Day 1: Arrival in Narsarsuaq after a morning flight from
Reykjavík. We walk down to the harbor and take the next boat over to
Qagssiarssuq. This is place where Erik the Red settled down and we will
spend our first night here. After lunch we walk to Eiríksstaðir, Eriks
homestead, and Þjóðhildarkirkju, the church of Thjodhildur, a
reconstructed church dating back to the early settlement. Accommodation
in a hostel.
Walking: approx. 2 hrs
Day 2: Today we walk over to Tasiusaq where our accommodation
is at a sheep farm. The trail takes us past many lakes where we can
either look for jumping fish or enjoy the various birds of the area.
This is a relatively easy walk and once we have stored our bags and
eaten lunch at the farmhouse we venture out for a leisurely afternoon
walk to the beaches north of the farm.
Walking: 6 - 7 hrs. total, divided into shorter walks.
Day 3: We pack our bags and head south to the farm of
Nunataaq. The route takes us along ancient sheep trails where we can get
a glimpse of the road constructions of the first settlers. After a
short walk we come to the farmhouse where we will stay tonight. Here, we
store our bags and then head out again, climbing up to the Nunakullak
heath above the Tasiusaarsuk fjord. We stop where the fjord is the
narrowest and enjoy the spectacular scenery. Huge icebergs roll on the
tidal waters or may even simply be stranded.
Walking: 6 hrs. total divided into shorter walks.
Day 4: Today we head back over to the east coast of this
peninsula. Easy walking, along picturesque lakes on the heath, where the
arctic vegetation is simply at its best. We arrive at the little hamlet
of Sillisit where a boat waits to take us across the fjord to Itilleq.
From Itilleq we walk the old King´s way to Garðar, a renowned settlement
in the medieval times. Garðar or Igaliku, is nicely situated in a
green and lush area at the bottom of the Einarsfjord, with the majestic
peak Illerfissalik towering across the fjord. Here we will be staying
the next two nights at the local hostel.
Walking: 7 hrs
Day 5: The landscape North of Igaliku is absolutely
magnificent, and today we explore these surroundings. We follow the
river from Lake 90 and hike up to the plateau that lies at 200 meters.
The views over the Qooqqut fjord are breathtaking. The outlet glacier at
the bottom of the fjord calves into the sea and feeds the fjord with an
endless number of icebergs that float around. Having enjoyed this
spectacular scene we head back to the hostel at Igaliku.
Walking: 6 - 7 hrs
Day 6: Instead of starting out on foot, we hop aboard a local
boat that will take us to Hvalsey. At Hvalsey are found the most famous
ruins from the medieval times, the church of Hvalsey or what remains of
it. This will be an easy day with a lot of opportunity to enjoy the
impressive surroundings. The Einarsfjord is narrow with high and pointy
peaks on either shore. We spend ample time to explore the ruins and its
surroundings before continuing to the capital of South Greenland,
Qaqortoq, which is supposedly the most beautiful town in the whole of
Greenland. We will spend the night here and have some time to explore
the quaint little centre of town. Here is the best opportunity for
sampling the local cuisine, for those who are interested.
Walking: 2 - 3 hrs.
Day 7: We continue our boat ride today and head back to
Narsarsuaq. We sail north the Eiríksfjörður fjord and can reflect on our
trails of the preceding days and ponder what became of the settlers of
yore. We arrive in Narsarsuaq in the afternoon and head to the hostel
with the rest of the day free.
Day 8: We pack our bags today but before leaving Greenland we
hike to the outlet glacier at the bottom of the valley. Here is a chance
to get onto the Greenland Icecap or as close to it as possible,
standing at the foot of this biggest glacier on earth. In order to be at
the airport on time we will not hike back, instead a car picks us up
and transports us to the airport where we get on to the flight to
Reykjavík.
Walking: 3 - 4 hrs.