Greenland: 5 day Lodge Expedition
This inspiring trek employs boats to deliver us from one beautiful hike to another, with a comfortable lodge as our shelter. We start and finish from our lodge in the tiny Inuit community of Kulusuk, a remote and wild section on an island in Eastern Greenland.
Our route traces wild shorelines, arctic char streams, tundra, low passes and alpine mountains, each night returning to our cozy lodge. This trip is timed to coincide with the long hours of light and nutrient-rich waters of summer, a highpoint for this ecosystem. Whales (minke, sei, fin, humpback, orca, cachalot) and many birds migrate here to feed. The tundra and arctic-alpine plants complete life cycles in a few short months- you will discover that there is a lot happening this time of year.
Led by internationally qualified guides in partnership with of some of the most respected Inuit elders, we hope to share an insight into a place and culture that are completely captivating, from our small village to the vast calving faces of Sermiligaq Fjord.
2025 Dates: August 4 – August 8. Other dates available upon request.
Trip Highlights
- Explore the tiny Inuit community of Kulusuk, a remote and wild section on an island in Eastern Greenland.
- Discover Eastern Greenland on foot and by boat, as we trace and walk on the wild shoreline
- Climb Qeqqikajik; one of the favorite local mountains
Itinerary
Day 1
You will be delivered by a 1 hr 40 min prop plane flight over the ice of the Denmark Strait to the gravel strip on Kulusuk Island. We’ll meet you there and walk 30 minutes over tundra to the lodge. All gear will be delivered by ATV while we enjoy a field lunch. Then it's on to our open motor boats for a short journey along the coast, and around icebergs, to Killarmiit. We'll return back to the lodge by taking a relaxing afternoon walk, exploring the tundra, old winter house sites and a Saaqaq culture reindeer hunting wall. Tonight we will have a fully catered group dinner, then overnight at the lodge.
Day 2
Breakfast, then on to the boats for a short journey over the fjord to the shores of Qeqqikajik, one of our favorite local mountains. We have a scrambling ascent up this sharp summit where we can catch stunning views of the calving glacier of Apusiaajik as well as the surrounding fjords where we often spot humpbacks feeding. If time allows, we will fish for cod on the way home that we can then cook for dinner. Overnight at the lodge.
Day 3
Today is a day on the glacier that we viewed from yesterday’s summit. The boats will drop us off at the head of the narrow fjord of Torssukattak. We’ll head inland, gaining a low pass that leads onto the glacier. Led by our IFMGA alpine guide, it will be necessary to rope up, and we may choose to use crampons if the snow surface is hard. Dropping below the snowline onto exposed ice we’ll aim for the western edge of the glacier where we can access, then explore, a network of water-worn tunnels that extend under the glacier. We’ll meet the boats again in view of the calving face of Apusiaajik. Overnight at the lodge.
Day 4
Today will be a long day accessing the headwaters and massive calving faces of Sermiligaq. We will get an early start from the lodge for a journey of around 1.5 hrs by fast boat north through icebergs and alpine summits of the fjordlands. These waters are poorly charted and we’ll rely on the deep knowledge of the Tunuumi hunters of our community who skipper the boats. Reaching the fjord, we’ll set off on foot, following the rugged shoreline north. This often involves one or more glacier stream crossings. Our goal is to reach the point where the massive Apuseq glacier meets the sea in a towering face that bridges the width of the fjord, an active, regularly calving front. We’ll meet the boats again at a point far enough from the glacier to be safe from calving events. Our return to the lodge will follow Sermiligaq south, a complex route around a series of glaciated, mountainous islands. Back to the lodge in time for a late dinner
Day 5
After breakfast, return to the airstrip to meet the flight to Iceland.
Above Costs Include:
- Contact Embark For More Details
Cost Does Not Include:
- Custom Adventure with Embark