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Greenland Hiking Adventure: Ammassalik

Hiking/Trekking in Greenland with Explorer's Corner LLC

Highlights

  • Boat Supported Greenland Hiking & Trekking Adventure
  • 3 Nights Hotel or Huts, 8 Nights Tented Camp

Full Description

A trekking expedition in the pristine rugged high arctic with a follow boat and only carrying a small day pack. We invite you to join a small group of adventurers and hike in the Tassilaq Area. And we will do it in a enjoyable way – with boat support to bring along the gear – which will make the hiking more fun! When you arrive at camp in the afternoon, our boat drivers have established camp and the teapot is simmering.

This trip is destined to be a “Classic” Arctic Hiking trip – it has the grandeur of the Alps but without the people – as well as the light of the High North and the best summer weather in Greenland. It is a remote and wild adventure – but very doable and safe for the hiking enthusiast. We will begin at the small capital of Tassilaq and work our way on foot and by boat north through an archipelago, circling back to Tassilaq. 

The total hiking distance is about 80 miles. It is an exhilarating  trek where an expeditionary spirit and a flexible attitude are musts. Greenland hiking is wild, awe-inspiring and exhilirating. This beautiful, pristine and remote place will enrich your soul forever!

Includes:

  • Expert leadership and support personnel
  • All accommodations as noted
  • Meals as indicated in itinerary (B=breakfast, L=lunch, D=dinner)
  • Crampons, ice axes, and ropes for glacier travel
  • Group airport transfers and transportation as noted
  • Sightseeing as noted in the itinerary

Excludes:

  • International airfare (r/t Home/Kulusuk)
  • Internal flights (approximately $650)
  • Insurance of any kind including mandatory evacuation insurance or suggested cancellation insurance
  • Visas
  • Excess baggage charges
  • Airport taxes
  • Medical immunizations
  • Items of a personal nature (clothing, sodas, liquor, snack foods, laundry, souvenirs, etc.)

Day by Day Itinerary

Day 1. Arrive Tassilaq, Greenland

Arrive Keflavik, Iceland. Transfer by bus from Keflavik airport to Reykjavik airport to connect with the early noontime flight to Kulusuk Island, Greenland. From Kulusuk we will board a small boat that will motor us 1 ½ - 2 hours over to Tassilaq, which is the small administrative center of Eastern Greenland. If time permits, we will visit the local museum and hear Eskimo tales in the sod house. Tonight we will stay at a small pension in town and get briefed on the next two weeks of adventures. L, D… Hotel Accommodation in Tassilaq

Day 2. Imiilaa to Kuugarmiit

In the early morning we board an Inuit skiff and travel about 1½ hours to the East side of Amassallik Island to the Imiilaa Bay where we start our hike across to Kuugarmiit. Hiking time: 8-9 hours. B, L, D… Wilderness Camping

Day 3. Kuugarmiit – Saparq Landing Site

From Kuugarmiit we hoist our light backpacks and continue on the north side to the Sarpaq landing site which offers great views of the mighty Sermilik Fjord complex – with blue and white sculptured icebergs floating by. Our Inuit skiff drivers and our camp will await us at the protected bay of Sarpaq. Hiking time: 5 hours. B, L, D… Wilderness Camping

Day 4. Saparq Landing Site - Amitsivartivik

This day of hiking is easier after the two previous long days. We start crossing over Sarpaq Channel, where there is a great iceberg “Grave Yard” and some ancient Inuit sod house sites. We reach the tiny hamlet of Tinit. If the small shop is open in town, this is the last chance to buy an ice cream and send a postcard for a few days. Our next campsite is located north of Tinit. Hiking time: 9 hours. B, L, D… Wilderness Camping

Days 5 - 7. Amitsivartivik - Paarnakajit – Illinnera - Killikiatt

The next three days we follow the Eastern coast line of the Sermilik Fjord, making easy crossing of rivers if necessary. The hiking is spectacular and relatively easy. Our follow boat will run ahead each day and be ready for us at the next campsite. Be prepared for some of the most scenic campsites and mountain landscapes you can imagine. If the weather is good expect round-the-clock light – we are only a few minutes below the Arctic Circle! Hiking time: 6 hours, 8 hours and 6 hours respectively. B, L, D… Wilderness Camping

Day 8. Killikiaat Beach Camp Rest Day

Today we rest to prepare our minds and souls for the next day’s glacier crossing. We can also offer a boat ride into the bottom of the fjord – cruising up to marvel at the front edge of the vast glacier that originates in the Greenland ice cap and that calves humongous icebergs into the Arctic Ocean. B, L, D… Wilderness Camping

Day 9. Solporten - Qinngertivaq Fjord

Today is one of the absolute highlights of this Greenland wilderness trek! We don our crampons and grab our ice axes and our guide will lead us across the glacier’s “tongue” (very easy – no technical skills required) through Solporten – “The Gates of the Sun”. This perfectly shaped, glacier carved, U-shaped mountain formation is stunning and you feel like you are going through the entrance of the Arctic. It is a long day, but it is all worth it. On the opposite side of the Gates we reach the water and our trusted Inuit skiff drivers with our equipment. In the early evening we arrive at our final coastal camp to finish this great hiking adventure! Hiking time: 10-11 hours. B, L, D… Wilderness Camping

Day 10. Qinngertivaq Fjord - Tassilaq

We take a 3-4 hour boat ride back to where we started – the small town of Tassilaq. If we are lucky we might even be able to spot whales along the way. In Tassilaq a warm shower awaits us and of course a celebratory dinner! B, L, D... Hotel Accommodation in Tassilaq

Day 11. Tassilaq - Kulusuk - Reykjavik

A 1 ½ hour boat ride take us to the Kulusuk air strip and our flight connections to Reykjavik, Iceland. Tonight we stay at a five star hotel in Reykjavik. B, L, D... Hotel Odinsve

Day 12. Depart Reykjavik

Morning at your own leisure in Reykjavik. Shuttle bus to Keflavik and afternoon flight back to the US. B… Return Home

About The Operator:

Explorer's Corner LLC

Headquarters:

Berkeley, CA

Established:

November 2000

About Explorers’ Corner

Explorers’ Corner is a high-end, specialty adventure company offering unique destinations and experiences, custom adventures and “old-world” one-to-one customer service. We stand firmly behind our slogan: Real Explorers Wanted - True Adventures Guaranteed!

Explorers’ Corner was founded in November of 2000 by Olaf Malver. After working in the travel industry for over 15 years, Olaf felt strongly that there was a market of travelers whose “true adventure and exploration” needs were not being met. At a time when the meaning of adventure is being watered down in travel, Explorers’ Corner is dedicated to fostering a community of curious and driven travelers that dare to make their travel dreams come true - only limited by their imaginations. We will provide the leaders and the safety and your participation will enhance the experience.

Explorers' Corner's passion has been to pioneer real adventures that provide an authentic experience rather than buffer you from what these places are all about. If, for example, you join us in an expedition to the Antarctic or to Greenland you’ll be expected to pitch in and do your part to make for a safe and successful journey for all. The reward is that you will have a true and direct experience, which you play an integral role in creating.

Real explorers are flexible and team players: for instance, if the weather changes to the worse then you might have to pitch your own tent, help the team haul your kayak out of the water, and lend a hand with the other camp chores. In a place like the Douro River of Portugal you might have to jump in and get your feet wet, not in the river, but stomping grapes to help the locals with the crush! An authentic experience means making the efforts to get up before the crack of dawn to be the only ones at a Galapagos landing site to watch a Pacific Green Sea Turtle returning to the ocean after a night of laying eggs.

True adventure is seeking out and safely experiencing the fullness of what the world has to offer on its own terms, not terms dictated to it. We say “real explorers wanted, true adventure guaranteed” because we mean it.

Custom Adventures

Making travel dreams a reality is a closely held philosophy at Explorers’ Corner. Therefore, creating and making custom adventures come true for our clients is a large part of Explorers’ Corner’s business. Explorers’ Corner will customize any one of our listed adventures to create a special event for families, groups of friends, or business associates. Guests can request special departure dates, custom activities, or extra accommodations as part of their group adventure. We will work with you to make your ideas come to fruition -- as long as they are seasonally appropriate and your group meets the minimum person requirement.

Explorers’ Corner can also custom design an adventure for our clients to any new place (on Earth, at least!) that only they have imagined exploring — again, providing the trip is seasonable and the minimum persons requirement is met. Bring us your dreams and our travel specialists will work to make your trip a reality. We love to travel, and we love to send travelers to any of the world’s most wonderful destinations.

Explorers’ Corner Founder

Dr. Olaf Malver—CEO, Chief Exploratory Officer. Olaf founded Explorers’ Corner, a boutique adventure travel company, 7 years ago. He, his guides, and his staff have since taken like-minded adventurous folks to far-flung corners of the world. In addition to running Explorers’ Corner, Olaf is a passionate eco-tourist activist working for the United Nations to help promote sustainable tourism in developing countries in the quest to save the world’s natural habitats.

Olaf is a true explorer who has sea kayaked, climbed mountains, dog sledded, and hiked in more than 100 countries spanning 35 years. He's led trailblazing expeditions to diverse locations such as South Georgia, Kamchatka, Antarctica, Pakistan, Nepal, Greenland, Indonesia, Vietnam, Panama, the Nicobar Islands, Zanzibar - and many other "frontier destinations”. Olaf claims many "firsts" in the world of high adventure, such as sea kayaking in Irian Jaya, Burma, North Vietnam, Panama, French Polynesia and British Guyana. He also led the first dog sled crossing across the Northern Brooks Range in Alaska and soloed around Zanzibar in a Hobie Cat. He is a lifetime fellow of the world famous Explorer’s Club, in recognition of his “true” explorations. Olaf is a living proof that the world of modern day exploration is still infinite and only limited by our lack of imagination and dreams! And Olaf is not alone. We have attracted some of the best adventure guides in the world.

Explorers’ Corner Guides

Our guides have more than 80 years of collective guiding experience and have been to over 150 countries, safely leading hundreds of travelers to unique destinations via kayaking, hiking, boating, and biking. They naturally carry with them the mission of Explorers’ Corner—to experience unique destinations and make travel dreams come true. Explorers’ Corner’s seasoned guides include Olaf Malver, Dave Mention, Mick O’Shea, Nancy Moore, Baldvin Kristjansson and many more.