Expedition Voyages to Greenland on MS FRAM

Call Toll Free 1 800 345 3324 (within India) or 033 2473 8096 or click here to enquire online.

Day and port of call:
Day 1: Reykjavik
Day 2: Grundarfjördur
Day 3: Denmark Strait
Day 4: Prins Christian Sund
Day 5-6: South Greenland
Day 7: Nuuk
Day 8: Queqertarsuaq
Day 9: Uummannaq and Ukkusissat
Day 10: Eqip Sermia
Day 11: Ilulissat
Day 12: Sisimiut
Day 13: Itilleq
Day 14: Kangerlussuaq

Greenland’s arctic wilderness offers us some of the most spectacular and unspoilt scenery anywhere on earth. The largest island on the planet, its frozen coastline has witnessed the birth of some of nature’s most breathtaking creations. Here the struggle for survival has engendered mankind with a healthy respect for his environment and we witness the quite unique interaction of man and nature as we sail through a landscape rich in culture, history and spectacular wildlife, into the northern lands of the midnight sun.

Day 1 Reykjavik (Iceland)
Reykjavik is the world’s northernmost capital city and home 171 514 people. In relative close surroundings of Reykjavik you may find glaciers, waterfalls, geysers and mountains. Reykjavik has also a vast selection of restaurants, museums and shops.

Day 2 Grundarfjördur (Iceland)
Is the capital of the Westfjords (Vestfirðir) region of Iceland, With a population of about 4,100 Ísafjörður is the largest town in the Westfjords.
Snaefellsnes is sometimes called “Iceland in a nutshell” because of its diversity of landscape with its different kind of lava and rock formations, glacier, volcanic activity, hot and cold springs as well as the richness of bird life and picturesque landscape. Snæfellsnes shelters tiny fishing harbours protected by dark cliffs of columnar basalt. All the colours of the northern summer seem to be caught between the ever undulating ocean and the pristine glacier slopes of Snæfellsjökull glacier.

Day 3 Denmark Strait
While crossing the Denmark Strait we follow in the wake of the great Norse settlers who left the shores of Iceland and Norway more than 900 years ago.

Day 4 Prins Christian Sund
Greenland’s southern shores contain some of the most culturally and scenically diverse regions of the island. Enjoy breathtaking scenery as we navigate dramatic Prins Christian Sund, a narrow, often ice-choked 70-mile-long channel across the southernmost point of Greenland. Huge glaciers tumble down from the Ice Cap.

Day 5 – 6 South Greenland
We will visit small communities of Southern Greenland. In this area we find unique Viking history, historic sites, arts and crafts, and majestic scenery with the multiple colours of the autumn.
Our final route in this area will depend on weather and ice conditions, one of our possible landing sites will be Qassiarsuk, a community with a population of 56 people, known for the settlement of the Viking Erik Raude. He was banished from Iceland and escaped to the land he called Greenland. Erik settled in Qassiarsuk because the area was according to him the richest and best site in Greenland when he arrived in 982. In Qassiarsuk we’ll find the reconstructions of his farm. Here you may join a guided walk through the settlement where you will learn more about the history of the region. You can visit the reconstruction of Erik Raude’s longhouse and the church that Erik’s wife Tjodhildur made him build. The walk will also include a visit at the church used today.

Day 7 Nuuk
The capital of Greenland houses about 15 000 people and holds the political and social centre of Greenland. Nuuk is the oldest town in Greenland founded by the Danish-Norwegian missionary Hans Egede in 1728. The name Nuuk means peninsula in English, an accurate description of the city’s location, on the tip of a large peninsula at the mouth of one of the largest and most spectacular fjord systems in the world.
Today the town is a place where old and new traditions meet, from picturesque old buildings in ”Kolonihaven” to the building of the Greenland Home Rule. Being the capital, Nuuk also houses a university, a teachers training college, churches and the Greenland National Museum where the mummies from Qilakilsoq are to be found.

Day 8, Qeqertarsuaq
Qeqertarsuaq is situated on the old volcanic island of Disko, and is the only town on the island. The population is around 1 100, about 60 whom live in the town’s only settlement, Kangerluk. Qeqertarsuaq means “The Big Island”, and the most important industry in the town is fishing and sealing though whaling once used to play an important role. The town is set in wonderful surroundings at the foot of impressive Basalt Mountains. The Arctic Station is situated here, which is a part of the Copenhagen University studying Flora and Fauna in Greenland.
There will be PolarCirkel boat transfer from the ship to Qeqertarsuaq and our Expedition Team will be at your disposal at different locations of the walk. A small local café is open for you during the stay.

Day 9, Uummannaq/ Ukkusissat
Uummannaq
The town of Uummannaq is situated in scenic surroundings at the foot of the 1 170 meter tall, heart-shaped mountain. The municipal borough of Uummannaq has a population of about 2 650 of whom 1.400 lives in the town and the rest in the remaining 7 Settlements in the borough. Hunting and fishing are the main trades in the town, and the most important species of fish is the halibut. The halibut-processing factory is the town's major source of employment. You may visit the town with amongst other things, the magnificent church and the old turf house that was lived in until 1989. There will be PolarCirkel boat transfer from the ship to Uummannaq.

Ukkusissat
We will be calling Ukkusissat in the evening. This settlement is set in wonderful scenery nestling between the magnificent mountains of the municipal borough of Uummannaq. There are about 190 inhabitants in the settlement, all of whom make a living from hunting and fishing. Ukkusissat (soapstone), was named after a nearby soapstone deposit which has been mined by Inuit craftsman for centuries, using the much sought-after soft stone to produce oil lamps, pots and pans. Ukkusissat was also a starting point of Alfred Wegeners expedition with horses.
Life in a small village is the topic for the walk. Going ashore in Ukkusissat requires the use of the ship's PolarCirkel boats.

Day 10, Eqip Sermia
The glacier Eqip Sermia has a front edge about five km long that calve icebergs into the open ocean. Today you have an outstanding possibility to experience a glacier and sense the greatness of the nature.
We will use the ship's tender boats to go ashore in this beautiful area near by the glacier. Passengers in relatively good physical condition will be able to hike in the area.
All who want to go ashore are welcome to join us for a BBQ dinner with a terrific view over the glacier.

Day 11, Ilulissat
Icebergs are called Ilulissat in Greenlandic, and it comes as no surprise to anyone who has been here that this is the town’s name. This is the third largest town in Greenland with a population of about 5000. Ilulissat is set in marvellous surroundings at Ilulissat Isfjord that in 2004 was inscribed to the UNESCO World Heritage List. Here enormous icebergs run aground at the mouth of the fjord, just outside of town. They originate from the Jakobshavn Glacier, one of the most productive glaciers in the northern hemisphere. Ilulissat is the metropolitan centre of the Disko Bay area and this aspect will be the theme of the settlement visit, together with the town's long-standing history. The most important trades in Ilulissat are fishing and tourism. The conditions will decide if MS Fram will dock at the quayside in Ilulissat or shuttle with the PolarCirkel boats. Our Expedition team will be at your disposal at the points of interest.

Day 12, Sisimiut
Sisimiut has a population of about 5.200 inhabitants and is the second largest town in Greenland. The main trade is fishing, and the town accommodates a large fleet of trawlers, a shipyard and a fish factory. Sisimiut is the southernmost of the towns on the western coast of Greenland where sleigh dogs can be found. It is set in rolling countryside and the town centre lies at the foot of a steep hill. Participation in excursions in Sisimiut requires reasonably good physical condition apart from the boat trip. The settlement visit will focus largely on the old part of the town down by the harbour, and on the local centre of activity, the harbour itself. Our Expedition Team will be at your disposal at different locations of the settlement. The MS Fram normally docks at the quayside in Sisimiut.

Day 13, Itilleq
In the early afternoon we reach the small settlement Itilleq. Itilleq means “the hollow” and was founded in 1847 on another island, but was later moved one kilometer east to its present location. The village is located about 50km south of Sisimiut in the head of the Itilleq Fjord. Around 130 people live here, who are mainly engaged in hunting and fishing. The island has no freshwater, and for this reason Itilleq makes use of a facility for forming freshwater from seawater. The church here has an interesting history: It was built in Thule (Umanak- North Greenland) in 1930 and was moved to Itilleq in 1963.
As its name suggests, the village is situated in a hollow, majestically surrounded by high mountains and glaciers, and it can truthfully be called the Arctic Circle Village as the Arctic Circle is indeed found only 200 metres to the south.

Day 14, Kangerlussuaq
Kangerlussuaq is situated in the end of the Kangerlussuaq fjord. The settlement/airport lies just north of the Arctic Circle and is one of the best places to observe native wildlife. In the early 1960’s musk oxen were introduced to Kangerlussuaq from North East Greenland, and today they count over 5 000. You will leave the MS Fram in the morning to discover Kangerlussuaq and participate on an included bus tour to the ice cap.

Prices are from and per person in €s based on two people travelling together sharing a twin cabin.

Price includes: Economy class flight from Kangerlussuaq to Copenhagen including applicable taxes and surcharges, 13 night voyage Reykjavik to Kangerlussuaq in cabin grade of your choice (full board), excursions as described, transfers as applicable.

Not included: travel insurance, international flights, luggage handling, optional excursions, gratuities, fuel surcharges
Call Toll Free 1 800 345 3324 (within India) or 033 2473 8096 or click here to enquire online.
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