Greenland Eight Day Tour Icesheets & the 21st Century Trip Highlights: Jakobshavn Isbrae, UNESCO World Heritage Site Interact with sled dogs, dog sledding Active calving glaciers Cooking with native flora and fauna Walking in the tundra, wildlife viewing Helicopter onto the 2nd largest icesheet in the world
Arrive in Iceland Typically, flights into Iceland arrive early in the morning. We will arrange transportation for you to get from the airport to the hotel in Reykjavik after you land. You will be able to leave your bags at the desk while you explore Reykjavik until check-in time. Our first meet-up of the Big Chill Adventure team will be in the hotel lobby, and then we head out for dinner at one of our favorite restaurant in Reykjavik. After dinner everyone is free to explore the town on your own or rest up in your room before we meet first thing in the morning for breakfast! If you are interested in arriving a day early and being on your own, resting up or exploring, we can help you find accommodations and transport into town.
Day One We will fly to Ilullisat, Greenland on an Air- Iceland domestic flight leaving from Reykjavik city airport. After checking in our bags and a light lunch we will head to the Jakobshavn Isbrae the fastest moving glacier in Greenland and UNESCO World Heritage sight. The easy walk will bring us right to the shoreline where an old settlement was discovered, used by both the Viking and Inuit people. The shoreline is littered with stranded icebergs and the fjord filled with 100-500m icebergs. The overlook provides a place to relax, imbibe some warm drinks, and chat about the local geology, glaciology and ecology. And photograph an iconic and transient phenomena. On the way back to town, we will stop at the sled dog area where the whole region s sled dog kennels take up several square miles of tundra. We will arrange to view a feeding where we can witness the interaction of the sled master and his working dogs.
Day Two Today we explore Disko Island. Geologically Disko Island is far younger and different than the mainland. The island mostly consists of high and steep basalt mountains that were created by volcanic activity 25-65 million years ago. The name Qeqertarsuaq means "the great island", however the Danish name, Disko, refers to the shape of the island. The distance from the mainland to the Disko Island is approx. 100 km. Qeqertarsuaq (also known as Godhavn) is one of two towns on the entire island, the other is the small village of Kangersluk (Diskofjord). The boat trip from Ilulissat to Qeqertarsuaq on the Disko Island takes ~4 hours. Once there we will split into two groups if needed - a hiking group and a leisurely group. Those who want to experience dog sledding and a longer hike will head up to the small ice cap, the group that wants to experience waterfalls, rock formations and rivers from low elevation will stay in town.
Day Three Those who have chosen to hike to the small icecap will take a dog sled trip in the morning then hike back down to town. For those that stayed in town, they will take a leisurely walk to the Red River and the local research station where the Danish government is studying permafrost melting and other Arctic climate change events. Both groups will meet around lunch time before heading on the boat back to Ilullissat. On this evening we will arrange for a group to perform some of the Inuit drum ceremonies at our local accommodations.
Day Four Our second excursion will be to Eqi Sermia, where a large calving glacier will give you a feel of the scale and energy involved in how glaciers make icebergs. The early morning boat trip with a light breakfast takes several hours and the possibilities are very high that we will spot whales amongst the icebergs. The boat brings us right to the face of the glacier, where we will have lunch and spend 1 1/2 2 hours watching and listening for an amazing calving to happen before our eyes (and cameras!). Icebergs are present throughout Greenland s waters, but the area around Ilulissat is known to be the source of many large icebergs that break off the glaciers in the deep fjords. Icebergs are found in numerous shapes and sizes it is common to see icebergs that take on shapes of animals or contain beautiful openings that form alluring passages to sail through.
Day Five After breakfast we will say goodbye to Ilullisat and hello to Kangerlussuaq. We will be met in Kangerlussuaq by our local contacts active in the local Inuit community. Our friends use traditional techniques in utilizing flora and fauna in crafts, clothing, food and medicine. We will take two excursions with our friends to the foreground of the Greenland icesheet. On this first day, we will use 4x4 jeeps to travel into the tundra where we will get a short lesson in local flora and how it is used in cooking and herbal remedies. It will also provide our first real look at the Icesheet, which has been described as a tsunami of ice. The ice melt provides incredible waterfalls and rivers, and a flood plain frequented by the only wild muskox herd in southern Greenland. We will hope to see some of these muskox, as this week is still before hunting season commences. On our return there will be plenty of time to explore town inlcuding the local museum.
Day Six After breakfast we will head once again out to the icesheet. We will have three short walking excursions to amazing geology and photographic opportunities! First, a trip to a glacial lake that catastrophically drains regularly, with icebergs actively produced by the ice margin. Second, a walk down to the ice margin where an ice cave has formed on top of a garnet-bearing schist. And finally, our walk onto the icesheet at the shallowest section. The ice is rough enough that we don t need crampons and the small supraglacial rivers can be easily walked over. We will bring plenty of warm drinks and good food so we can eat picnic style at any time along the way. Of course all the while we will keep our eyes out for muskox, arctic hare and arctic fox! When we are tired and ready to head back we will get back in the 4x4 s and head to town for a gourmet dinner at Roklubben.
Day Seven After breakfast, we will stop in to say goodbye to our new found friends in Kanger and board a short 55 minute flight to Nuuk, the capital city of Greenland in the Godthaabsfjord. The regional geology of Godthaabsfjord hosts the Isua Greenbelt, rocks that are 3.8 billion years old! On this first afternoon in Nuuk, we will make a choice about what we would like to do in the afternoon. For those who have signed up, we will take a helicopter to the top of the ice sheet. Here, the ice sheet margin is all glaciers dumping into the sea or onto large flood plains. This sector of the ice is also very special in that there are large (mile wide) supraglacial lakes accessible by helicopter. We will also have the opportunity to explore the capital city, visiting some local Inuit women who still make the national costume by hand, the cultural center and art museum.
Day Eight After breakfast, we will have an exciting adventure. An open boat ride will take us to Kapisillit through a beautiful icefjord. We spend around 2 hours on the boat, bringing us to an area filled with icebergs and old viking settlements. We will walk around a local fishing village giving us an opportunity to see first hand how the remote fishing villages of Greenland are adapting to the 21st century. On the way back to the capital city, we will stop for dinner in Qooqqut, at Restaurent Qooqqut Nuan. Great chefs prepare food with local ingredients of fish and caribou/reindeer.
Day Nine Unfortunately, this is our departure day. We will head to Reykjavik on a direct AirIceland flight arriving at the domestic city airport. We will arrange transport to a local hotel or to the international airport. Greenland Disko Bay Ilulissat Kangerlussuaq Iceland Reykjavik Nuuk
Trip Cost: $8000 per person base $8900 per person with helicopter excursion includes all meals, accommodations, transport, activities, tips and entrance fees maximum 8 guests no single supplements does not include alcohol Trip Leaders Trip will be led by Big Chill Adventures co-founders Sarah Aciego and Mindy Cambiar - expert glaciologist/geologist and photographer. Have your questions answered on the spot and in person.