Greenland Tours

From Sun Gate to Icefjord

This trip will instill peace and quiet in you as you take in the Greenland ice cap, a massive ice field, ancient and still. You will hear nothing but the crunch of your own boots and the wind moving over the landscape.

From Sun Gate to Icefjord
Price from: 316.000  ISK

This trip will instill peace and quiet in you as you take in the Greenland ice cap, a massive ice field, ancient and still. You will hear nothing but the crunch of your own boots and the wind moving over the landscape.

The deep fjords of East Greenland are extraordinary. Deep blue-green sea, steep granite mountains with sharp peaks, lush arctic vegetation around creeks, lakes and ice. Lots of ice! The Sermilik fjord, or the Ice fjord in the local’s language, certainly lives up to its name, it is full of icebergs of all sizes. Several glaciers calve into the fjord and one of them, the Helheim glacier, is thought to be one of the fastest moving glaciers in the world. On the other side of the fjord, one can see the edge of the massif Greenland ice cap, the world’s second biggest ice field. On this tour, we trek from the Qinnertivaq fjord over to the Sermilik fjord and over to the tiny hunters village Tiniteqilaaq. We will pass by a number of impressive alpine granite mountains, try to catch some trout in the sea, enjoy the stillness and quiet, admire the icebergs, tell stories and listen to stories. A unique adventure in breathtaking nature.

Tip! This tour can be combined with our Laugavegur Trek in Iceland for a full Iceland/Greenland experience.

Tour Overview

  • Meeting point

    Reykjavík domestic airport

  • Group size

    5 - 14 participants

  • Language

    English

  • Accommodation

    Camping and Hostel

  • Transport

    Boat

  • Walkin per day

    5 - 7 hrs

  • Total Distance

    51 km (32 mi)

  • Max Ascent

    550 m (1640 ft)

  • Difficulty

    Challenging

    Difficulty

    Suites those that are physically active and have some background in basic traveling in mountainous terrain with a backpack. 6-7 hrs walks per day.

  • Availability

    Jul - Aug

  • Duration

    6 days

  • 16

    Minimum age:

    16 yrs

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Tour information

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Tour Highlights

Included

  • Experienced and qualified guide
  • Camping accommodation in two persons tent (4 nights)
  • Hostel in Kulusuk (1 night)
  • Boat transfer at beginning and end of trek
  • Breakfast (5), Lunch (4), Dinner (5)
  • Transfer of luggage between camps

Not Included

  • Flights Reykjavík - Kulusuk - Reykjavík
  • Sleeping bag
  • Personal equipment
  • Insurance
  • Expenses

Optional Extras

  • Flights Reykjavík - Kulusuk - Reykjavík
  • Sleeping bag

Tour Map and Itinerary

Click map for detailed itinerary

From Sun Gate to Icefjord

MAP & ITINERARY

Day 1

Kulusuk

We arrive to Kulusuk in the early afternoon. We walk from the airport to the village of Kulusuk (3km/ 2m) - a village of some 300 inhabitants and visit the local shop as well as the tiny family run museum/collection. In late afternoon we travel with a speed boat to the Qinertivaq fjord passing beautiful icebergs along the way.  We build our camp for the night at the bottom of the fjord, in a magnificent setting, surrounded by 1600m (5250 ) high, steep granite mountains.
Walking time: 1 hr
Sailing time: 1.5 hrs

Day 2

Sun Gate, Trout Lake and Sermilik Icefjord

After breakfast we walk towards the Sun Gate mountain by the Trout Lake. Admire the reflection of the high mountains in the lake before continuing to its south end. After fording a small river we continue down a narrow valley still surrounded by high granite mountains. On our way we see rich arctic vegetation, willows, arctic craw berries and blue berries bushes (hardly lifting from the ground) and arctic flowers of all kinds, the most notable being the Arctic River Beauty. In the afternoon we start to get a view over to the west to the enormous Sermilik Icefjord, filled with icebergs of all sizes. The view is simply breathtaking with mountains and icebergs and the great Greenland Icecap luring behind! Camp at the fjord.
Distance: 17 km (10.5 mi)                                
Walking time:
7 hrs                       
Ascent/Descent:
300 m (985 ft)

Day 3

Along Sermilik Icefjord to Paarnakajiit

We start our walk along the impressive icefjord. A tiny path takes us across steep boulder slopes and down to a small sand beach covered in small icebergs on low tide. A second beach has even more stranded icebergs. We cross the Iceberg Beach and on our way we ford a small river. We continue at the foot of high mountains, across scraped granite „whale backs“ and arctic tundra wetlands before arriving to a small peninsula called Paarnakajiit where we put up our camp. 
Distance: 14 km (8.6 mi)                                
Walking time:
6 - 7 hrs                       
Ascent/Descent:
200 m (655 ft)

Day 4

Paarnakajiit to Amitsivarriva Narrow fjord

From the Peninsula we walk by a narrow lake before arriving to an small and shallow fjord with yet another very impressive amount of small icebergs and stranded on low tide. We continue along the fjord and from its end we cross some relatively flat moorlands, along a beautiful river until we arrive to a bigger lake. We ford a small river and continue along the deep, blue/green lake. In the afternoon we arrive to a very narrow fjord, where we put up our camp.
Distance: 12 km (7.5 mi)                                
Walking time:
6 hrs                       
Ascent/Descent:
150 m (490 ft)

Day 5

Amitsivartiva narrow fjord to Tiniteqilaaq and Kulusuk

The day starts with the climb up along a mountain ridge abow the Sermilik Icefjord. We climb to a fantastic view point at 500 m (1800 ft) and admire the vast view over the Icefjord to the west and the „Matterhorn“ like mountains to the East. We continue along the ridge with great view on both hands until we descend into Tiniteqilaaq, a tiny hunters village with less than 200 inhabitants. After a short visit of the village we take a boat to Kulusuk for the last of the trip.  Night in a hostel.
Distance: 14 km (8.6 mi)                                
Walking time:
7 hrs                       
Ascent/Descent:
500 m (1640 ft)

Day 6

Kulusuk - Reykjavík

You can enjoy your last hours in Kulusuk, and later we will be back at the airport where our flight to Reykjavik will be waiting for us. The tour ends at Reykjavík Airport where we say our goodbyes. 

  • Day 1
  • Day 2
  • Day 3
  • Day 4
  • Day 5
  • Day 6
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