Oceanwide Expeditions

RVR16 West Greenland - Aurora Borealis 2012

RVR16

Day 1 -  We arrive in Aasiaat from Reykjavik by chartered plane (flight not included in the voyage cost). Aasiaat, is a settlement which was created in the 17th century to support the whaling in the mouth of Disko Bay. Its port is ice free  from late spring to early winter.

Day 2 - Today we find ourselves just south of the large Jakobshavn Glacier with its enormous icebergs. We climb the hill at Avangnardlit from where we have fantastic view across the Jakobshavn Isfjord, which is a World Heritage site. In the afternoon we visit Illulissat, if the port is not blocked by ice.

Day 3 - The island groups of Hunde Ejland and Kronprinsens Ejland at the mouth of the Disko Bay, are surrounded by rich waters which attract both seabirds and whales. We intend to call at the small settlement on Hunde Eijland where old dwellings of Greenland’s Thule culture (dating from the 11th century) and graves from 18th century Dutch whalers can be seen.

Day 4 - We arrive at Sydbay (Ukivik) on a beautiful sandy beach, where the 18th Century whalers traded with the Eskimo’s annual Assivik , an occasion when people from a large area come together. We land also at nearby Isortoq with remains of houses of the Thule culture. In this area we may see Reindeer.

Day 5 - Kangaamiut at the mouth of Evighedsfjord is a friendly Greenlandic village where people still indulge in handcraft.

Day 6 - South of Manitsoq between Alanngua and Fiskefjord, we land in an area which is the base of a large impact crater, caused by a huge meteorite, which hit the earth about 3 milliard  years ago. It is the oldest impact structure recorded to date on earth. The geologist Adam Garde (Denmark) who discovered it will be guide / lecturer on this voyage.

Day 7 - Nuuk (Godthåb), the capital of Greenland has a population of about 14,000. An excursion should include a visit to the museum which has a remarkable collection of Inuit mummies, dating from the 15th Century, which were found near Uummannaq, further to the north. The Cultural Centre of Nuuk, which each year has an exhibition of the work of a Greenlandic artist, is also worth visiting. The waters to the west of the town are a good place to see Humpback Whales and Blue Whales. In the evening we land at the southern tip of Akilia, where the oldest exposed rocks of our planet (3.8 milliard years) can be found.

Day 8 - We call at Fiskenaes (formerly called Brielse Haven) and Lichtenfels a Hernhuters mission post from the 18th century.

Day 9 - We sail past Flade Isblink and keep a lookout for Humpback Whales and Minke Whales

Day 10 - In Ivittuut we walk along the remains of a Cryolite mine and around a small cemetery connected with it. Later we sail into Ikat Fjord famous for the curious underwater structures formed by mineral precipitation. In this area we see Musk Oxen, which were introduced into the area in the last century.

Day 11 - We will try to get to Uunartoq, where we take a bath in a hot spring surrounded by icebergs. Later we sail along a great series of stranded icebergs to Lichtenau a lovely but nearly deserted Greenlandic village, where the Hernhuters (Moravian brothers) had a mission in the 18th Century.

Day 12 - In the morning we sail to the beautiful glacier fronts of Qaleralik Sermia, where we will have some zodiac excursions and make some landings near the glacier. Deeper into Bredefjord at Qoornooq, we land in an area with beautiful remains of houses from the Thule culture.

Day 13 - In Eriksfjord we visit the Viking sites of Gardar (a walk of 3 km from the landing site) and Brattahlíð, where Erik Red lived about a thousand years ago. In the evening we arrive at the airport of Narsarsuaq.

Day 14 - From Narsarsuaq we fly by regular plane to Reykjavik or Copenhagen (flight not included in the voyage cost).