6 days fjordtrip "Around Milneland - boattrip in the worlds biggest fjordsystem , Scoresby Sund" .
When: August
Min. no. of participants: 6 (maximum 8)
Price per person :
Included: 2 nights in local guesthouse w/self-catering; 6 days boattrip including full catering, sleeping bag, mattress, tent; helicopter tickets to/from town .
Not included: tickets to/from Greenland , catering in guesthouse Ittoqqortoormiit
Length of trip: 8 days in total : 6 days boattrip / 2 nights in guesthouse w selfcatering .
Behind the journey
Ittoqqortoormiit is situated at 71 degrees North, which means that we have midnight sun from late May to late July. In contrast, the sun does not get above the horizon between late November and mid-January.
The Scoresby Sund fjord system is the world’s biggest fjord system and marks the transition to High Arctic. Based on the unique open water polynia in the mouth of the fjord, there is a living wildlife all the year round. Polar bears follow the ice edge on their migration to the North and get often very close to town. Narwhales seek – in early and late summer – in and out of the fjord system and are also often seen from town during this period. Walrusses come drifting on the pack ice from the national park and a great number of seals have their habitat here.
Furthermore, a lot of birds forage in the sea area around Ittoqqortoormiit when they breed on the great bird cliffs along the outer coast.
The Scoresby Sund fjord system ranges from Kap Tobin in the east to the ice cap, 350 km to the west. The north eastern part of the fjord lines up to the low Jameson Land, which consists of lowered seabed.
The southern and inner part of the fjord is surrounded by alpine mountains, with pointed peaks in the heights of more than 2 km. Between the mountains, great glaciers have their outflow into the fjord and thereby create hundreds of gigantic icebergs. Several places in the fjord are old settlements from the indigenous Inuit, which disappeared before the Europeans arrived in the area for good.
The sail season usually starts from mid-July. Until October, it is possible to sail along the fantastic outer coast to the world’s biggest national park – or to sail in the Scoresby Sund fjord system.
Tour information
The guides attending the tour are all experienced sailors. With our local guides you will be safe, exploring the Greenlandic nature and wildlife.
You will be fully equipped (arctic sleeping bag, sleeping mat, tent, floating suit) and the guides will provide full board for the days when sailing.
"M/S Nanu" is a passenger approved vessel with room for 8 passengers + boattdriver.
Day 1 - Saturday
Arrival at Constable Point airport (CNP) with the early flight. Shortly after, the helicopter will leave from CNP to Ittoqqortoormiit. A representative of Nanu Travel will meet you at the helipad and escort you to the tourist office, where you will be equipped with a floating suit for the boat trip, sleeping bag and sleeping mattress. It is possible to store your luggage at the office if you do not want to bring everything along on the boat trip. Your guides will meet you at the office and escort you to the boat.
Sailing in summer does not only depend on the local wind, but highly on the wind far out at sea. If the pack ice does not dam up for the waves, a storm far out at sea can send great waves to the shore – even if the weather is quiet. We will head for Sydkap (South Cape), which is situated in the bottom of Scoresby Sund. This can be a hard and long trip – from town to Sydkap it is 185 km – but also a fantastic and very beautiful journey. We pass by the village Kap Hope and cross the mouth of the fjord to Kap Stewart, while continuing along the coast, all the way to Sydkap.
The further we sail, the bigger icebergs we will be able to see. Some of them are ”holed”, some are ”dead“ (black), and some are several hundred meters long.
After 5-6 hours of sailing, we will reach Sydkap, where we will camp for the night. There is a nice, big hut – it used to be a store when hunters lived there.
If the conditions allow it, we might put up a net to catch our dinner. Otherwise, the guide will prepare some Greenlandic dinner from the supplies brought along.
Day 2 - Sunday
This day will be a ”sightseeing day” with time to explore the fantastic fjord by boat. The southern and inner part of the fjord is surrounded by alpine mountains, with pointed peaks in the heights of more than 2 km. Between the mountains, great glaciers have their outflow into the fjord and thereby create hundreds of gigantic icebergs. Several places in the fjord are old settlements from the indigenous Inuit, which disappeared before the Europeans arrived in the area for good.
There will be opportunities to observe the wildlife of the fjord – narwhales and seals as well as a variety of birds. We will camp at Jytte Havn.
Day 3 - Monday
Today we pass through the toughest part of the entire fjord system. All the way through Ø Fjord the surrounding mountains are vertical with pointed peaks. While too steep for other wildlife, we might be able to spot seals. We follow the coast to Rype/Hare Fjord, where we will go ashore and put up the camp.
We will make sure to have plenty of time to explore the area – there will be a good chance of watching muskoxen close to camp.
Day 4 - Tuesday
The landscape changes from the vertical mountains, yesterday, to more gentle slopes, green vegetation, and wildlife. Red sandstone rock has been formed by rivers in odd shapes. In this area, there are high chances of observing muskoxen, seals, and maybe narwhales – if we are lucky.
Day 5 - Wednesday
We leave the inner part of the fjord system, passing Røde Ø on our way in to Føhnfjord. This fjord is known for its warm winds created in mid-summer time. At the end of the fjord we find Danmark Ø, where we will stay for the night. There is a nice, big hut with a “million dollar view” – and ruins from the expedition there were the first Europeans to explore the fjord.
Day 6 - Thursday
From Danmark Ø we have 175 km back to town. If the weather is fine, we will follow Volquart Boons Coast and see the impressive glaciers and waterfalls coming from up high.
Day 7 – Friday
This day can be used to explore Ittoqqortoormiit – visit the church , the museum or the local institutions! You can also book individual trips at the tourist office, if you wish to go on a daytrip. Overnight stay at the guesthouse with self-catering.
Day 8 – Saturday
Time to leave Greenland – the helicopter will bring you back to Constable Point airport, where your scheduled flight will arrive and take you to Iceland.
