Kangerlussuaq - Kangerlussuaq Expedition north-west Greenland - intensive adventure around Thule and beyond

Welcome to the world’s largest island! Look forward to intensive expedition days that bring you closer to Greenland’s spectacular contrasts, between the ice-kissed Disko Bay and the few settlements beyond Old Thule. Now in summer, the island presents a colourful panorama: icy white, lush green, deep brown, and vibrant yellow. The landscape is vast and quiet, with repeated traces of a 4,500-year-old culture that seems almost forgotten by the world. Your personal Arctic adventure begins impressively with the Eqip Sermia Glacier and its white wall of ice. In the small settlement of Uummannaq, a museum recalls the expeditions of the German Greenland researcher Alfred Wegener. A walk with your experts takes you to the “Santa Claus Summer House,” which was the setting for a Danish TV series. Storøen will appear almost like a Martian landscape. The so-called Desert Island displays a variety of colours, from ochre yellow to red. It offers ideal terrain for a walk and for an expert-led excursion on geology. The life of the people in Greenland is shaped by fishing and hunting – as in Kangersuatsiaq, located on a small island in the Upernavik Archipelago. It is the Nordic-original way of life, reflected in the colourful houses and the natural harbour, which will also enchant you.

The further the HANSEATIC spirit ventures north, the greater the anticipation on board: will the ice conditions allow access to remote coasts with their moving settlement and exploration histories? Time and again, walks through fascinating landscapes are offered following Zodiac landings. Already more than four millennia ago, early Inuit cultures settled in the region of Qaanaaq. The settlement itself was established in 1953 for people who had to make way for a US airbase. It is hard to believe how isolated the inhabitants of the village of Siorapaluk live. The northernmost settlement in the country lies alone on a narrow beach at the foot of gently rolling mountains. With luck, sightings of seals, musk oxen, and reindeer will find their way into your travel diary. Your expert team will repeatedly delight you with chapters of history. Learn, for example, interesting facts about Knud Rasmussen. At North Star Bay, he founded a mission station in 1909 and later Old Thule, the northernmost trading station in the world. From the proceeds, he financed his Thule expeditions to study Inuit culture. Follow in his footsteps on a walk to the old turf houses. Breathtaking views of bizarre ice formations define the cruising before Cape York. On its rocky ridge, a monument commemorates the American explorer Robert Edwin Peary, who departed from here at the end of the 19th century on his North Pole expeditions.

Qeqertarsuaq – founded in 1773 on Disko Island – welcomes you with particular character: through a gateway made of whale bones, which you pass to enter the small settlement. In the local waters, you will repeatedly have good chances to observe whales. Discover with your experts the backdrop of a fascinating basalt mountain range, or hike through the Arctic tundra to the Valley of the Winds. In the company of your experienced experts, knowledge and wonder also have their effect in Ilulissat. A walk leads to the Icefjord, the UNESCO World Heritage site with the highest concentration of icebergs in the entire country. As a finale, you will experience a very special highlight: Disko Bay. While cruising and from the Zodiac, you are right in the midst of the spectacle of drifting ice sculptures originating from the Sermeq Kujalleq. The fastest glacier in the world produces over 40 km³ of ice each year. You will take unforgettable memories home from Greenland when your summer polar adventure with the HANSEATIC spirit comes to an end.