Expedition to the Edge of the Ice Sheet

During your journey at sea, make the most of the many services and activities on board. Treat yourself to a moment of relaxation in the spa or stay in shape in the fitness center. Depending on the season, let yourself be tempted by the swimming pool or a spot of sunbathing. This journey without a port of call will also be an opportunity to enjoy the conferences or shows proposed on board, depending on the activities offered, or to do some shopping in the boutique or to meet the onboard photographers in their dedicated space. As for lovers of the open sea, they will be able to visit the ship’s upper deck to admire the spectacle of the waves and perhaps be lucky enough to observe marine species. A truly enchanted interlude, combining comfort, rest and entertainment.

In Tasiilaq, on Ammassalik Island, follow in the wake of Captain Jean-Baptiste Charcot’s famous ship, the Pourquoi Pas ?, which set off with its crew in 1935 to discover this small island of primitive and wild beauty that remained unexplored until the end of the 19th century. Along with Ittoqqortoormiit, a village with 500 inhabitants located at the entrance of the Scoresby Sound, the village of Tasiilaq and its surroundings, 500 miles farther north, are the only inhabited areas on the east coast of Greenland. The name of this island is a reference to the capelin, a small flamboyant silver-colored fish whose presence in the thousands announces to inhabitants the return of spring. A surprising discovery in a spectacular setting.

Be captivated by the spectacular scenery of the Sermilik Fjord, the largest in the southeast of Greenland. To the north, above the glacial valleys, the Schweitzerland Alps and their peaks that rise to an altitude of more than 10,000 feet stretch out in the distance, while in the south, where it opens onto the Irminger Sea, heavy erosion has carved the landscape. Three main glaciers calve a multitude of dazzling icebergs that drift serenely along the indigo waters of this majestic fjord. It owes its name to the Inuit word Sermilik, which generally refers to a fjord into which a glacier flows. It was mapped in 1884 by the Danish explorer Gustav Holm and his crew, while they wintered in the Ammassalik region.

Discover Skjoldungen Island on the southeast coast of Greenland. This uninhabited land boasts magnificent landscapes that are sure to dazzle. The island is surrounded by a stunning fjord, a distinctive feature of which is its double entrance: it forms a bend before joining the sea on the other side. Mountains, glacial valleys, rocky outcrops, tundra and willow forests make up the beautiful scenery which can be admired more closely when landing here. At this port of call, surrounded by wild and pristine nature, it is quite common to see bearded seals, orcas, but also birds such as the common redpoll, the northern wheatear or the common raven.

Aappilattoq (Augpilatok) is a small Inuit village of around one hundred inhabitants, whose name means “sea anemone” in Greenlandic. Located in a mountainous region inaccessible by road, its picturesque, colorful houses stretch out to the southern tip of Greenland, on the banks of the spectacular Prince Christian Sound. Some 62 miles long, the sound connects the Labrador Sea to the Irminger Sea, meandering through stunning landscapes such as majestic glaciers, craggy peaks, and rocky cliffs with waterfalls fed by the ice sheet. This region was uninhabited in the 19th century. The village was created in the 1920s and the main activities revolve around hunting, fishing and livestock farming.

A grassy meadow filled with flowers stretches out, dotted with imposing granite rocks. A few semi-wild sheep and horses greet all; they are the only inhabitants of this place surrounded by beautiful mountains. Welcome to Hvalsø, in the heart of the fertile lands in Greenland’s south. During the 10th century, this site was colonized by the Vikings, who established a large community here. When the ship calls at these lands brimming with history, see the ruins of a church whose remains are still very well preserved. It was most likely built in the 14th century. It has lost its timber roof, but its four stone walls continue to stand proudly as a moving relic of a long-gone era.

From the ship, discover the town of Narsaq. Be dazzled by the beauty of the surrounding icebergs—large masses of ice in different shapes and shifting colors. Dominated by lush mountains, this small town is typical of Greenland and is located in the heart of a wonderful natural landscape. The multicolored house facades and the glaciers with their myriad shades of blue offer a magical setting, conducive to wonderment.

Ivigtut: Located in the Arsuk Fjord, Ivigtut, now called Ivittuut, is a small town in southwestern Greenland known for being rich in cryolite, a very rare mineral used in the ceramics industry and to extract aluminum from bauxite. The open-pit mine was once a major economic resource for Greenland: a prosperous mining activity developed there in the 19th century until 1963 when the mine was closed. In the 22-mile-long fjord that runs along the small town surrounded by tundra landscapes, possibly be fortunate enough to see whales or rorquals swimming nonchalantly in the cold water.

Ikka Fjord: As you sail through the majestic Ikka Fjord in southwest Greenland, you will discover over 10,000 years of underwater geology, for mysterious columns up to 65 feet high, formed several millennia ago, rise up from the seabed. Their material, ikaite, gives the fjord its name. Truly magical! You glide over calm, clear waters amidst breathtaking mountains in the endlessly wild, huge area of Greenland.

When Erik the Red, the exiled Norse chief, landed on the coast of Nuuk, he found a fertile and welcoming land dotted with fjords. He settled there with a group of his former countrymen, and the Norse remained the principal inhabitants until, over a period of 500 years, their population declined and gave way to the Inuit. Nuuk is situated at the mouth of one of the largest networks of fjords in the world, where the waters never freeze. The town spreads gently out towards the Davis Strait and enjoys an historic center that is particularly rich in national heritage. The vivid reds, blues, greens and yellows of the houses are a lively contrast to the somber waters of Greenland and serve to lift the spirits of the locals during the winter months.

Discover Sisimiut, founded in 1756 and the second largest town in Greenland. This small town is typical of Greenland, boasting bewitching panoramas: here and there, colorful stilt houses dot the undulating landscape, and the small fishing port stands as the gateway to an icy realm. As for the town center, it is home to a number of historic buildings, a small church and a museum which retraces the history of the Inuit people, as well as many craft shops. When the ship drops anchor here, set out to meet the locals in a typically arctic atmosphere.

“The most beautiful place in the Arctic” is how Paul-Émile Victor described Greenland, a land of great icebergs and of towering ice formations calved by the giant glaciers of the polar ice cap. The Eqi Glacier is one of the region’s most impressive sights. Here, the silence is broken only by the roaring and cracking of the ice. It is impossible to know if one is shivering from cold or from the sheer thrill of being here… Imagine the vast outline of a glacier, its translucent crystals glowing with an ice-blue fire in the sunlight. Paul-Émile Victor’s shelter cannot be overlooked; it was from here that the French Polar Expeditions’ anthropological and geographic explorations set off in the 1950s.

To the east of Baffin Bay, discover Disko Bay, scattered with countless icebergs produced by the Ilulissat Icefjord, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. From the ship, admire the majestic ballet of these ice giants as they slowly drift across the dark waters. This site is a natural marvel of Greenland, and is also renowned as an observation point for the region’s many humpback whales. The encounters with wild fauna and stunning landscapes in the heart of this spectacular and fragile nature will provide pure moments of wonder.

Itilleq is a tiny island lying within the Arctic Circle, 28 miles south of Sisimiut. This is home to barely 100 people who mainly earn a living from fishing and hunting in their brightly colored traditional clothing and Greenlandic village. Perhaps have the pleasure of playing a game of football with them, enjoying a “kaffemik” (a coffee break) or a moment of contemplation when the gentle light of the midnight sun dapples the horizon.

From 1941 to 1992, the town of Kangerlussuaq in Greenland was home to an American military base. Nowadays, thanks to its international airport, it has become a transit point for travelers seeking adventure in the Far North. Located to the north of the Arctic Circle, this town is the starting point of magnificent discoveries surrounded by unspoiled nature. Indeed, just a couple dozen miles from there it is possible to get close to the Greenland ice sheet, the largest body of ice in the Northern Hemisphere. From Kangerlussuaq, admire also the superb landscapes of tundra in autumnal colors, where arctic hares, musk oxen, arctic foxes, reindeer, falcons and eagles live.