East Greenland Expedition Cruise: Tasiilaq & Scoresby Sund

Today you explore more of the Ammassalik region before boarding your expedition ship. You may take a boat trip or hike among the icebergs and fjords around Tasiilaq, visiting a tiny hunting settlement or the beautiful Flower Valley, watching for seals and seabirds and taking in the dramatic mountain scenery. In the afternoon you embark your comfortable, ice-strengthened expedition ship, settling into your cabin and meeting the expert expedition team of naturalists and guides, before the ship casts off into the iceberg-filled waters, beginning your voyage north along the wild coast. As you sail, you enjoy the first of many fine meals and take in the passing ice and mountains from the deck. The adventure begins in earnest. This evening, savour dinner aboard as the ship heads into the Arctic wilderness. Rest well in your cabin.

Today you explore the spectacular fjords and iceberg-filled waters of the Ammassalik region by ship and Zodiac. The expedition team leads you off the ship in the nimble inflatable Zodiacs to cruise slowly among towering icebergs and beneath calving glaciers, and to land on remote shores to hike the flower-strewn tundra beneath the mountains, watching for musk oxen, Arctic hares and seabirds. From the ship you keep watch for whales surfacing among the ice and seals hauled out on the floes. Every Zodiac cruise and landing is a fresh adventure into untouched wilderness. The scale and beauty are overwhelming. Back aboard, you enjoy fine meals, expert talks on the Arctic, and the comfort of your ship. This evening, savour dinner as the ship sails on beneath the endless summer light. Rest well amid the wild fjords.

Today the ship sails north along the wild, remote coast of East Greenland towards the vast Scoresby Sund, crossing open Arctic waters strewn with drifting ice. It is a day to savour the voyage itself, watching from the deck for whales, seals and seabirds, scanning the pack ice for the tracks or shape of a polar bear, and taking in the immense, empty grandeur of one of the least-visited coasts on earth. The expedition team enriches the day with talks on the wildlife, ice, exploration history and Inuit culture of the region, and there is time to relax in the comfortable lounges with big windows onto the passing ice. The sense of anticipation builds. This evening, savour dinner aboard as you approach the mouth of the great fjord system. Rest well, ready to enter Scoresby Sund tomorrow.

Today you sail into the vast Scoresby Sund, the largest fjord system on earth and the spectacular heart of your expedition. The ship enters a colossal labyrinth of waterways lined by towering mountains and glaciers and filled with some of the biggest icebergs on the planet, cathedrals of ice the size of islands, gleaming white and electric blue. You cruise slowly among them, gazing up at the immense scale, and head off by Zodiac to weave beneath the giant bergs and along the shores, watching for wildlife. The silence, scale and beauty of this immense realm, into which few humans ever venture, are overwhelming. It is one of the great sights of the Arctic. This evening, savour dinner aboard amid the giant icebergs, glowing in the low midnight light. Rest well deep in the wild heart of Scoresby Sund.

Today you explore deeper into the inner reaches of Scoresby Sund, among glaciers, tundra and wildlife. The expedition team leads Zodiac cruises beneath calving glaciers and towering icebergs, and shore landings to hike the flower-strewn Arctic tundra beneath sheer mountains, where you may spot shaggy musk oxen grazing, Arctic hares and foxes, and the tracks of the elusive polar bear, while whales and seals appear among the ice offshore. You take in the immense, silent beauty of fjords few people ever see, learning about the geology, wildlife and history from the expert team. Every landing is a fresh adventure into pristine wilderness. The wildlife and scenery are magical. This evening, savour dinner aboard as the ship rests amid the ice. Rest well deep in the Arctic wilderness of Scoresby Sund.

Today you visit Ittoqqortoormiit, on the shore of Scoresby Sund, one of the most remote inhabited places on earth. You go ashore to this tiny cluster of brightly painted houses, where a few hundred Inuit live by traditional hunting and fishing, cut off by ice for much of the year, and walk its streets, visit the small church and shop, and meet local people, glimpsing a way of life shaped entirely by the Arctic. The remoteness, resilience and warmth of the community are deeply moving. Back aboard, the ship continues to explore the fjord, with more Zodiac cruises among the icebergs and wildlife as time and conditions allow. This evening, savour dinner aboard as you reflect on this extraordinary community at the edge of the world. Rest well amid the wild beauty of Scoresby Sund.

Today you enjoy your final day of expedition cruising along the wild coast of East Greenland, making the most of the Zodiacs and the ice. The expedition team leads final cruises among the towering icebergs and calving glaciers and final shore landings to hike the tundra and take in the immense Arctic wilderness, watching for whales, seals, musk oxen and seabirds one last time. You savour the passing scenery from the deck and the shared camaraderie of the voyage, reflecting with the expedition team on the extraordinary places you have seen. Every last moment is precious. As the ship turns towards your disembarkation point, you take in the wild beauty of the coast. This evening, enjoy a special farewell dinner aboard, celebrating your expedition into the wildest reaches of the Arctic. Rest well in your cabin.

This morning you disembark your expedition ship at Nerlerit Inaat (Constable Point) on the shore of Scoresby Sund, bidding farewell to the expedition team and your fellow travellers, and transfer to the airport for your charter flight back across the Denmark Strait to Iceland and your onward journey. You leave having voyaged deep into the wildest, most spectacular reaches of the Arctic, the vast Scoresby Sund with its icebergs the size of islands, the fjords and glaciers of the east coast, the whales, musk oxen and seabirds, and the remote community of Ittoqqortoormiit. The images stay vivid long after you land, the giant bergs in the silent fjords, the Zodiacs beneath the calving ice, and the painted houses of the loneliest village on earth. East Greenland offers wild beauty and true expedition adventure in abundance, and you depart already dreaming of a return.