Fjords of East Greenland | Venture

Established by Viking settler Ingólfur Arnarson around 870 C.E., Reykjavík, Iceland's first permanent settlement, housed 69 residents in 1703. Today, with about 200,000 people, it serves as the northernmost national capital globally, renowned for its cleanliness, greenery, and safety. Reykjavík offers a dynamic city life with rich culture, history, music, shopping, and vibrant nightlife. The iconic Leif Erikson statue in the town center pays homage to Iceland's Viking heritage. The cityscape is characterized by colorful rooftops and the elegant spire of Hallgrímskirkja Church. Hosting internationally acclaimed festivals such as the Iceland Air Music Festival, Reykjavik Arts Festival, and Reykjavik International Film Festival, Reykjavík stands as a cultural hub amidst Iceland's breathtaking landscapes.

Heimaey Island is the largest in the Westman Islands located four miles off the south-west coast of Iceland. One of the most visually impressive islands in Iceland, it is ringed by tall, vertical sea cliffs many hundreds of feet high. Heimaey is also the home to over eight million Atlantic puffins, more nesting puffins than anywhere else on earth. A local story tells that puffin chicks, taking their first flights at night, often become stranded in the village streets, where the local children rescue them and set them free the next day.

In January of 1973 the island received the nickname, ‘Pompeii of the North’ when a volcanic eruption and lava flow destroyed half the town. This caused a crisis when the town’s only harbor was nearly blocked by advancing lava. Nowadays it is a lively place with a vibrant culture and over four thousand residents. Archaeological excavations suggest that people lived on Heimaey as early as the 10th Century.

Make the most of your time at sea while en route to Greenland by indulging in the ship's facilities. Take in the vast expanse of the ocean and get to know your fellow travelers.

The small Greenlandic town of Ittoqqortoormiit sits at the entrance to Scoresby Sund, the longest fjord on Earth. Although founded in 1925, the original colonists to the area were Palaeo-Eskimo peoples 4,000 years ago.

Housing 500 people, Ittoqqortoormiit derives its name from Greenlandic meaning ‘Big-House Dwellers’. A walk through town, reveals a vibrant Greenlandic culture. Seal, muskox and even a polar bear skin can be seen drying on racks outside of private homes. Greenlandic sled dogs sit patiently on their leashes in front yards, awaiting winter, their wooden sledges propped against buildings. In the local food store seal and whale meat are among the regular traditional foodstuffs laid out beside common western items. Ittoqqortoormiit has a post office where you can purchase Greenlandic stamps and mail your postcards as well as a quaint church, its gabled interior painted in white and sky-blue. The entire community, in fact, is a picturesque kaleidoscope of color, each building painted in bright hues of red, blue, yellow and green.

Scoresby Sund, the longest fjord in the world, cuts into the East Greenlandic Mountains 350 kilometers (216 miles), is 50 kilometers (30 miles) wide and occupies an area equivalent to the states of Massachusetts and Connecticut combined. This is one of the most remote and wildest regions on Earth. It was named in honor of English explorer William Scoresby who mapped the fjord in 1822.

Wildlife, including muskox, foxes, Arctic hares, short-tailed weasels and lemmings are commonly seen in the large river-valleys. Near Hekla Haven, large areas of expansive tundra dotted with hundreds of freshwater ponds have transformed into the brilliant reds and yellows of Arctic autumn.

Rødefjord is world-famous for its iceberg graveyard. Three large tidewater glaciers including three kilometer (2 mile) wide Rølige Brae glacier drain into fjord. Hundreds of icebergs, having calved from the glacial faces, are trapped in the shallows of the bay. Elegantly sculpted by wind and water into a blue-ice wonderland of picturesque forms, they are one of the most dramatic landscapes imaginable.

Entering the broad Scoresby Sund in northeast Greenland, and bearing to starboard, we trace the northeastern coast of the fjord at its broadest reach, before it splits into three smaller fjords. Just there we come upon a headland intruding beyond a small bay. This is Sydkap, or South Cape. The slopes are rounded, made up of glaciated floors of stone interspersed with colorful tufts of tundra vegetation. On the headland stand two huts, one sturdy-looking red one, and another ruinous and bleached. This is a likely place to inspect the hut, still used by people hunting musk oxen or fishing the nearby rivers for arctic char. The slopes offer places to contemplate the majestic parade of icebergs, including some tabular specimens as large as two kilometers long, proceeding out of the Nordvestfjord and passing our review point bound for the Greenland Sea. The scenic scale of the panorama, the colors of the sky, the sea and the tundra plants, and the patient parade of ice giants in the sound comprise another perfect Greenland experience.

At the head of Øfjord is a scenic group of low lying rocky islands known as the Bear Islands. Sydkap (South Cape) situated at the north end of Scoresby Sund is set against the breathtaking backdrop of the Stauning Alps. Here colossal icebergs, some in excess of 100 meters (330’) high and 1 kilometer (.6 mile) wide, have run aground in the shallow water.

Expansive areas of lowland are carpeted in the reds and yellow hues of autumn foliage. On many of the barren rocky outcrops sit huge solitary boulders, delicately balanced as if carefully placed by a giant. Known as erratics, they were carried here great distances by moving ice, and are a testament to a time when all of the land was buried deep under glaciers. Early peoples known as the Thlish culture established a small settlement here. The stone ruins of their houses are silent reminders of these pre-historic whale hunters. Whale bones can still be seen as well as the occasional muskox skull.

Seize another day at sea to marvel at the endless expanse of the ocean, all while taking advantage of the onboard facilities.

On the King Frederick VI Coast of Greenland’s southeast quadrant, the semi-circular Umivik Bay is carved out just north of the Denmark Strait. Unlike the sheer cliffs and rugged terrain presented by much of the coastline, the shores inside the bay are smooth and the massive Greenland Ice Sheet comes right down to the shore in undulating slopes. This profile persuaded Fritjof Nansen to select the bay as the starting point of his successful 1888 expedition to cross Greenland over the ice sheet. There are several large islands in the bay, including Uppernattivik Island smack in the middle. There are calving glaciers to survey and a landing is possible here as well.

Imagine a narrow fjord bordered by rugged peaks, vertical rock walls and serpentine rivers of ice plunging into the sea. This is Skjoldungen Fjord, named by Wilhelm August Graah after the honorific title Skjoldungen which, according to Norse mythology, was given to successors of legendary King Skjold to the Danish throne.

Numerous tidewater glaciers calve during the summer, releasing large chunks of ice that plunge into the fjord. Above, huge crevasses and free-standing pillars of ice, known as seracs, are silhouetted against a blue Greenlandic sky. Barren of large trees, Skjoldungen Fjord is carpeted in colorful dwarf birch and willow forests that may grow several feet high, as well as a variety of low-growing Arctic wildflowers.

This fjord was likely inhabited by Paleo-Eskimo (Inuit) nomadic people as early as 4,000 years ago. Archaeological remains of later historical periods, such as Thule culture graves, have also been found, indicating that Inuit people have lived in the area continuously. Scattered within this stunning scenery are remains of more recent abandoned Inuit dwellings along the fjord’s western shores.

Enjoy your final day at sea before reaching Reykjavik. Immerse yourself one last time in the vastness of the ocean, reflecting on the experiences of the past days.

Bid farewell to the ship and its crew as you disembark in Reykjavik.

Established by Viking settler Ingólfur Arnarson around 870 C.E., Reykjavík, Iceland's first permanent settlement, housed 69 residents in 1703. Today, with about 200,000 people, it serves as the northernmost national capital globally, renowned for its cleanliness, greenery, and safety. Reykjavík offers a dynamic city life with rich culture, history, music, shopping, and vibrant nightlife.