South Greenland Exploration Fjords Waterfalls and Fishing Villages

Arrive in Reykjavík, the world’s northernmost capital, which lies just below the Arctic Circle. Transfer from the airport to the city and spend the day exploring at your own pace. Check in with the hospitality desk this afternoon before embarking the ship. 

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, hike through a local lava field or explore the town’s Saga Center.

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 experts, relax with a book in the lounge or the observation deck and keep an eye out for wildlife as the ship sails across the continental shelf.

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 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 your arrival to Greenland on a Zodiac cruise or in a kayak among the icebergs.

Sail into Prins Christian Sund, which cuts into the southern tip of Greenland, passing between soaring pinnacles and glaciers, allowing the ship to sail through the sheltered waters of this dramatic landscape. As you round the southern coast of Greenland, enter Tasermuit 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.

Your 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.

Spend your last day in what was known as Erik the Red’s Eastern Settlement, 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, 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.

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.

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 you 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.

Disembark in Nuuk and join the recommended group flight to Keflavik; transfers to the nearby hotel and luggage assistance will be provided. Upon arrival, enjoy an included dinner and overnight.

The village of Uummannaq sits on a tiny, yet dramatic island in the Uummannaq Fjord, dominated by a massive peak rising at its center. Visit the town’s excellent community museum to see traditional clothing and tools along with scenes of everyday life on these islands and enjoy a stroll through the streets of this northern outpost. In the afternoon, with special village permissions, cross the fjord to the site of Qilakitsoq, an important archaeological site for Greenlanders, where eight mummies, dating back to 1475, were discovered in 1972. These eight individuals, all extraordinarily well-preserved women and children, were Thule people, the ancestors of the modern Inuit and was featured on the cover of the February 1985 issue of National Geographic magazine. For the adventurous hikers, make your own respectful journey up to the final resting place of these ancestors.