Self-Powered 100km Adventure in Greenland
Kayak amongst icebergs and along winding fjords, then hike across an ice cap on this Arctic expedition
Self-Powered 100km Adventure in Greenland
Kayak amongst icebergs and along winding fjords, then hike across an ice cap on this Arctic expedition
7 nights
Greenland
6 days off work
Jun-Sep
Up to 12 people
Keflavik International Airport, Iceland
Hostel · Wild camping
Challenging
This trip has been planned so that anyone with reasonable fitness can participate.
Experience never-ending Arctic summer days as you travel across an unspoilt wilderness by water and on foot
Explore dramatic fjords and icebergs by kayak, paddle up to towering glaciers and hike on an ancient ice cap
Featured as one of the 'Top Life-Changing Adventures for 2019' by The Telegraph
Included
Internal flights
Return flights from Reykjavik to Narsarsuaq
Guides
Experienced, English speaking expedition guides
Accommodation
5 nights camping and 2 nights in a hostel
Meals
All meals, except for night seven in Narsaq
Transfers
To and from the airport and everything in-between
Equipment
All your kayaking and camping equipment
Not Included
Flights to and from the meeting point
Travel insurance
Personal expenses
The Area
Logistics
Starts
Reykjavik Airport
11:15
Ends
Reykjavik Airport
16:45
Transfers
Your host suggests arriving the day before the start of the trip and spending the night in Reykjavik. Most international flights arrive at Keflavik International Airport (KEF), 55km outside of Reykjavik, which is different from the airport that you'll depart from the next day. Your included flight departs from Reykjavik Airport (RKV) to Narsarsuaq (UAK) in Greenland at 11:15. Your host will meet you in the arrivals area ready for onward travel in a RIB boat to your accommodation. At the end of your adventure, you will be dropped back at Narsarsuaq Airport (UAK) at 11:00. From there you'll take the flight to Reykjavik Airport (RKV) departing at 12:20. Your included flight is scheduled to land in Reykjavik at 16:45. Your host suggests spending the night in Reykjavik before continuing your journey home the following day.
Travel options
There are regular flights to Iceland from airports across the UK and Europe.
What about all the carbon?
We mitigate 4x the carbon generated by all our customer flights annually through our partnership with Cool Earth.
Day 1
Hostel · Twin share
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Day 2 – Day 6
Wild camping · Twin tent
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Day 7
Hostel · Twin share
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Day 8
Departure day
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
What is the food like?
For breakfast, there will be plenty of hot drinks, along with bread, jam, biscuits, muesli and cereals. Lunch is usually a packed lunch taken at a picturesque stop and will include bread, cheese, ham, chocolate, nuts, biscuits and hot soup and drinks. For dinner your guide, with help from the group, will prepare a hot meal in the camp, usually consisting of rice, pasta, potatoes and sausages, or stew.
What is the accommodation like?
Narsaq
On your first and last night you’ll stay at a local hostel where you’ll meet your fellow explorers and get a chance to see some of this remote Arctic town. Rooms are simple, but clean and comfortable.
The wilderness
For the rest of the expedition, you’ll camp in picturesque locations across Southern Greenland. All camping equipment is provided, except for sleeping bags and sleeping mats which can be rented locally. Each night your guide will help you set up camp and cook you a hot meal to refuel after a day kayaking or hiking. The locations are all remote and give a real taste of the Arctic wilderness, as well as plenty of time to fish, forage, hike to viewpoints or just take in the incredible surroundings.
Day 1
Greenland
Make your way to either Reykjavik or Copenhagen and then fly to Narsarsuaq, deep inside the Arctic Circle. Meet your guide and travel by RIB boat to the city of Narsaq where you'll head to the nearby supply store and get kitted out with clothing and navigation equipment ready for the adventure ahead. Settle into your host's kayak hostel, meet your fellow travellers and enjoy your first night of 24-hour daylight as you acclimatise to the Arctic summer.
Day 2
Kayak the Fjords
Travel by RIB to Qingaarsup island, where your kayaking expedition will begin. Jump into your stable, double kayak and follow the spectacular coastline as you navigate along a fjord dotted with icebergs from the nearby Eqalorutsit glacier. The high density of ice will often slow you down and may make certain locations inaccessible, but this only adds to the drama. In the company of friendly ringed seals, cross to the Nuulussuaq peninsula and get your first glimpse of Inlandis, the polar ice cap. Arrive at your campsite, originally one of the first Viking settlements in South Greenland and forage for mushrooms and cranberries, or fish for Arctic salmon. After a hot meal made from your ingredients, settle into your tent and get a good night’s sleep.
Day 3
Naajaat Sermiat Glacier
Break camp and set off in your kayak past a group of islands dotted with waterfalls and covered in leafy tundra. Paddle up Maniitsup Tunua Fjord, surrounded by the peninsulas of Maniitsop, Niaqornap Nunaa and Nuulussuaq and set up camp in front of the ice cap where you can enjoy the views of the Naajaat Sermiat Glacier, one of the oldest ice masses on the planet, right from your tent.
Day 4
Sandy beaches
Kayak around Akuliaruseq, also known as Caribou Island and then along Qaleralig Fjord experiencing some of the most epic, glacial scenery in the world, including glacier tongues that stretch nearly 10km wide. Set up camp on a sandy beach and if the weather allows, hike to the viewpoint at Tasersuatsiaq Lake to spot caribou feeding on salts from the fjord. At night, enjoy the thundering sound of the seracs breaking away in the Arctic's magical silence.
Day 5
Hike a glacier
Paddle to the end of the fjord and trek over the glacier, avoiding deep crevasses and listening to the sounds of the ice creaking all around you. Return to your kayak and continue along the face of the glacier with vertical walls of ice towering above you and set up camp on Caribou Island where you’ll enjoy a hot meal before settling down in your cosy tent for the night.
Day 6
Ikerssuaq Fjord
Break camp, climb into your kayak and paddle around Maniitsoq Island and towards the vast Ikerssuaq Fjord - a great place to spot for whales and seals bobbing in the water or resting on the icebergs that float past. Arrive at your campsite and enjoy another night in the Arctic wilderness.
Day 7
Visit an ancient Inuit settlement
Navigate along Ikersuaq fjord and across lovely Stephensen Bay to visit the ruins of the ancient Inuit settlement at Manitsuarsuk. Learn how the original inhabitants lived off the sea and land and faced down polar bears that arrived on large icebergs from the East Coast. Depending on the weather and sea conditions, kayak or take a short boat ride back to Narsaq and enjoy some free time to explore the city, visit its interesting museum, go shopping in the Inuit market for local handicrafts or visit the hunter’s harbour. Check into the hostel for your final night and head out with your team for a last dinner.
Day 8
Return to Reykjavik or Copenhagen
After a final breakfast in your hostel, return by RIB to Narsarsuaq and wander the area, or take an easy, hour-long walk to a viewpoint overlooking the fjord and the Kiattut Glacier. After that, check-in for your flight to Reykjavik or Copenhagen, where your Arctic expedition will come to an end.
Please Note
All our adventures take place in wild places. Things can go wrong in wild places. Your perfectly planned itinerary may change a bit (or a lot) if the weather turns, someone gets hurt, or a volcano erupts. Usually though, changes make it all the better.
15% Off Outdoor Gear
In need of a few more items? All bookings receive a 15% discount on us to use at Cotswold Outdoor, Snow + Rock, Runner's Need, and Cycle Surgery.
What can I rent?
- Sleeping bag
- Sleeping mat
- See Optional Extras for prices
What's included?
- Tents
- Camping and cooking equipment
- First-aid kit
- Mobile phone
- Iridium phone (Global signal)
- Delorme Satellite Messenger or similar with GPS
- Compass
- Maps
- Stable single and double kayaks
- Paddle and 2 replacement paddles
- Semi-dry raincoat
- Semi-dry trousers
- Spray skirts
- Life jacket
- Paddling mittens
- Rubber boots
- 2 dry bags (20 and 40-litre capacity)
- 1 bilge pump per kayak
What do I need to bring?
- Fleece or wool hat and a waterproof hat
- Sunglasses
- Sun cream with a high SPF and lip balm with UV protection
- Mosquito head net (highly recommended if you are travelling before mid-August)
- Peaked cap (to use with the mosquito net)
- Polar buff
- Waterproof jacket
- A pair of light, waterproof trousers
- Fleece jacket
- 2 long sleeve thermal t-shirts
- 1 short sleeve thermal t-shirt
- 2 pairs of thermal leggings
- Comfortable hiking trousers
- Neoprene gloves and fleece gloves
- Waterproof Gore-Tex gloves
- Waterproof Gore-Tex trekking boots
- 4 pairs of socks
- Flip-flops, Crocs or similar
- Sleeping bag (if possible, synthetic and suitable for -10ºC).
- Sleeping mat
- Head torch
- Plate, cup and cutlery set
- Water bottle
- Personal toiletries (please bring biodegradable products)
- Backpack, suitcase or kit bag (you will leave this in Narsaq - your host will provide you with waterproof kit bags for the expedition)
- Small day bag
- Hiking poles (optional)
- Microfibre towel
- Personal first aid kit
Sea currents bring huge amounts of ice from the Arctic Ocean, which sometimes block Southern Greenland from May to mid-June. You may also come across ice that makes navigation difficult in July, but it is rare and your guide will find an alternative route. In August, the icefield poses no problems and the sea in the region is full of icebergs.
This trip has been planned so that anyone in reasonably good physical condition can participate, however, as you'll be kayaking for up to 3 - 5 hours/15 - 20 km per day, it's a good idea to do some cardio and upper body exercise in the run-up to departure. The trip is not recommended for anyone with serious back problems as you'll need to carry the kayaks into and out of the water. It's not necessary to have any previous kayaking experience, however, it's a good idea to try it out beforehand to make sure that you enjoy it. The kayaks themselves are stable, double and easy to paddle and navigate. If you have extensive kayaking experience it's possible to undertake this trip in a single kayak - if so please contact your host in advance of the trip.
There are no Polar Bears in this part of Greenland during the summer period when the trip takes place.
A RIB (Rigid Inflatable Boat), sometimes known as a Zodiac, is an open boat that's fast, flexible and very safe. A special coat is provided to protect you from the elements whilst on board.
Southern Greenland is famous for offering some of the best places to view the Northern Light and if you're travelling from mid-August through to the end of September there's a good chance that you'll see this spectacular natural phenomenon. The Aurora Borealis occurs all year round, but cannot be seen during May, June and July in Greenland due to the presence of the midnight sun.
Sure can! Over 50% of our travellers travel solo, it’s a great way to meet like-minded people.
On day eight you can choose to visit the Qoorooq ice fjord. You'll ride on a RIB boat to this spectacular location that's usually covered in ice and icebergs, until you can go no further. The trip takes two hours and costs €85 per person - please ask your host for further details.
The weather in Greenland is very changeable and whilst it's usually pleasant, it's essential that you bring appropriate clothes for both cold and rainy weather. Temperatures often reach over 15ºC in July and drop to between 5ºC and 10ºC in August, when the nights can be cold. In September, temperatures are usually between 5ºC to 8ºC during the day but may reach minus 5ºC at night.
We’ve teamed up with the guys at World Nomads to offer insurance designed for adventurous travellers across 140 countries that includes overseas medical, evacuation, baggage and a range of adventure sports and activities. To get yours sorted, click here.
We suggest that you book travel insurance as soon as you book the trip, just to cover you for any last minute life changes. We know you’re an active lot and injuries do happen!
For current advice about travelling in Greenland, have a read of the UK Foreign Office pages here.
All of our group adventures are especially designed for adults to enjoy (18+) as we want these adventures to bring together outdoorsy people who are truly like-minded.
"I cannot recommend this highly enough! The people on the trip were amazing. Easily the best trip I've ever been on!" Charlotte, 2019, Trustpilot.
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.
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