Natural Habitat Adventures is an award-winning travel company voted as best adventure tour company by readers of Travel + Leisure, National Geographic Traveler, Newsweek, USA Today, Afar, Outside Magazine and others. It was selected by Virtuoso Travel Network as the most innovative tour operator in 2017.
In collaboration with World Wildlife Fund, its conservation travel partner, Natural Habitat Adventures developed innovative and exclusive itineraries in remote places largely inaccessible to tourist crowds.
Its expedition leaders are the most highly trained naturalist guides in the industry, sharing expert interpretation along with personal attention to each traveler. Distinctive lodgings are integral to a nature immersion, offering proximity to wildlife and exceptional comfort in an unobtrusive context.
This trip to East Greenland is limited to just 13 guests for departures in July and August, and books out 10 months in advance. You can book the entire trip for your group.
The Itinerary
Day 1: Keflavik, Iceland / Reykjavik
Arrive at Keflavik International Airport where you’re met on arrival and transferred to your hotel in Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland, less than an hour’s drive. If you arrive very early, you may store your bags at your conveniently located hotel while you explore this compact city on your own.
This evening, gather for a welcome dinner and presentation with your Expedition Leaders.
Day 2: Private Whale-Watching Tour / Reykjanes Peninsula / Kulusuk, Greenland / Tasiilaq
Your adventure begins with a classic Iceland nature encounter: a harbor cruise in search of the abundant w
hales and seabirds that frequent these waters. Chances are good to see minke and humpback whales, harbor porpoises and white-beaked dolphins, as well as seabirds including northern fulmars, northern gannets, and, in season, Atlantic puffins.
In the afternoon, venture farther onto the Reykjanes Peninsula to explore the geothermal wonders at Gunnuhver, a collection of enormous steaming mud pools and springs. Raucous in their power and sound, the bubbling thermal features of Gunnuhver were named after a female ghost supposedly entrapped in the main spring by a priest some 400 years ago.
You will also visit Leif the Lucky’s bridge, a small footbridge that spans a major fissure separating the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates. Serving as a symbolic connection between Europe and North America, the bridge travels through time and space as it showcases the geologic forces shaping our planet.
Continue to Keflavik, returning to Iceland’s international airport and board your late afternoon flight to Kulusuk, Greenland.
As you approach, get a preview of the magnificent scenery to come, with icebergs drifting below and perhaps even a chance to spot a whale from the air, if you’ve got a window seat.
From Kulusuk, make a scenic transfer by helicopter or boat to Ammassalik Island, landing in Tasiilaq, the small administrative center of East Greenland.
Tasiilaq’s collection of charming wooden houses painted in bright primary colors hugs King Oscar’s Harbor, surrounded by pointed peaks iced with glaciers. The town of 2,000 is a hub for outdoor adventure, from hiking and kayaking in summer to dog sledding and glacier skiing in winter.
Most of East Greenland is uninhabited, however, except for a handful of small subsistence hunting communities.
Greenland’s east coast is often called “the back side ” by those on the west, where most of the population, its capital and institutions are located.
East Greenland’s people had no contact with the outside world till the beginning of the 20th century, and that isolation has fostered a distinct and resilient culture.
Your introduction to Greenland begins here where Arctic wilderness and traditional lifestyles meet.
Once you check in to your hotel, it’s time to gather for dinner, surveying the 180-degree view of the town below and mountains beyond.
Day 3: Tasiilaq—Valley of Flowers & Town Tour
Though interior Greenland is covered by a massive ice cap, a few habitable areas exist around the bays and coastal islands, and the region we visit enjoys a surprisingly mild and dry summer climate.
Set out this morning with our Expedition Leader to explore the area around Tasiilaq on foot, hiking into the Valley of Flowers above the scenic bay that fronts the town.
Bring your camera: the ice-clad gneiss and granite peaks provide a striking backdrop for waterfalls and small lakes fringed by northern wildflowers in season. We spend the afternoon in town learning about the region’s history and contemporary daily life.
The small Ammassalik Museum, a highlight, showcases Greenlandic Inuit culture and traditions. Its collection features East Greenlandic masks, kayaks, sleds, tools, beadwork, old and new tupilak figures, and works by local artists.
Later this afternoon, you also hear firsthand experiences from a local resident who shares personal perspectives on daily life and subsistence in this remote Arctic realm.
Day 4: Tasiilaq / Base Camp Greenland
Depart by boat for Nat Hab’s private wilderness Base Camp, located on the east side of Sermilik Fjord.
Your destination is near the tiny village of Tinit , which you will visit during your stay. This hilltop hamlet is one of the most picturesque outposts in East Greenland, overlooking a panorama of Sermilik Fjord littered with huge icebergs, with the Greenland ice sheet in view beyond. Behind the town, glacier-clad peaks rise over a mile high, jutting up like sharp black teeth through the ice. Tinit is home to fewer than a hundred hardy people who live a subsistence lifestyle, fishing and hunting amid the constantly shifting ice.
Keep an eye out for whales as you travel, as they are often seen in these waters when ice conditions permit. The area is filled with evidence of ancient habitation, including graves and ruins of old Inuit sod house foundations, and it is an evocative place to learn more about Inuit history and lore.
Reaching Base Camp Greenland, you find yourself in one the most remote places on the planet. After settling into your private tent cabins, sit down for coffee or tea in the yurt where you will have an orientation to the environs, followed by a gear fitting to prepare for our Arctic adventures ahead.
After lunch, your first exploratory venture is likely to include a paddle among the small icebergs and calm waters of our protected bay if weather permits. Then you’ll gather for dinner and a lecture to acquaint us with the region’s natural history. Through presentations and personal visits during your stay, you will also learn about Greenland’s cultural heritage and aspects of modern life. Traditional Inuit identity remains dominant in East Greenland, and you will share an authentic encounter with this enduring ancient culture that still exists in close harmony with nature.
Days 5–7: Base Camp Greenland—Exploring Sermilik Fjord
The landscape along Greenland’s isolated and rarely visited east coast is dramatic. Great fjords indent the coastline, penetrating far into sheer-sided mountains capped by the world’s second-largest ice sheet—and Sermilik Fjord is the mightiest of them all. The 60-mile-long “iceberg highway” is primarily fed by the highly active Helheim Glacier, the fastest-flowing tidewater glacier on Greenland’s east coast.
Your base camp provides a safe and comfortable outpost from which to explore this vast expanse of wild terrain just below the Arctic Circle. Beyond our location at the mouth of a glacial valley, the wider region is dotted with a few isolated villages where Greenlandic Inuit people have thrived for centuries in this uncompromising Arctic environment. In varied encounters, we learn about their culture and how they are retaining their traditions while adapting to contemporary life in the 21st century.
On Zodiac excursions, navigate among a flotilla of blue icebergs in an array of wild shapes, some as big as buildings. While marine life sightings are sporadic, you will sometimes see seals and less frequently whales. The latter are found seasonally in these waters, and when ice conditions permit—if we are lucky, we might catch a glimpse of a fin, minke or humpback, all of which are occasionally present.
Guided sea kayaking is also an option for an eye-level view on the frigid waters and bobbing ice. Ashore, we traverse the mountainsides and wander near glaciers that wind down from the Greenland ice sheet. This huge ice mass—second in size only to Antarctica—stretches more than 1,500 miles from north to south, is nearly 2 miles deep at its thickest point, and covers 80 percent of the island. Learn about the crucial role the ice sheet plays in regulating Earth’s climate, and see with your own eyes how rapidly it is being affected by a warming climate.
Long hours of summer daylight allow for extensive exploration. Witness the effect of geological forces on naked bedrock, and walk atop patches of tundra. Amid fields of Arctic cotton grass and miniature berry bushes, look for Arctic fox and birdlife including ptarmigan, northern wheatear, and possibly gyrfalcon. Each evening, you will retreat to Base Camp for creative meals freshly prepared by your accomplished chef.
After dinner, gather for interpretive presentations by our naturalist Expedition Leaders, who share their extensive knowledge of Greenland’s geology, glaciology, ecology and human history. And, though the sun gleams late into the evening just below the Arctic Circle, a good night’s sleep is in order to refuel for the next day’s adventures. Wrapped in profound silence in your isolated cabins, you are sure to get it. On late-season departures, we you even have a chance to see the northern lights, if the aurora is active in the darkening night sky.
Day 8: Base Camp Greenland / Helicopter or Boat to Kulusuk
Your day begins with a last morning activity from Base Camp, which may be a hike over the tundra in search of wildflowers, or another option, depending on the weather. Then it’s time to begin the long journey back to more civilized climes, as you first make our way back to Kulusuk by helicopter or boat, depending on conditions.
On the return trip, survey jagged peaks and huge U-shaped valleys gouged by glaciers, forever awed by the grandeur of Greenland. On arrival in Kulusuk, you check in to your hotel surrounded by more of East Greenland’s imposing mountains—the small town is a well-known gathering point for adventurers and scientists heading out to the ice sheet. If time permits, you will take an exploratory coastal walk with sweeping views of icebergs and mountains before a private performance of traditional Greenlandic drumming and dancing.
Day 9: Private Glacier Walk / Kulusuk Town Tour / Keflavik
This morning, you board a boat to head out for a half-day glacier walk excursion, navigating the open waters of the Greenland Sea. In addition to large chunks of ice calved from glaciers that feed the region’s fjords, you can also see tabular icebergs—ocean-going slabs of ice, some of which have been drifting for months, driven down the coast by the strong East Greenland Current. Reaching a small island, we disembark to walk on a glacier. You are treated to spectacular views of fjords and mountain ranges, with plenty of time to explore unique formations such as moulins, whirlpool-like shafts in the ice. Mesmerized by shades of blue, we walk a bit farther for a full view of the glacier’s face, perhaps witnessing an iceberg calve from it into the sea.
Returning to Kulusuk, you will celebrate an extraordinary adventure of discovery and camaraderie over a farewell lunch at the hotel. Then, following an afternoon spent exploring the town, you will gather for an early dinner and afterward meet your plane for the flight to back to Iceland’s Keflavik International Airport with a late evening arrival. You can spend the night at an airport hotel nearby to facilitate easy departure connections for tomorrow.
Day 10: Keflavik / Depart
A transfer is included from the hotel to Keflavik International Airport to meet departing flights.
Accommodations
Hotel Reykjavik Saga
This elegant new 4-star hotel in the heart of Reykjavik features sleek contemporary design elements and is just steps from all the city center attractions.
Hotel Angmagssalik
Perched high above the seaside village of Tasiilaq in remote East Greenland, 30 simple yet comfortable rooms offer guesthouse- style ambience with stunning views from a spacious contemporary lounge.
Base Camp Greenland
A singular, exclusive refuge of rustic Arctic luxury surrounded by raw wilderness. Eight heated safari-style tent cabins offer exceptional comfort and amenities for these ultra-remote environs.
Hotel Kulusuk
The only lodging in this small and traditional Inuit community, Hotel Kulusuk enjoys a scenic perch on Greenland’s rocky east coast, with views of Apusiaajik Glacier and Isikajia Mountain.
Park Inn by Radisson Reykjavik Keflavik Airport
Located in Keflavik just ten minutes from the airport, the hotel provides a convenient landing spot for your final night, with easy access for departing flights.
