KANGERLUSSUAQ TO KANGERLUSSUAQ 

Ship Offering This Itinerary

Silver Cloud

Day 1 Kangerlussuaq, Greenland

Kangerlussuaq is a settlement in western Greenland in the Qeqqata municipality located at the head of the fjord of the same name (Danish: Søndre Strømfjord). It is Greenland’s main air transport hub and the site of Greenland’s largest commercial airport. The airport dates from American settlement during and after World War II, when the site was known as Bluie West-8 and Sondrestrom Air Base. The Kangerlussuaq area is also home to Greenland’s most diverse terrestrial fauna, including muskoxen, caribou, and gyrfalcons. The settlement’s economy and population of 512 is almost entirely reliant on the airport and tourist industry.  Embark the Silver Cloud

Day 2 Sermilinnquaq & Maniitsoq

Located in the central part of Greenland’s western coast, Maniitsoq is Greenland’s sixth-largest town, and home to less than 2700 inhabitants. The main attractions are the small museum and old cemetery at the northern end of town. At the community hall local artist and artisans usually exhibit some of their carvings and beadwork. The beadwork pieces are not created just as souvenirs for visitors — the national dress of the West-Greenlandic women uses an elaborately beaded collar. Fishing trips and even heli-skiing on nearby mountains are considered Maniitsoq’s other assets. Its local name (meaning ‘place of rugged terrain’) contrasts somewhat with the name given by the Danish in 1782 (‘New Sugarloaf’).

Day 3 Nuuk

Nuuk, meaning “the cape”, was Greenland’s first town (1728). Started as a fort and later mission and trading post some 240 kilometres south of the Arctic Circle, it is the current capital. Almost 30% of Greenland’s population lives in the town. Not only does Nuuk have great natural beauty in its vicinity, but there are Inuit ruins, Hans Egede’s home, the parliament, and the Church of our Saviour as well. The Greenlandic National Museum has an outstanding collection of Greenlandic traditional dresses, as well as the famous Qilakitsoq mummies. The Katuaq Cultural Centre’s building was inspired by the undulating Northern Lights and can house 10% of Nuuk’s inhabitants.

Day 4 At Sea

Days at sea are the perfect opportunity to relax, unwind and catch up with what you’ve been meaning to do. So whether that is going to the gym, visiting the spa, whale watching or catching up on your reading, these blue sea days are the perfect balance to busy days spent exploring shore side.

Day 5 Iqaluit, Canada

Iqaluit is the capital of Canada’s newest territory, Nunavut, which is Inuktitut for “our land”. The community is located at the head of Frobisher Bay, an inlet of the North Atlantic extending into southeastern Baffin Island. The Bay is so long that it was first taken to be the possible entrance of a Northwest Passage. In Iqaluit, the Nunatta Sunakkutaangit Museum and the Nunavut Legislative Assembly Building both house incredible collections of Inuit artwork with interesting local prints for sale in the museum shop.

Day 6 LOWER SAVAGE ISLANDS

The Lower Savage Islands are a small group of islands off of the southeastern tip of Baffin Island. With plenty of land to roam while giving each other a wide berth, plus opportunities to feed, it is a common location for polar bears to be found during the summer months.

Day 7 Monumental Island & Lady Franklin Island

Monumental Island in Davis Strait was named by Arctic explorer Charles Francis Hall as a tribute to the memory of Sir John Franklin who died in his quest to find the Northwest Passage. The island is offshore of Baffin Island in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago of the territory of Nunavut. Around the shoreline scores of Black Guillemots dive and fish for little Arctic cods and capelins. Successful birds fly off with a minnow grasped tightly in their beaks. On a far larger scale, it is possible to find groups of walruses with their impressive tusks along the shores of the island. However, the coup de grâce is to spot a polar bear’s white silhouette against the dark background of the bedrock on Monumental Island.

Named in honour of Sir John Franklin’s widow, the lonely and uninhabited Lady Franklin Island lies off of Baffin Island’s Hall Peninsula at the entrance to Cumberland Sound. The island is named for the wife of Sir John Franklin, the Arctic explorer who died trying to discover the Northwest Passage. The geology of the island is striking with vertical cliffs of Archean rocks, likely to be some of the oldest stone in Canada. The waters around Lady Franklin Island offer an abundance seabirds, ducks, seals, and walrus. With a bit of luck it is possible to see Atlantic Puffins here and perhaps even a rare Sabine’s Gull.

Day 8 At Sea

Days at sea are the perfect opportunity to relax, unwind and catch up with what you’ve been meaning to do. So whether that is going to the gym, visiting the spa, whale watching or catching up on your reading, these blue sea days are the perfect balance to busy days spent exploring shore side.

Day 9 Isabella Bay (Nuvanut), Canada

The shoreline and islands of Isabella Bay, as well as the adjacent ocean out to 12 nautical miles from shore, was folded into Canada’s Ninginganiq National Wildlife Area in 2010. Located on the northeast coast of Baffin Island, Nunavut, Isabella Bay provides important marine habitat for bowhead whales, other marine mammals, and a plethora of seabirds. As a result of the formation of the Ninginganiq National Wildlife Area the eastern bowhead population may now be over 10,000 individuals.

Day 10 Sam Ford Fjord (Nuvanut), Canada

The starkly beautiful Sam Ford Fjord area of Baffin Island has one of the most impressive concentrations of vertical rock walls to be found anywhere in the world. It is a 110-kilometre waterway lined with sheer cliffs that have attracted some of the world’s best (and most extreme) rock climbers to the region. The steep stone walls were formed by ancient glaciers that carved the landscape through the ages. However, the feature that makes the shoreline truly special is the way that many of these walls rise straight up from the dark waters of the deep fjord. Swimming these waters are marine mammals including narwhals and seals that once attracted Inuit hunters to this coast.

Day 11 Gibbs Fjord (Nuvanut), Canada

There are few places on earth where the simple grandeur of the landscape can dwarf a ship with giant peaks, steep cliffs, and glacial rivers of ice. In Gibbs Fjord it is possible to see only towering cliffs and the seemingly impenetrable fortress of 1200 metre walls and buttresses that make up Sillem Island, eventually dividing the dark, deep waters of Gibbs and Clark Fjords. The geological formations here make for excellent photo opportunities and it is astounding to realise that very little of this spectacular terrain has ever been explored.

Day 12 At Sea

Days at sea are the perfect opportunity to relax, unwind and catch up with what you’ve been meaning to do. So whether that is whale watching from the Observatory Lounge, writing home to your loved ones or simply relaxing. These blue sea days are the perfect balance to busy days spent exploring shore side.

Day 13 Upernavik, Greenland

More than 1,100 inhabitants presently make the small town of Upernavik their home. The name in Kalaallisut means “Springtime Place” and is also given to the island upon which the town rests. This small settlement was founded in 1772, and is the northernmost town in Greenland with a population of over 1,000. The Upernavik Museum is the oldest in Greenland and houses a collection of local art. In 1824, the Kingittorsuaq Runestone was found outside the town. In addition to the runic characters left here by Norsemen, probably from the late 13th century, Norse artifacts have been found in the area, likely marking the northern limit of Viking exploration.

Day 14 Qeqertarsuaq, Greenland

During the morning Silver Cloud will ply the Disko Bay en route to your destination along Disko Island’s east coast. The exploration of the Disko Bay area will head to an area north of the village of Qeqertarsuaq, which is named after Disko Island’s local name –meaning “large island”. Disko Island is Greenland’s second-largest island.

Day 15 Ilulissat, Greenland

Known as the birthplace of icebergs, the Ilulissat Icefjord produces nearly 20 million tons of ice each day. In fact, the word Ilulissat means “icebergs” in the Kalaallisut language. The town of Ilulissat is known for its long periods of calm and settled weather, but the climate tends to be cold due to its proximity to the fjord. Approximately 4,500 people live in Ilulissat, the third-largest town in Greenland after Nuuk and Sisimiut. Some people here estimate that there are nearly as many sled dogs as human beings living in the town that also boasts a local history museum located in the former home of Greenlandic folk hero and famed polar explorer Knud Rasmussen.

Day 16 At Sea

Days at sea are the perfect opportunity to relax, unwind and catch up with what you’ve been meaning to do. So whether that is going to the gym, visiting the spa, whale watching or catching up on your reading, these blue sea days are the perfect balance to busy days spent exploring shore side.

Day 17 Kangerlussuaq, Greenland

Image Credit: Bruno Cazarini

Kangerlussuaq is a settlement in western Greenland in the Qeqqata municipality located at the head of the fjord of the same name (Danish: Søndre Strømfjord). It is Greenland’s main air transport hub and the site of Greenland’s largest commercial airport. The airport dates from American settlement during and after World War II, when the site was known as Bluie West-8 and Sondrestrom Air Base. The Kangerlussuaq area is also home to Greenland’s most diverse terrestrial fauna, including muskoxen, caribou, and gyrfalcons. The settlement’s economy and population of 512 is almost entirely reliant on the airport and tourist industry. This is where you will end your incredible voyage.