Wilderness Trekking Expedition in Greenland

Greenland is on the front line of the climate crisis, with the summer melting of the ice sheet becoming a growing concern for climate scientists. So it's perfectly valid to ask if a trip to Greenland is something people should do. The 4-hour flight from Copenhagen to Kangerlussuaq is obviously the single-most environmentally damaging part of this trip. We have wrestled with whether to offer trips to places like Greenland, but ultimately people do want to visit the Arctic and there are good ways and not so good ways of doing so. This adventure is about as low carbon and low impact as it gets in the Arctic. A lightweight, leave no trace hiking expedition, with a week of no electricity or transport of any kind. At 75kg of carbon emitted per person, this trip is one of the lowest emitting trips that we offer outside of the UK, with just 15km of driving done across the whole 9 days. We believe this is the way to see the Arctic, rather than on vast cruise ships and the myriad of negative environmental impacts they bring.

The flight to Greenland from Copenhagen is no more or less damaging to the Arctic itself than a 4-hour flight to, say, the Canary Islands. We believe that showing small groups of adventurers the fragility of the ice sheet on a low carbon trip like this has a huge positive impact, both on the adventurers themselves and on the people in the local community of Kangerlussuaq, who use this type of tourism for income rather than turning toward extractive industries for their livelihoods. The Greenland government has three main strands of income for the country: fishing, mining and tourism. More tourism income means less pressure on the government and local communities to generate income from fishing and mining.

As there are currently no viable, sustainable travel alternatives to flying available to Greenland, Much Better Adventures mitigates 2.5 times the carbon emitted by your flight to Kangerlussuaq through our partnerships with rewilding initiatives.

Tips are not included in the trip cost. These are entirely at your discretion but there is an expectation to tip for good service. Your guide will help with advice, however we suggest the below as a guideline per person:

$5-10 USD per day

Of course, you are free to tip more or less, and the amount should be reflective of your perception of service and quality - a tip is not compulsory and should only be given when you receive excellent service.

You'll source water from natural sources on the route, using your wilderness guide's knowledge of how to safely source fresh drinking water. There will be water treatment options available, but we suggest bringing your own. Have a read of our article on the best water filters for adventurers

Yes, your host lives in Kangerlussuaq so you can leave any excess luggage at their base on day 1 before heading into the wilderness.

Sure can! Over 70% of our travellers travel solo, it’s a great way to meet like-minded people.

Our team of Adventure Hunters co-create exclusive adventures which are run by highly vetted, specialist hosts. The trip is run by our trusted host partner in the destination. We only work with independent, local, in-destination experts who know the very best places to explore and how to stay safe. Read more information about the local teams we partner with. You’ll be introduced to the host straight after making a booking via the Much Better Adventures platform.

Much Better Adventures refer to the UK Government’s official travel advice when designing trips and monitoring trip operations. We recommend that all customers are familiar with the practical information provided on the Government’s FCDO website, where current travel advice can be found by searching for the applicable destination(s).

For customers joining this trip from other international destinations – please also read the official travel advice applicable to your country of residence/origin, as this may differ.

We recommend checking out the country-specific information and also talking to a travel nurse.

We automatically convert prices from the local currency that a host receives to your chosen currency. We update our exchange rates on a daily basis so this does mean that prices displayed on the site are subject to currency fluctuations, which is why you may see them change over time.

If you wish to change the currency you pay in, head to the bottom of the page.

All of our group adventures are specially designed for adults to enjoy as we want these adventures to bring together outdoorsy people who are truly like-minded. You must be over 18 to join one of our trips.

You're always in good company on one of our adventures.

Our trips are typically made up of a mixture of solo travellers and small groups of 2 or 3 friends, with most in their 30s-50s.

Our sociable adventures are solo-friendly by design and naturally attract outdoorsy people with a shared mindset; a love for adventure, a desire to push themselves and meet awesome, like-minded people along the way. Check out our Community Values – a shared code to make sure that everyone's experience is safe, inclusive and brilliantly unforgettable.

It’s this camaraderie that has so often turned a great adventure into a life-changing one.

Don't just take our word for it:

• 95% of people rate the group dynamics on our trips 5/5
• 90% of people recommend joining a trip to make new friends
• 75% of people have met people on our trips that they would now consider friends

See here for more info about the Much Better Adventures tribe.