Coastal Ship - West Greenland
On this trip you will sail with the coastal ship ‘Sarfaq Ittuk’ from Nuuk to the famous Disko Bay. Travelling with the locals on board the coastal ship will give you a great insight into the life of the Greenlanders. In Nuuk, the capital of Greenland we will have time to explore the city and learn about the history and the culture of the Inuit. On the way to Ilulissat, the city of Icebergs, you will stop at small settlements and witness the locals at the ports welcoming or bidding farewell to family and friends. In Ilulissat you can explore the breathtaking area, enjoy the view on the most impressive icebergs in the Northern Hemisphere and go on exciting day tours.
Rough summary
Day 1:
Arrival in Nuuk
Day 2:
Day at leisure in Nuuk
Day 3:
Embarkation on board the coastal ship in Nuuk
Day 4:
Sailing: Maniitsoq - Sisimiut
Day 5:
Sailing: Aasiaat - Arrival in Ilulissat
Day 6-8:
Days at leisure in Ilulissat
Day 9:
End of the trip in Ilulissat
Prices and dates
Price per person:
| 1 June to 1 September: | Double | Single |
|---|---|---|
| Couchette & hostel | 975 | 1250 |
| Cabin & acc. w. private facilities | 1830 | 2805 |
| 2 September to 30 September: | Double | Single |
|---|---|---|
| Couchette & hostel | 880 | 1155 |
| Cabin & acc. w. private facilities | 1635 | 2510 |
Dates:
Wednesdays, May 15, 2019 – September 30, 2019 (available)
Further details
Price includes:
- 2 nights in Nuuk
- sailing on board Sarfaq Ittuk from Nuuk to Ilulissat
- 4 nights in Ilulissat
Type of trip:
This pre-arranged adventure is an individual trip, meaning you are discovering Greenland on your own but joining selected guided group activities during your stay. You will receive comprehensive travel information such as where and when to meet for the activities.
Minimum age:
10
About accommodation:
Couchette & hostel: In Nuuk & Ilulissat in hostel in double or single room with shared facilitates (bed linen included), on board the Sarfaq Ittuk in couchette in dormitory in sleeping bag accommodation with shared facilitates.
Cabin & accommodation with private facilities: In Nuuk in a 3 local star hotel in room with private facilities including breakfast, on board the Sarfaq Ittuk in a private cabin with private facilities, in Ilulissat in a 3 local star hotel in standard room with private facilities including breakfast.
The ship Sarfaq Ittuk
The vessel was built in 1992 and modernised and lengthened in the winter of 1999/2000. It is now 73 meters long and 11 meters wide. With her engine of 2000 hp the vessels steams at a speed of 13 knots. The crew counts 22 people. The vessel has café, stern saloon with panorama windows, playroom and a hospital clinic to be used in case of injuries and emergency situations onboard. The vessel's capacity is 239 passengers. The overnight accommodation facilities are distributed on 104 cabin beds with private bath and toilet, and 135 couchettes. The couchettes are without private facilities and have access to lockable cabinet showers in communal areas. 'Det Norske Veritas' has classified the vessel for sailing in icy waters.
Options
Evening iceberg sailing
- Ilulissat
- Jun-Sep 15
- 2.5h
- €100
On a 2,5 hour boat trip you will sail among the gigantic icebergs in Disko Bay in the evening sun. These frozen giants calved from the most productive glacier of the Northern Hemisphere, the Sermeq Kujalleq. It annually calves 45km³ of ice into the UNESCO Icefjord. Sailing around the gigantic icebergs in the evening sun is a fantastic experience. Remember to bring warm clothes.
Sermermiut hike
- Ilulissat
- Feb-Sep
- 2h
- €48
It is a big day today. You came here to see glaciers and icebergs. And you do not mean the small ones, you mean the massive ones. Well, we promise - this is what you are going to see. Standing in front of the enormous Ilulissat Icefjord will make you feel small and humble. An endless amount of ice pushing down from the glacier Sermeq Kujalleq towards the sea, where ice is calving constantly creating those majestic icebergs floating in Disko Bay. Here, at the Ilulissat Icefjord World Heritage Site, we also stop at Sermermiut, an abandoned Inuit settlement, which had been used by Saqqaq, Early Dorset and Thule cultures. Our guide will give you insights of the Inuit culture and will answer your questions.
Boat tour Eqi Glacier
- Ilulissat
- Jun-Sep
- 11h
- €320
We leave Ilulissat early in the morning and sail north in the direction of Eqi Glacier. Very few places in Greenland are as breathtaking as Eqi. On the way we will sail around the most impressive icebergs in the Northern Hemisphere. We will sail close the massive glacier wall, turn off the engines for about an hour, enjoy some lunch as well as the breathtaking view of the calving glacier. In the afternoon we make our way back to Ilulissat.
Boat tour to Oqaatsut settlement incl. lunch
- Ilulissat
- Jun 15-Sep 15
- 5h
- €140
In the morning you will sail to the small settlement of Oqaatsut (Rodebay) located north of Ilulissat. During the boat tour you will have the opportunity to gaze at the most impressive icebergs of the Northern Hemisphere. The settlement once was a popular trading post and was called Rodebay (red bay) by Dutch whale hunters in the 18th century. A local lunch is included at the small restaurant “H8”, which is located in one of the old colonial buildings. You will have time on to explore the picturesque settlement with its colourful houses and go on a short hike around the area before sailing back to Ilulissat.
Inuit handcraft up close - traditional dress making
- Ilulissat
- Feb-Sep
- 2h
- €47
You will visit a local handcrafts woman at her house where she is revealing glimpse into her traditional skills. In the past the Inuit only wore clothes made from animal skin or fur since these were warm and hard-wearing and ideally adapted for Arctic climate. The Inuit saying “A man is what his wife makes him” shows the great deal of responsibility the women carried by carefully choosing the skins and perfectly processing them into clothes that protected people in the harsh arctic winter. You will come to know how these skilled and talented artists were creating the traditional Inuit clothing as well as the festive national dress and also enjoy coffee and cake together. By joining this tour you support the local women community and contribute to the preservation of Greenlandic handcraft.
Evening kayaking
- Ilulissat
- Jun-Sep 15
- 3h
- €185
In the evening, you go for an impressive kayaking trip among the gigantic icebergs in Disko Bay. The activity consists in kayaking along the coast of Ilulissat, from where you can see big icebergs coming from the Ilulissat Icefjord. You experience this breathtaking scenery in the most natural and traditional way. Just you and your kayak, paddling as Inuits used to so and some still do. Nonetheless all the safety measures are included: the best equipment in the market (clothing that enables you to swim in freezing waters and the most safe and stable kayaks) and if that were not enough, our kayak instructors have the highest qualifications and lots of experience kayaking in Arctic regions (to participate in this trip max height is 2m and weight is 110kg).
Inuit Village & Kayaking
- Oqaatsut
- Jun-Sep 15
- 7h
- €380
In the morning you will be transferred by boat to the small settlement of Oqaatsut. Here we will go kayaking in Disko Bay. Before we start, you will get a short introduction to kayaking and then we will practice a bit just off the coast of Oqaatsut. We then head towards the icebergs. We will paddle among the icebergs in the bay and enjoy the spectacular views surrounding us. We will have some refreshment in Oqaatsut before we take the boat back to Ilulissat (to participate in this trip max height is 2m and weight is 110kg).
City Sightseeing
- Nuuk
- Jun-Sep
- 1.5h
- €45
A guide takes you on a historical tour through all of the neightborhoods in Nuuk. The tour starts (either in car or bus) in 'Qinngorput' the newest suburb in Nuuk, where you will hear about everything from architecture to the everyday life of the town's 16,000 inhabitants. From Qinngorput we go 'back in time’ through the 70’s buildings in the suburb of Nuussuaq, through the 50s apartment buildings in the city center, the colorful typehouses in 'Nuutoqaq' and finally ending the tour in the colonial harbor where it all started when Hans Egede arrived in the 1700th century. This historical insight to the city will give you a greater understanding of the conditions and customs of this country. During the trip there will be plenty of opportunities to stop and take pictures or take a short walk up to the Hans Egede Statue next to the Cathedral. The tour can conveniently end ar the national museum of Nuuk, where you can easily spent a couple of hours.
Boat Tour Ice Fjord
- Nuuk
- Jun-Sep
- 7h
- €265
A Targa boat takes us to Kangersuneq/Icefiord through Qoornoq passage. After about 2 hours boat tour we arrive to the mouth of Kangersuneq/Icefiord where we have the view of Narsap Sermia Glacier. After lunch we will continue to Qoornoq an abandoned settlement. In Qoornoq you can walk around and get a feeling of how life was in a settlement.
Boat Tour Qooqqut Restaurant
- Nuuk
- Jun-Sep
- 5.5h
- €135
In the afternoon we take you to beautiful Qooqqut. Qooqut can be reached by sailing for 1 hour into Nuuk Fjord. Arriving at beautiful Qooqqut surrounded by impressive mountain peaks we will go fishing for 20 minutes and take the freshly caught fish to the famous restaurant up here to be cooked. Qooqqut itself used to be a sheep breading station but the old buildings have now been restored and turned into a high quality restaurant. At the restaurant you will enjoy your Greenlandic dinner (not included, choose à la carte) before we take you back to Nuuk by boat, where we should land around 21:00 hours.
Flight connections
Flights to Greenland are not included.
Fly to Nuuk via Reykjavík/Iceland or through Kangerlussuaq via Copenhagen/Denmark.
Return flight from 950 EUR per person can be added to your package.
Detailed itinerary
Day 1: Arrival in Nuuk - visit of the capital
Today you arrive in Nuuk. Night in Nuuk.
Day 2: Nuuk
You will have the day at leisure Nuuk. You can explore the capital, visit the National Museum and see the mummies found in the north of Greenland, and take a walk at the hold harbour as well as visiting the culture center, Katuaq or join one of the guided excursions we have available in the options. Night in Nuuk.
Day 3: Nuuk - coastal ship departure
You will have the day at leisure Nuuk. In the evening, you will leave Nuuk on board the coastal ship, Sarfaq Ittuk. Night on board.
Day 4: Maniitsoq - Sisimiut
The further north we sail, the higher and steeper the mountains are. Today we will pass the Arctic Circle before we arrive in Sisimiut, which is the most northern town in Greenland free of ice all the year around. Night on board.
Day 5: Aasiaat - Ilulissat
Today, you will arrive in the famous Disko Bay. After a short stop in Aasiaat, we will continue to sail north towards Ilulissat, the town of the icebergs. Shortly before we arrive in Ilulissat, we will pass by the impressive Icefjord, Kangia, filled with enormous icebergs. You will have the afternoon at leisure in Ilulissat to visit the town and enjoy the amazing view of the icebergs. Night in Ilulissat.
Day 6 to 8: Days at leisure in Ilulissat
You will have 3 days to discover the famous Disko Bay. You can explore the beautiful area and the incredible icebergs. You can also check out our guided excursions in the options. Nights in Ilulissat.
Day 9: End of the trip in Ilulissat
Today your trip ends in Ilulissat after unforgettable days in the Arctic.
Schedule Sarfaq Ittuk
| 10 May - 27 September | Day | Arrival | Departure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nuuk | Friday | - | 21:00 |
| Maniitsoq | Saturday | 07:00 | 08:00 |
| Kangaamiut | 11:30 | 11:45 | |
| Sisimiut | 19:00 | 21:00 | |
| Aasiaat | Sunday | 08:00 | 08:30 |
| Ilulissat | 13:00 | - |
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All adventure trips are undertaken on the responsibility of its participants. Greenland Tours does not assume any responsibility for accidents which are caused by its customers or can be traced to their own actions. Participants have to sign a waiver before undertaking all trips stating that they realise that all outdoor activities carry an inherent risk.