East Greenland

Duration: 11 days, 10 nights

Location: Greenland ( East)

Budget: €5000

Miles Travelled: 2,800

Another Epic Trip – this time in the far North and in the remote location of East Greenland. We flew into Iceland first to get everything in order before heading North East to Constable Point in East Greenland.

From here we boarded our schooner – our home for the next 7 days – and headed out around the fjords and locations in the area.

Day 01 – Flight to Keflavik, Iceland
Date: 31 July 2018

Travel to Dublin for flight with WOW Air to Keflavik Airport. Flight time was just over 2 hours and bags arrived safely. Took the FlyBus to downtown Reykjavík and it cost us 2950 ISK or approx 25 euro. At the time of this trip , the exchange rate was 123 ISK to 1 euro. The bus took approx 45 minutes to get to BSI – the downtown bus station where we met Mike and walked to the apartment – approx 1 mile away. There is an option to pay an additional 1000 ISK and the bus will take you to your hotel or a hotel nearby. Most metered taxis start at 2000 ISK before they even drive anywhere so be aware of this before you get into one. Checked into the apartment, got some food in a nearby Supermarket and then relaxed and went to bed.

Day 02 – Reykjavik Domestic to Constable Point
Date: 01 August 2018

We got up and got our bags ready and walked down to the bus stop – approximately 5 minutes away. Then we waited for the bus at this stop – Hlemmur – and got number 15 to the airport. It took maybe 15 minutes or less and cost 460 ISK one way. We went inside and checked in our bags. There were 24 people on the flight – 12 for the Donna Wood and 12 for Opal. 09:15 was the official take off time but a notification told us that the flight was delayed and then it was cancelled. Seemingly there was rain in Constable Point and the runway was too wet to land the plane so they cancelled it and said they would try again tomorrow.

We got a taxi to downtown and checked into a hotel – Hotel Cabin – paid for by the airline company. North Sailing – the tour company – offered us a trip around the Golden Circle but we had already done that so we passed on it. We walked around down town and came back for some lunch at 13:00 . Then we went downtown and organised a Whale Watching tour with a company called Special Tours called the Rib Express. 12 pax headed out at 16:00 but only had brief sightings of minke whales so we got a free pass to come back again in the future. Back to the hotel for dinner – which was the same as lunch ie a salad and some soup – and then we repacked and went to bed in the hope that the flight would go tomorrow.

Day 03 – Reykjavik Domestic to Constable Point
Date: 02 August 2018

A bus collected us at 06:45 and we headed to the airport after a rushed breakfast at 06:00. We checked in and the flight did take off at 08:30 with a flight time of 1 hour 40 minutes to Constable Point – a small airfield west of Hurry Inlet in Jameson Land. The runway was wet and it was raining and cold when we arrived. We got our rain jackets and boots on and walked down to the boarding point for the Donna Wood. It took around 20 minutes at an easy pace and we got the Zodiac to the Donna Wood – anchored in Hurry Inlet. We waited for a phone call for the engineer – Garda – and then we set sail . There is phone coverage at the airport and no where else on the route seemingly. We got some lunch with Andy the Chef and then set sail. The lunch was tomato soup and it was lovely – just what we needed to warm us up after the boarding. We set sail down Hurry Inlet to its mouth and out into Scoresby Sound. This took around 3 hours. From here we sailed to Ittoqqortoormiit – a large settlement about 90 minutes away with 500 odd inhabitants. The closest village to here is about 800km away seemingly. It’s name means “People who live in large houses” . Ittoqqortoormiit – one of the most isolated villages in the world. We arrived here around 18:30 and went inland and looked around the village . Ittoqqortoormiit was founded in the 1925s by people from Ammassalik island. It is the most northerly settlement on the east coast of Greenland. The 500 odd inhabitants make their living mostly by subsistence hunting of seals, Narwhale, Muskoxen and Polar Bear. The quaint little houses dot the rocky slopes of south Liverpool Land with magnificent views of Kap Brewster and the Volquart Boons Coast to the south.
After we had finished with our visit we headed back to the Donna Wood and got some dinner – Cottage Pie – and then sailed to a nearby glacier stream where we filled up the water tanks on the Donna Wood. There are two tanks – one on the port side and one on the starboard side and their capacity is in and around the 7000 ltr range It took around 40 minutes to fill the tanks Then we set sail back across Scoresby Sound for an overnight sailing to try make up for lost time on the trip so far.

Day 4 – Sailing in Scoresby Sund – Denmark Island
Date: 03 August 2018

Sail west between whole palaces of icebergs that gently drift under the influence of the currents in the Arctic waters in the mighty fjord of Scoresby Sound, after calving from the parent glaciers originating in the Inland Ice. We awake in the morning at a place called Soll Glacier where we sat and waited and enjoyed the majestic views. The sun, the blue skies, mist and fog on the water and the mountains, calving glaciers and ghost ships sailing through the mist – a truly epic visage. We left Soll glacier and had breakfast and headed up towards Denmark Island to continue on our way. We spotted an animal that I did not expect to see on this trip – a Polar Bear swimming in the water. The Opal had passed on ahead and missed it and we were really lucky to come across it heading out to the open water to hunt. After leaving the bear we continued on our way trying to find our way though the pack ice. It was think and heavy in places and the going was slow but it was really enjoyable and exciting. The imagery was amazing and the little auk’s kept us entertained on the open water as we tried to get some images of them before they dived beneath the surface. We finally made our way into the straight after going around the North of Denmark Island – the main route was blocked with pack ice so we had to double back once or twice. We had some dinner and continued sailing throughout the night to our next destination – Red Island.

Day 5 – Sailing – Føhnfjord/ Rødefjord/ Harefjord
Date: 04 August 2018

After a night of sailing we arrived at Red Island and Iceberg City. We sailed west through the narrow Føhnfjord with the majestic basalt mountains of Gåseland on the port side and 2000 metres high sheer granite cliffs of Milne Land on the Starboard side. After being up close to the peculiar looking Red Island and even landfall at the red sandstone shore the tour continued to the north through Rødefjord which is often filled with both larger icebergs and ice crust from icebergs that were breaking up. After a morning of exploring Iceland city from the Zodiac and doing a short excursion on land to overlook the whole area, we set sail at lunch time on to our next destination – Harefjord. We arrived here in the late evening after navigating our way across the waters between Icebergs and growlers. We dropped anchor in a small remote sheltered bay and went ashore to have a BBQ. Some issues delayed the start of the BBQ but we got to fly the drone and get some nice footage of the Donna Wood at anchor. Back on the boat around midnight and straight to bed.

Day 6 – Hiking around Harefjord
Date: 05 August 2018

The whole day was spent ashore in Harefjord scouting for muskoxen, snow hares, grouse, geese and other wildlife, which normally graze on the south facing slopes. Between 6 and 7 hours of easy to moderate hiking with a lunch break at the top of a ridge with a breath taking view over Harefjord where the glacier tongues descend into the sea. The majority of the people on both ships went on the excursion and we saw Musk Ox off in the distance grazing and resting. We arrived on the other side of the peninsula around 16:00 and headed back to the Donna Wood where we sailed up to a glacier for a closer look. We stayed here for 30 minutes or so before turning around and sailing back down the inlet and onwards on our journey around Scoresby Sund.

Day 7 – Sailing to Bear Island
Date: 06 August 2018

The sailing continues eastwards through the awesome Øfjord. This was one of the most spectacular parts of the trip. Terrific mountain peaks and granite walls tower 2000 meters up from the sea just like if the Cerro Torre (one of the majestic mountains of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field in South America) and Fitzroy river (in Queensland, Australia) have been moved to the Arctic: A true feast for the eyes. We stopped at a small glacier along. the way and some of us did a little hike in and around in before heading back to the Donna Wood and on to the next destination – Whiskey Rock. Here we stopped and had a quick drink and admired the views some more. The sky was a little overcast and grey but offered some nice diffused light for the images. There was a stiff breeze coming down the channel but we didnt mind as the views were worth it. After Whiskey Rock we sailed on towards Jyttes Havn Bjørneøe or another similar location to set anchor around 21:00 and retire for the night,

Day 08 – Early Morning Hike and Sail to Constable Point
Date: 07 August 2018

We got up at 05:30 and headed inland and did a short hike around the island as the Captain wanted to be underway for 08:00 to make the long 20 hour sail back to Constable Point. We landed on Jytteshavn in Bear Islands and did a 90 minutes walk before heading bake to the Donna Wood and getting some breakfast. We set sail then and left Bear Island behind us and started to head south towards the mouth of Scoresby Sund and Hurry Inlet which would take us back to Constable Point. We set sails on the way down and got some nice drone footage of the Donna Wood in the Sund. This was a really great crossing as the weather turned nice around lunch time and we got to do a polar plunge as well in the early afternoon.

Day 09 – Constable Point to Reykjavik
Date: 08 August 2018

We had an early breakfast and checked out of the rooms on the Donna Wood by 08:00 as they had to be cleaned for the next group of travellers. We spent some time on the Donna Wood and went back inland around 10:00 and walked back down to the airport. The flight was a little delayed and we got eaten alive with Mosquitos so stay inside until they are ready to load the plane would be my advice.
Once we got back to the airport, we collected our car and headed out towards Hella and our accommodation for the evening – the Stracta Hotel and Apartments. We drove around two hours to get to here and checked in without any trouble. Everyone was tired so we went to the restaurant and got something to eat and then had an early night. We planned to get up early and go looking for a crashed plane on the black sands near Vik the following morning so sleep was important.

Day 10 – The Golden Circle and Flight to Ilulissat
Date: 09 August 2018

We got up at 04:00 and loaded up the car and drove approximately an hour to the location for the plane. It is in off the road and takes anywhere from 35 minutes to 60 minutes to get to it depending on your speed. Distance is approximately 2 miles from the road. We hiked in quick enough and got there to be presented with just one other photographer there ahead of us. We spent over an hour taking images and video footage of the wreckage and then headed back to the car for a return trip to Stracta and some breakfast. We stopped off at some waterfalls on the way back to the hotel and got some more images before getting back for some food and a quick nap. We checked out at noon and headed for Gulfoss, Geysis and the Tingvellier National Park where the tectonic plates meet. We did the loop and got back to downtown and got some dinner in TGI Fridays and then headed out to the airport and dropped off the car. We went to check in with Air Greenland for our flight at midnight and it was cancelled. There was no text or email or any form of communication whatsoever from them. We met another photographer – Ivan – who was on the same flight. We chatted and eventually found out that we were being put up for the night in a local hotel and had taxi over and back and our meals covered . The hotel was called Vogar and seemingly our flight was cancelled for the next two days. We went to the hotel and went to bed and said we would sleep on it and decide what to do in the morning.

Day 11 – Reykjavik Day Tour – Unplanned
Date: 10 August 2018

We got up and had breakfast and tried to decide what the plan was now with regards to our flights and trip etc. We decided to cancel the outward leg of our flight with Air Greenland and book a new ticket with Air Iceland Connect from the domestic airport. We did that for the following morning to get up around noon to Ilulissat. The other flight was not arriving until after midnight. We spent the day with Ivan looking around the Snakesfell Peninsula and stopping at various locations. He had a camper van so it was great – and he knew all the locations to go and see. The weather was not ideal but it was not the worst either . Rain was due in later on and tomorrow seemingly. We paid for the fuel and did a 12 hour tour with Ivan and got back to the hotel around 21:00 where we crashed out for the night and repacked for the onward leg the following morning.

https://www.extremeiceland.is/en/destinations/snaefellsnes-peninsula/center-of-the-earth