Kulusuk, East Greenland
The daily sled from Kap Dan to the airport

On each trip we make to Greenland we experience and observe some new-to-us aspects of Greenland.

And we see a few more changes. Changes in people's values and in nature. We've often sent travelers as side trips from Iceland and now we have more variety in travel to, and tours within, Greenland.

(One of us [BV] has always been interested in the Inuit culture and artifacts and built (and rebuilt) several Greenlandic kayaks - but that is another story. Here are some photos and words if that interests you. We constantly marvel that human beings could come up with the technologies to survive in these environs!)

East Greenland is easy to reach from Iceland and offers a glimpse of a culture far removed from the modern "busyness" world. A visit is also a way to experience landscapes very few people have seen. There are only a few settlements and towns on this coast and an awful lot of their lives revolve around hunting, fishing and their dogs. There are not the huge, mountain-sized icebergs that one expects in, say, Ilulissat but the seas are full of bergs from bread box size to those that would dwarf a four car garage

The West Coast has relics of the Viking settlements from 1,000 years ago, access to the ice cap and icebergs of sizes and volumes that warrant inclusion of parts as UN Heritage Sites. A number of calving glaciers and the southward sweep of ice bergs from the Denmark Straits puts a bit of ice in these waters. Pastoralism was instituted by the Vikings and sheep raising is practical and practiced. Even a few potatoe fields; the term Banana Coast is really just a joke, though.

West Greenland
Ice form on the Ice Cap - Reindeer near Kangerlusuaq

Musk Ox, West Greenland
A beauty near Kangerelusuaq

Greenland areas (via Iceland) The only regular routes to Greenland are through Copenhagen, Denmark (which we do, also) or Reykjavik, Iceland..

NEW (and exciting) Sea and Ice Fly into Ilulissat for some time around Disco Bay then take the coastal steamer from village to village for 3 days until you reach the southern town of Narsaq. A stay in Narsaq rounds out your experiencing West Greenland.

NorthWest - Ilulissat is the edge of the north of Greenland, birthplace of Knud Rasmussen, home to thousands of working dogs and most importantly a World Heritage Site known for the volume and size of ice bergs coming off of the nearby glaciers and filling the bay.

East - Kulusuk and Amassalik (Tasiliik). Below the Circle. Never ice-free and because of that the only area that allows dogs (many, many) below the Arctic Circle. A one or two day trip from Iceland is easy to accomplish. We can send you to the village of Kulusuk on a day tour!

Narsaq in South Greenland Viking ruins, Iceberg and Glaciers and Icebergs and green fertile fields, tiny settlements and calving icebergs. Icebergs and field ice are occasionally thick in the sea. In open water whales sometimes are spotted.
Eric the Red settled here over one thousnad years ago and his Leif left from this area to start the exploration of North America.

Disko Bay, Ilulisat,in the west
Most of the icebergs in the North Atlantic are born here.

Combined travel - Iceland and Greenland

Combined - East Greenland (3 Days) & Iceland (3 Days) Visits to Iceland's most popular natural wonders combined with a stay in a primordial area of Greenland.

Combined - Iceland & South Greenland (9 Days) Viking relics,whales, Inuit life and history combine with glaciers and icebergs and access to the ice cap.

Fire to Ice A new 10 day tour with the best of both spots. Touring Reykjavik and South Iceland then a few days in thehome of the icebergs - Illulissat. Weekly departures all summer.

The Volcano
As you know from the news media Iceland has experienced a volcanic eruption, or several eruptions, that have seriously upset travel plans for many in Europe. We have rerouted a few travelers and changed some details for folks whose trips are started or nearly started.
We've seen the usual resourcefulness of Icelandic guides, outfitters and suppliers who have worked out itinerary and routing changes "on the ground" to make the travels go smoothly and add some volcano viewing for those who want it.
The Ring Road that goes all around Iceland is open again and chemical analysis of the ash has shown no toxicity. Travelers with respiratory deficiencies, of course, should avoid concentrations of this dust, and flights have been re-routed to avoid it.
Most all of the damage from this eruption is confined to southern Iceland, just below Eyjafjallajokul glacier.  This is an area that’s been showered by ash (and worse) in Iceland’s long history, so the farmers there are well prepared for it. There are three or four farms in the region (out of 30) which have been coated with enough ash to cause long-term problems. On the rest, the ash will be washed into the soil by rain where it will fertilize the soil.  Volcanoes are one of the reasons that Icelands soil is so productive!
It’s important to note that there have been no human fatalities or serious injuries from this eruption, and very little harm to the farm animals in the area – the farmers and the country itself are well prepared for this kind of event. Some of the travel instability has affected the contracts we have for flights and accommodations and that we use to calculate our tour prices and availability; we're cutting into our margins a bit but we may have to quote a total price that includes some of this increase. Since our business pivots on clear communications and firm pricing you can be sure that you'll be told about any changes in any tour that you inquire about.

Disko Bay
Hunter

Most of the photos on this website were taken on our trips