seen more often, and from September onwards, the aurora can be seen almost every day when the skies are clear.

Fishing and Fruit picking
All along the trip we will visit some very good areas to go fishing, especially for arctic salmon and cod. We do not provide fishing equipment. We therefore recommend you take it from your country or buy it at Narsaq.

Mushroom (Boletus Edulis) and blueberry picking is season dependent, although August is the best month. Mussel collecting will be easy near some of the camps and Ujarak’s hut, where there are plenty during the summer months.

Maps: We will use topographic maps 1:250.000

Weather
Weather in Greenland is very changeable. It is usually pleasant, but it is essential that you bring appropriate clothes for rainy weather. Temperatures are often more than 15ºC in July and between 5 º C and 10 º C in August. Mid-August nights are sometimes very cold. In September, temperatures are usually between 5ºC to 8ºC during the day and may reach minus 5ºC at night.

Ice conditions
Eastern Greenland draughts bring great amounts of ice from the Arctic Ocean, which, sometimes, block Southern Greenland from May to mid-June. We may also come across ice that makes navigation difficult in July, but it is rare. If this happens we would take an alternative route instead.  In August, the icefield poses no special problems and the sea in the region is full of icebergs.

Pocket money
Greenland is one of the most expensive countries in the world. We recommend travellers bring approximately 450 - 1.000 crowns (50 - 130 Euros). You can purchase gifts and handicrafts at our Narsarsuaq office in Euros (It is not necessary to get extra crowns)

Passport and visa regulations
You must have a valid passport which expires no less than three months after your stay in Greenland. A visa is not necessary unless you come from a country where a visa is required to enter Denmark.

Vaccine
You do not need to have any injections for Greenland.

Language
Kalaallisut, the Western Greenlandic language, is the main language in Greenland. It is spoken by 40.000 people, which makes it the most important Inuit language in the world. Inuhumiutut is also spoken in the North, and Tunumiutut in the West Coast. Most people in Greenland speak some Danish, which is the second official language. Many speak English too, with various levels of fluency, especially young people. Greenlandic has an agglutinating structure. It belongs to the Inuit-Aleut family of languages, and it is spoken by people in different areas, from the Aleutian Islands up to the west coast in Greenland. It is of Asian origin, as is the Inuit race.

The country
Greenland is one of the most singular countries in the world: A huge island that holds a glacier measuring two million square kilometres in size, surrounded by a coastal mountainous belt, bathed by a sea which due to its Arctic climate remains frozen most of the year. Some 57.000 inhabitants, mostly Inuit depending on fishing, hunting and farming, live on the coast. Greenland is now semi-independent from Denmark, the colonising country. The most populated area is the west coast, where Nuuk – the capital of the country, with 15.000 inhabitants
– is located. Northern and Eastern Greenland are almost uninhabited.

Transport
Roads are almost non-existent, except in towns. The most common means of transport are therefore boats, planes, helicopters and dog sledges..

GROUP EQUIPMENT SUPPLIED BY SOUTH GREENLAND EXPEDITIONS FOR THE GROUP

CAMPING EQUIPMENT
* Tents
* Camping stoves and cooking accessories, kitchen utensils,…
* First-aid kit

COMMUNICATION
* The boats will be equipped with a radio to be used at sea.
* Mobile phone
* Iridium phone (Global signal)
* SPOT Satellite Messenger

ORIENTATION AND WEATHER CONDITIONS
• GPS
• Compasses
• Maps

TRAVELLING MATERIALS
* Very stable single and double kayaks
* 2 replacement paddlest



PERSONAL EQUIPMENT SUPPLIED BY SOUTH GREENLAND EXPEDITIONS

KAYAKING CLOTHING
• Semi-dry raincoat
• Semi-dry cordura trouser with latex closures
• Spray skirts
• Life jacket
• Paddling gloves

TRAVELLING MATERIALS
• 2 dry bags
• Paddle
• 1 bilge pump (per kayak)



RECOMMENDED PERSONAL EQUIPMENT NOT SUPPLIED BY SOUTH GREENLAND EXPEDITIONS

HEAD
• Fleece hat (or wollen)
• Sunglasses
• Sun cream (we recommend strong protection against UVA rays)
• Lip balm (with sun block)
• Mosquito head net (recommended if you come before mid August. It may be possible to purchase it at Narsarsuaq. Please book in advance.
• Peak cap (to use with the mosquito net)

BODY
• Waterproof jacket
• A pair of light waterproof trousers.
• Fleece jacket
• Fleece vest
• 2 long sleeve thermal shirts (one summer style and one winter style)
• 1 short sleeve thermal shirt
• 2 Thermal leggings (one summer style and one winter style)
• Comfortable trousers (to wear during the treks)

HANDS
• Neoprene gloves (recommended from mid August)
• Fleece gloves

FEET
• Waterproof trekking boots
• 4 pairs of socks
• Flip-flops or similar footwear (useful at the hostel, but not essential)

CAMPING EQUIPMENT
• Sleeping bag (if possible, synthetic and suitable for -10ºC). You may rent one at Narsarsuaq. Please contact Grönlandsresor first to confirm.
• Mattress pad. You may rent one at Narsarsuaq. Please contact Grönlandsreso first to confirm.
• Torch (if possible, head torch). If you come in August and onwards.
• Plate
• Cup
• Cutlery set
• Bottle
• Toilet bag and accessories (please bring biodegradable products)

BAGS
• Backpack, suitcase or big kit bag.
• Small bag (for one-day trips)

OTHERS
• Hiking poles (optional). You may rent one at Narsarsuaq. Please contact Grönlandsresor first to confirm.

Note:
This is not an exhaustive list. Please add toiletries, towel, travelling clothes, personal medication, and any other item you may need. When packing, please be aware of the limitations as far as space on boats is concerned, and keep in mind your own comfort. Try to carry as less weight as possible in a bag as small as possible. We will emphasize recommendations for luggage at the beginning of the journey.

Terms & conditions
Read the T&C here

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