Adventure in South Greenland – 8 days Private Guided Tour

Arrival at Narsarsuaq airport where we meet our guide. Transfer to our accommodation. After an introduction to the journey we are beginning, we explore Narsarsuaq. Like all airports in Greenland, Narsarsuaq is a former US military base. The small museum, maintained on a voluntary basis, has many artifacts from the period and a small exhibition on the early Viking settlers. We take a short walk to the top of Signal Hill, the old radio station. The path zigzags over a hill, through lush vegetation that even includes man-sized birch trees, something that would seem normal to you, but is an extraordinary occurrence in Greenland. We enjoy our first view of glaciers, icebergs and fjords.

Accommodation: Hotel in Narsarsuaq

Important note: Arctic weather conditions and limited capacity in Greenland may result in traffic delays leading to interruptions, limitations or changes to the itinerary.

That may result in additional expenses for food, hotel accommodation and/or transportation not mentioned in the program. These expenses are entirely the responsibility of the traveler. The operator cannot assume any liability, financial or otherwise, due to these changes.

After breakfast we head to the port to board a boat that will take us to Qassiarsuk, on the other side of the fjord. We start our walk towards the tiny village of Tasiusaq, which consists only of two sheep farms. Our luggage will be transported by car, which allows us to fully enjoy the walk with only a small backpack. We follow the trails created by the sheep, up and down the green hills, passing small lakes, accompanied only by the curious glances of the sheep that roam freely in the mountains during the summer. Sea eagles are often seen in this area, as well as the peregrine falcon. The path has approx. 8 km and it took us about 3 hours to do it.

Tasiusaq is located in an idyllic beautiful place. A bay in the arm of a larger fjord. It is known as the “Bay of icebergs” because it is almost always full of icebergs of all shapes and colors.

In the afternoon we will try to catch our dinner. Numerous fish are found in the rivers and fjords of the south, cod and trout being the most common species. From the end of July we can even find the delicious blueberries that grow in the area.

OPTIONAL: Alternatively, whoever wishes, can join an exclusive kayak session around the bay, dodging the icebergs that we find in our path. An unmatched experience.

Today we are going to experience a real Greenlandic tradition! One of the families in the village invites us to participate in a Kaffemik, an event where people gather at home to drink coffee and eat homemade cakes.

Meal included: Breakfast, Kaffemik and dinner

Accommodation: Farm in Qassiarsuk/Tasiusaq

Qassiarsuk, called Brattahlid in the ancient language of the Vikings, is the place where the first European, Erik the Red, and his companions settled in 982 AD. The small village of sheep farmers is in a very beautiful location, next to the fjord named after Erik himself, among fertile green hills. A walk through the village and its surroundings gives us a very good impression of typical Greenlandic rural life today. We will visit the ruins of the old Viking farms and the reconstructions of a turf house and the chapel that Erik had to build for his wife Thjodhild, the first Viking to convert to Christianity in Greenland. It was also from Qassiarsuk that Leif Eriksson set out on his journey west, becoming the first European to set foot on American soil, long before Columbus. Our guide will tell us fantastic stories from the Viking age in detail, surrounded by the real setting.

In the afternoon we will leave by boat to the small pier of Itilleq, from where we walk the 4 km of the “Camino del Rey” to Igaliku, on the other side of the peninsula.

Many know Igaliku as the most beautiful village in South Greenland. And indeed, the colorful houses situated in the middle of the fertile green landscape, next to the blue waters of the fjord, with the barren mountains in the background, form a truly picturesque image. Igaliku, once called Gardar, was the seat of the bishop in Viking times.

We visit the ruins of the old cathedral, as well as the small museum in the church, which takes us back to Igaliku’s more recent history as a sheep farming village.

Meal included: Breakfast and Dinner

Accommodation: Hotel / Farm / Guesthouse in Igaliku (2 nights)

Igaliku is the start of countless scenic routes. From simple walks to important ascents or even expeditions to the interior ice. We can go in search of a waterfall, or go up to the nearby plateau, from where we can observe a privileged landscape, the view from above the Qooroq Fjord, always plagued by huge icebergs trapped in the terminal moraine of the glacier.

Along the way we can search for minerals, such as the brilliant “moonstone”, which is often found in this area.

Starting in mid-August, we will be attentive at night in search of the famous Northern Lights.

Meal included: Breakfast and dinner

Accommodation: Hotel / Farm / Guesthouse in Igaliku

After breakfast we walk back to Itilleq while our luggage will again be transported by car. From there the boat takes us on a 2-hour trip sailing along the along Erik’s Fjord, through floating icebergs, to reach Qaleraliq. On the journey we will be attentive, trying to see a seal swimming in the fjord or sunbathing in one of the icebergs.

Qaleraliq is the Inuit word for halibut, but the frequency of this “crushed” fish in the area is not the reason we visited today. At the end of the Qaleraliq fjord, two glaciers descend to meet the sea, each with a spectacular glacier front. We get as close as possible to those bizarrely shaped walls of white, blue and black ice.

Always keeping a safe safety distance. If the conditions are favourable, we will stop for a moment next to the glacier and step on the ice. A unique experience.

With sore fingers from taking pictures so much, we finally headed to Qaqortoq where we slept today.

Meal included: Breakfast

Accommodation: Accommodation in Qaqortoq (2 nights)

We woke up in the liveliest town in the South of Greenland. After breakfast, we will take a guided tour of the “city”. Qaqortoq, which means “the white one”, is the capital of South Greenland and, with about 3,000 inhabitants, its largest city. It has several schools, a university, a hospital and different types of shops and restaurants. Also Greenland’s only Fur Factory, Great Greenland, is located here (and can be visited). Qaqortoq is a vibrant town, combining traditional and modern Greenlandic life. Stone sculptures by different Scandinavian artists created during the “Stone & Man” project are scattered around the city.

In the afternoon you have time for your own activities. Explore the city at your leisure, without missing the fishing port where the locals sell their catch of the day, various types of fish and also seal. Or embark on one of the excursions that can be arranged through the local tourist office. We recommend a tour to the ruins of the best-preserved Viking church, in Hvalsey, usually combined with a very interesting visit to the experimental agricultural center in Upernaviarsuk (did you know that strawberries are grown in Greenland?), or a boat trip to the only accessible hot springs in Greenland, on the island of Uunartoq. A hot bath in the open air, in the middle of nature and surrounded by icebergs.

Meal included: Breakfast

Accommodation: Accommodation in Qaqortoq

In the morning, on our boat trip from Qaqortoq to Narsarsuaq, we enjoy one of the best excursions in South Greenland, an excursion to the Qooroq fjord, with its many floating icebergs that form an almost perfect half circle to the left. fjord entrance. We have the chance to have a drink with real ice from a thousand-year-old glacier.

We dedicate the rest of the day to one of the most famous in the area, the Valley of the Thousand Flowers, a spectacular valley formed by the retreat of the glacier.

Meal included: Breakfast

Accommodation: Hotel in Narsarsuaq

Before the flight there is time to visit the local museum or even to take an optional scenic helicopter flight, and see all this immensity from above, something unrepeatable.

Then it will be time to say goodbye to Greenland and board the plane back.

Meal included: Breakfast

Important note: Arctic weather conditions and limited capacity in Greenland may result in traffic delays leading to interruptions, limitations or changes to the itinerary.

That may result in additional expenses for food, hotel accommodation and/or transportation not mentioned in the program. These expenses are entirely the responsibility of the traveler. The operator cannot assume any liability, financial or otherwise, due to these changes.