Adventure 16: Outdoor and Travel Outfitters - Since 1963

< Back to Search Results

Greenland: Ammassalik

Kayaking in Greenland with Explorer's Corner LLC

Highlights

  • Paddle and hike where very few Westerners have ever been
  • Challenge yourself to rugged kayak travel and medium to hard day hikes
  • 3 Nights hotel, 11 nights tented camp

Full Description

For 15 years, Explorers’ Corner guides have led successful kayak expeditions to the Sermiliq/Tassilaq Fjord complex in Eastern Greenland. Without exception, all our co-explorers have been amazed by the pristine and natural world there.

Join a small group of adventurers who will paddle and hike Greenland’s remote and wild eastern coast in the arctic summer when the arctic flowers are out and the Greenland ground blueberries and mushrooms are plentiful. Along the journey visit local Inuit communities and old Eskimo ruins. And, lastly, enjoy the wild patterns the sun makes in the 24-hour lit sky.

Our expeditionary journeys, beneath high protective mountains towering over deep fjords, have some of the best kayaking conditions in the Arctic. The landscape in Greenland’s remote and wild eastern coast is both beautiful and diverse - dotted with Inuit communities who still sustain their lives in this uncompromising but stunning natural world. Remember it was in these Arctic waters that kayaking was invented. There’s no better way to experience this remote region and its wealth of culture than with Explorers’ Corner.

Our small group of adventurers will paddle and hike where very few Westerners have ever been. We will begin at the western edge of Tassilaq Island and work our way east through an archipelago, ending up at a place near the tiny hamlet of Sermiligaq. The total paddling distance will be about 80—100 nautical miles, depending on the local weather and sea conditions.

Includes:

  • Expert leadership and support personnel
  • All accommodations in Greenland and Iceland as noted in itinerary
  • Meals as noted (B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner)
  • All kayaking gear, safety equipment and tents, and common camping equipment
  • Ground transportation as noted

Excludes:

  • International airfares (U.S./Keflavik r/t and Reykjavik/Kulusuk r/t)
  • Insurance of any kind including mandatory travel insurance
  • Excess baggage charges
  • Items of a personal nature (sleeping bags and pads, clothing, sodas, liquor, snack foods, laundry, souvenirs, etc.)
  • Airfare Reykjavik/Kulusuk (approximately $650)

Day by Day Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival Ammassalik, Greenland

Arrive Keflavik, Iceland. Transfer on your own by bus from Keflavik airport to Reykjavik airport. We recommend planning to arrive into Iceland a day early to allow extra time for possible flight delays or lost luggage. Explorers' Corner can assist with booking extra hotel nights. The group meets for an early noon flight to Kulusuk Island, Greenland. From Kulusuk we will board a small boat that will motor us 1.5 to 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. That evening we will stay at a small pension in town and get briefed on the next two weeks of adventure. L, D...Red House

Day 2: Ikateq

A six to seven hour hike or, alternatively, a boat transport of the group, the kayaking equipment, and the food near to Ikateq Island (if the ice situation permits, we will start there. Otherwise we might have to motor deeper into the Sermiliq Fjord). That evening we assemble our boats and discuss safety and trip dynamics. B, L, D...Wilderness Camping

Days 3 - 13: Tassilaq Fjord Complex

Expeditionary kayaking/camping from Sermiliq Fjord-Ammassalik Fjord-Knud Rasmussen Glacier at the bottom of Sermiligaq Fjord with resupply at the village of Kummiut, halfway through the trip. B, L, D...Wilderness Camping

Day 14: Tassilaq

Pickup by motor boat at the mighty Knud Rasmussen Glacier and return to Tassilaq. Afternoon sightseeing and Inuit souvenir shopping in the small town. B, L, D...Red House

Day 15: Reykjavik

A boat ride (approximately one hour) brings us to Kulusuk and our flight connections to Reykjavik, Iceland. B, L, D...Hotel Holt

Day 16: Departure from Reykjavik - Home

Morning at your own leisure in Reykjavik. Shuttle bus to Keflavik and afternoon homeward-bound flight. B... flight 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.