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Greenland Explorer 10 Nights - 11 Days

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Greenland Explorer 10 Nights - 11 Days UNDISCOVERED GREENLAND South Greenland Explorer 10 Nights - 11 Days Witness the remarkable effects of climate change first hand with a boat trip to the ice cap glacier. Take walking trails through rolling hills with spectacular views of floating blue icebergs and the surrounding fjords. Stroll through the colourful fishing towns with painted wooden houses and mix with friendly local residents. Visit the abandoned viking settlements along the coast and the medieval church at Hvalsey. Enjoy Greenlandic culture in the beautiful port town of Qaqortoq with its stunning stone sculptures. Visit Greenland’s agricultural research station at Upernaviarsuk and discover Greenland’s remarkable farming history. Hike through fields of wildflowers and emerald green and dotted with sheep. Visit one of the oldest sheep farms in Greenland. Take an incredible journey through Southern Greenland on this ten night adventure through its colourful towns, Visit the original viking settlement at farming communities and viking settlements. Enjoy the best walking trails in Greenland with incredible views of Brattahlid established by Eric the Red in 982. icebergs, glaciers, rolling green hills and wildflowers. Visit the amazing ice cap and discover the rich history of Go cruising on an iceberg safari through a the abandoned viking settlements along the coast. Witness the spectacular force of nature as icebergs are spectacular fjord of drifting turquoise calved off a giant glacier. Experience daily life on a icebergs. Greenlandic sheep farm and discover the amazing agricultural heritage of Arctic farmers. Stroll through the picture postcard perfect towns of Greenland’s South Experience the awesome force of nature as with their colourful painted houses and experience the icebergs are calved off a gigantic glacier. warmth of Greenlandic hospitality. Day 1 Narsarsuaq (Arrival) - Narsaq Guests will be met on arrival at Narsarsuaq Airport in Southern Greenland. After refreshments and a full tour orientation, guests will be transferred by boat to Narsaq (a one hour journey). The town of Narsaq is beautifully situated at the foot of a mountain and an emerald green valley that looks out over a fjord packed with icebergs from the surrounding glaciers. Dinner and overnight accommodation at Hotel Narsaq. Day 2 Narsaq - Kvanefjeld - Dyrnaes After breakfast, guests can explore the charming fishing town of Narsaq, known for its colourful wooden houses, and visit the museum. Afterwards take a relaxing walk through the backcountry surrounding Narsaq to the nearby viking ruins at Dyrnaes or to Narsaq Point to gaze over the constant flow of drifting icebergs from the active glaciers in Sermilik Fjord. Guests can seek a more challenging hike up Kvanefjeld Mountain, a geological mecca famous for its pink gemstones. Dinner and overnight accommodation at Hotel Narsaq. Day 3 Narsaq - Ikerssuaq Fjord - Twin Glacier - Sermilik Fjord After breakfast, guests will travel by boat to the ice cap’s Twin Glacier. Crossing the wide Ikerssuaq Fjord we reach the Twin Glacier. At this incredible location you can go ashore and literally touch the ice cap. On this journey we will see the effects of climate change in recent decades on the receding glaciers, scenic waterfalls created by meltwater, and cliffs teeming with birdlife. This trip offers guests some remarkable photo opportunities amongst the magnificent drifting icebergs of Sermilik Fjord. Overnight accommodation at hotel Narsaq. Day 4 Narsaq - Qaqortoq After breakfast, guests will be transferred by boat to the town of Qaqortoq (Journey time one hour and thirty minutes). Qaqortoq is the largest town and port in South Greenland, known for its stone sculptures that are carved into the granite bedrock . Visit Greenland’s oldest fountain in the town square next to the harbour and watch fishermen selling the catch of the day at the nearby fish market. Overnight accommodation at Hotel Qaqortoq. Day 5 Qaqortoq - Hvalsey - Upernaviarsuk After breakfast, guests will embark on a boat journey to the ruins of the viking church on Hvalsey. From Qaqortoq you can also visit the famous Hvalsey Church on a short excursion. The ruins are located in Hvalsey Fjord, on a lush green meadow. According to the sagas, it was Eric the Red’s cousin Thorkell Farserk who took possession of the land at Hvalsey when he arrived in Greenland in the year 985. The church at Hvalsey date to the 14th century and is one of the best preserved medieval structures in Greenland. After enjoying a packed picnic lunch at Hvalsey, guests embark on a journey down the Fjord to the fascinating Upernaviarsuk Agricultural Station - Greenland’s experimental farm. Here scientists experiment with new varieties of livestock, crops, plants and trees that can thrive in Greenland. Upernaviarsuk also hosts an agricultural school where aspiring young farmers receive training. Visitors will learn about agriculture in Greenland and the challenges of farming in the sub-Arctic climate and the consequences of global warming. Afterwards we will return to Qaqortoq where guests may sample local Greenlandic cuisine at one of the local restaurants. Overnight accommodation at the Hotel Qaqortoq. Day 6 Qaqortoq - Uunartoq After breakfast, guests will have the choice of taking a picnic lunch and exploring the walking trails through the valleys and sheep farms surrounding Qaqortoq. There are numerous routes to follow - meandering through luscious green fields teeming with wildflowers, sheep and incredible views over the surrounding fjords and the thousands of floating icebergs. Alternatively, guests may choose to take an optional tour to the island of Uunartoq - an hour’s journey by boat each way. Travelling through the fjord past drifting icebergs, we will reach the uninhabited island which has three hot springs which flow into a stone bathing pool. Ringed by mountain peaks and drifting icebergs, guests can bathe in the crystal clear warm water surrounded by a spectacular vista. Uunartoq literally means ‘very hot island’ and was discovered by the Norsemen more than a thousand years ago. This is arguably one of the most stunning locations in Southern Greenland available only to the most intrepid visitors. Overnight accommodation at the Hotel Qaqortoq. Day 7 Qaqortoq - Itilleq - Igaliku After breakfast, guests and bags will be transferred by boat from Qaqortoq to the village Igaliku. Guests have the option of disembarking at the village of Itilleq for an easy 4 km walk along the “King’s Road” to Igaliku as your bags continue on by boat. It is one of the most scenic hikes in Southern Greenland through a stunning landscape bursting with colour. Igaliku is one of the most beautiful villages in Greenland. This colourful settlement is situated on a lush meadow looking out over a milky-blue fjord and the nearby Illerfissalik Mountain frames a magnificent landscape. Igaliku was the Episcopal seat for a period of about 300 years (1100-1400) during the Norse era and the ruins from that time are very impressive. In 1782 a Danish farmer established a sheep farm that has thrived and supported the community ever since. Overnight accommodation in Igaliku. Day 8 Igaliku After breakfast, guests will have the opportunity of enjoying the splendour of Igaliku and its surroundings, offering what are regarded as the best hiking opportunities in Southern Greenland. There are several available options. More active guests may choose a day hike to the nearby plateau which offers a superb view of the Qooroq Ice Fjord, the stranded icebergs on the underwater moraine at the entrance to the fjord, and the enormous glacier that feeds the fjord. With its incredible vies, it is a magnificent place for a picnic. On the return journey you may be lucky enough to find minerals and stones, including “moonstone” (labradorite). Alternatively, guests may choose the “waterfall hike” (about 15 km) which takes hikers past a beautiful set of waterfalls tumbling down like pearls towards Tunulliarfik Fjord. Another popular hike takes in the summit of Nuuluk Mountain (823 m), which lies south of Igaliku. Overnight accommodation at Igaliku. Day 9 Igaliku - Qassiarsuk - Narsrsuaq After breakfast guests will have the option of a relaxing walk or a short boat transfer to Itilleq, where they will be transferred by boat to the Norse settlement of Qassiarsuk. Qassiarsuk is also known as Brattahlid, the place where Eric the Red settled in 982. Here guests can wander amongst the well-preserved Norse ruins and the open- air museum. Enjoy lunch in the friendly nearby sheep farming village. In the late afternoon, guests will be transferred by boat to Narsarsuaq. Overnight accommodation in Narsarsuaq. Day 10 Narsarsuaq - Qooroq Ice Fjord After breakfast, guests will embark on a boat journey to the Qooroq Ice Fjord. This trip offers another remarkable photo opportunity to capture icebergs of all colours, shapes and sizes. We travel to the underwater moraine at the mouth of the Qooroq Ice Fjord where we weave our way among these colossal pieces of ice until we reach the fjord. Inside the fjord, guests will enjoy more breathtaking views of thousands of turquoise icebergs, sheer cliff faces and an enormous glacier which calves about 200,000 tons of ice each day. In the fjord, we will drift quietly with the current so that guests may enjoy almost absolute silence interrupted only by the sound of the distant icebergs as they break free from the glacier . Here we will offer guests cocktails chilled with ice from the glacier and listen to the popping of thousand-year-old compressed air bubbles in our glasses. After returning for a late lunch in Narsarsuaq, guests may choose to relax in our cosy cafe surroundings or take one of the optional walks in the surrounding wilderness. More active guests may choose Day 11 to walk to the top of a nearby hill which Narsarsuaq (Departure) offers a spectacular view over the fjord and After breakfast, g uests will check-in to nearby glacial ice cap.
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