Grand Greenland: The Ice Sheet, Disko Bay, the Capital & the Norse South

This morning you fly north over a dazzling landscape of ice and water to Ilulissat, the beautiful town on the shore of Disko Bay beside the famous Icefjord. You are met and settle into your hotel, then set out to walk the boardwalk trails from the ancient Sermermiut settlement to spectacular viewpoints over the ice-choked fjord, where a sea of vast icebergs glows in the Arctic light, floating cathedrals of white and electric-blue ice calved by one of the fastest glaciers in the world. The scale and beauty are overwhelming. You explore the colourful town, its harbour and its sled dogs. This evening, savour fresh Greenlandic seafood, and in summer the golden midnight sun on the ice. Rest well in beautiful Ilulissat, beside the greatest icebergs on earth, ready to cruise among them tomorrow.

Today you experience the spectacular heart of Greenland, the UNESCO-listed Ilulissat Icefjord. You head out by boat into the mouth of the fjord and along the coast, cruising among vast, sculpted icebergs, some the size of buildings, glowing white and electric blue and endlessly carved by wind and water, calved by the Sermeq Kujalleq glacier, one of the fastest in the world. The scale and silence are overwhelming. You pause among the ice to take in the beauty, watching for seals and seabirds. Back on land, you walk more of the shoreline trails to viewpoints over the ice-choked fjord in the golden light. The beauty is beyond words. This evening, savour the light on the ice. Rest well in beautiful Ilulissat, beside the greatest icebergs on earth.

Today you head out into the rich waters of Disko Bay in search of the great whales of the Arctic summer. The bay is among the best places on earth to see humpback whales, which gather here to feed among the drifting icebergs, alongside fin and minke whales. By boat you watch these giants surface, blow and dive, their enormous tails lifting slowly against a backdrop of shimmering ice, an unforgettable spectacle. You cruise among the icebergs and along the beautiful coast, keeping watch for seals and seabirds too, as your guide shares the wildlife and traditions of the bay. The wildlife is magical. Back in Ilulissat, you have time to explore the colourful town and the excellent local museum in the former home of the explorer Knud Rasmussen. This evening, savour fresh seafood. Rest well beside the beautiful bay.

Today you make a spectacular boat journey north across Disko Bay to the Eqi Glacier, one of the most active calving glaciers in Greenland. You cruise for several hours through waters strewn with icebergs, watching for whales, until you reach the towering face of the glacier at the head of a remote bay, where great blocks of ancient ice break away and crash thunderously into the sea, sending waves rolling across the bay, an unforgettable display of raw power and beauty. You enjoy a lunch overlooking the glacier and soak up the wild, silent grandeur. The ice is magnificent. This evening, back in Ilulissat, savour a final dinner celebrating your days among the greatest ice on earth. Rest well beside the beautiful bay, ready to fly to the colourful capital tomorrow.

This morning you take a last walk along the Icefjord, then fly south to Nuuk, Greenland's small and colourful capital, over a dazzling landscape of ice, mountains and sea. Nuuk sits on a spectacular fjord beneath the pointed peak of Sermitsiaq, a lively little town of brightly painted timber houses, modern architecture, galleries and a growing food scene. You are met and settle into your hotel, then explore the colourful streets, the historic Colonial Harbour with its statue of Hans Egede, and the waterfront, taking in the beautiful setting. This evening, sample Nuuk's surprisingly sophisticated food scene, built on the fresh Arctic larder. Rest well in the colourful capital, ready to explore its culture and fjord tomorrow.

Today you explore colourful Nuuk and its rich culture, and cruise its vast fjord. You visit the excellent Greenland National Museum, home to the remarkably preserved 500-year-old Qilakitsoq mummies, kayaks and the story of Greenland from the earliest Inuit to today, and wander the historic Colonial Harbour and the striking Katuaq cultural centre. Then you cruise the vast Nuuk Fjord, one of the largest fjord systems in the world, beneath the dramatic peak of Sermitsiaq, among islands, mountains and drifting icebergs, keeping watch for seals and whales, and taking in the immense, silent beauty. The culture and scenery are captivating. This evening, savour more of Nuuk's food scene, from halibut and snow crab to reindeer. Rest well in the beautiful capital, ready to fly to the green south tomorrow.

This morning you fly south to Narsarsuaq, in the gentle green south of Greenland, over a dazzling landscape, landing amid mountains at the head of a beautiful fjord ringed by green slopes, snow-capped peaks and drifting icebergs. The far south is astonishingly green and gentle, quite unlike the icebound north, and its softness is immediately striking. You are met and settle in, then take a first walk in the flower-strewn valley or visit the small local museum on the area's history, from the Norse to the wartime airfield. This evening, over dinner, your guide introduces the historic south, where Erik the Red and the Norse farmed a thousand years ago. Rest well amid the green beauty of the south, ready to walk in the footsteps of the Norse tomorrow.

Today you walk in the footsteps of Erik the Red and journey to Qaqortoq. You cross the fjord by boat to Qassiarsuk, ancient Brattahlid, where the Norse founded their first Greenland settlement over a thousand years ago, walking among the ruins of their farms and the foundations of Tjodhilde's church, the first Christian church in the Americas, alongside beautifully reconstructed Norse longhouses and a turf church amid green pastures and drifting icebergs. Your guide brings the haunting story of the Norse Greenlanders vividly to life. Then you make a beautiful boat journey through the fjords among icebergs to Qaqortoq, the largest town in the south, tumbling in painted houses to a picturesque harbour. This evening, savour fresh Greenlandic food in colourful Qaqortoq. Rest well in the capital of the far south.

Today you make a magical boat excursion to the remote island of Uunartoq, where natural hot springs bubble up into stone-lined pools in one of the most beautiful settings imaginable. You cruise among drifting icebergs to the island, then sink into the warm, mineral-rich water and soak beneath the open Arctic sky, gazing out at snow-capped peaks and icebergs floating serenely on the fjord, warm water amid a world of ice. It is a sublime and utterly unique experience. On the way you take in the beautiful fjord scenery and watch for seals. The setting is magical. Back in Qaqortoq, you explore the colourful town, discovering the Stone and Man sculptures carved into rocks throughout the streets. This evening, savour dinner in town, reflecting on your day among the ice and springs. Rest well in Qaqortoq.

Today you explore more of the beautiful, historic south. You make a boat excursion to Hvalsey, on the shore of a quiet fjord, to visit the best-preserved of all the Norse monuments in Greenland, its solid stone walls and gable ends still rising much as they did six centuries ago, where the last written record of the Norse Greenlanders was made in 1408 before the settlement fell silent forever. The atmosphere is haunting. You take in the beautiful fjords and green valleys, and perhaps meet local sheep farmers who work this green land today, learning about life in the far south. The history and gentle beauty are captivating. This evening, back in Qaqortoq, savour a final dinner in the colourful town, reflecting on your grand journey across Greenland. Rest well amid the green tranquillity of the south.

After a final morning in the green south, perhaps a last look at colourful Qaqortoq, you journey by boat and road to Narsarsuaq for your onward flight from Greenland. You leave having experienced the very greatest of the world's largest island across its full length, the great Ice Sheet at the Russell Glacier, the vast icebergs and whales of the Ilulissat Icefjord and Disko Bay, the calving Eqi Glacier, the colourful capital of Nuuk, and the Norse ruins, hot springs and green valleys of the far south. The images stay vivid long after you land, the floating cathedrals of ice, the whales among the bergs, the wall of the Ice Sheet, the painted houses of Nuuk and Qaqortoq, and the reconstructed Norse longhouses amid green pastures. Greenland offers beauty, wildlife, history and wonder in abundance, and you depart already dreaming of a return to the extraordinary edge of the world.