Greenland: The Forbidden Coast - New Trip

• Rugged kayak travel
• Medium to hard day hikes
• 12 nights on sailing boats and in tented camps

For more than 20 years, Explorers’ Corner has conducted groundbreaking exploratory kayaking, dog sledding and hiking trips on the remote shores of Greenland. Led by some of the most intrepid guides on the planet, scores of our clients have come home suffused with Arctic Fever, following unparalleled adventures in this wildest sector of the Far North.

This summer, our Chief Exploratory Officer (CEO) Olaf Malver returned from Greenland’s East Coast where he heard enthusiastic tales from his Inuit friends about a spectacular place 500 kilometers northeast of Tassilaq: the Kangerdlussuaq Fjord. By sheer coincidence he also met the Icelandic skipper and adventurer Siggi Jonsson who had just ventured into this region in his sturdy sailboat. Jonsson reported that due to the global warming, it is now possible to sail safely through the lighter ice pack into this remote fjord. Historically, this area between the notoriously dangerous Blosseville Coast south of Scoresbysund and the Ammassalik region at 65 degrees north has been inaccessible, due to a lethal combination of icebergs and strong currents – and many ships that dared to challenge these waters were either forced back or wrecked.

It is a grim fact that climate change is rapidly altering the face of the Arctic – but the up side is that it has given us a fantastic opportunity to bring a group safely to a new Arctic destination to explore for the very first time. Explorers’ Corner is ready to once again push the limits, becoming the first commercial outfitter to sail from Iceland to kayak and explore this remarkable Kangerdlussuaq region!

To the Tassilaq people, Kangerdlussuaq has always been regarded as an especially rich hunting ground – a kind of Arctic Shangri-La that can be reached only with difficulty in small skiffs. Modern-day attempts to colonize Kangerdlussuaq date from 1966, when several families from Tassilaq over-wintered in the remains of an old American weather station and expedition houses from the 1930s. They reported a very good hunting season: 35 polar bears, 62 narwhals and some 2100 seals! But because of the daunting access to the area, colonization attempts were abandoned and Kangerdlussuaq was left to revert again to wilderness.

The Kangerdlussuaq Fjord is bar-none the wildest coastal landscape in Greenland. The Lemon Mountain range – one of Greenland’s highest --lies just north of the fjord. This vast mountain range with compact alpine peaks offers endless opportunities for mountaineering, with many unclimbed peaks up to 2,600 meters. The range includes Cathedral Peak, made famous by climbers Chris Bonington and Robin Knox-Johnston when they sailed here to challenge these summits on Robin´s yacht Suhaili in 1991.

In addition, just 50 to 80km north and east of Södalen is the Lindbergh Range, with unclimbed peaks to 3,200 meters and magnificent views over the vast Greenland Ice Cap. Farther west are the Kangerdlussuaq Mountains, an expansive realm of alpine granite and gneiss peaks rising to 2,600 meters. This range comprises the single largest region of unclimbed summits in Greenland. To the northeast are the Watkins Mountains with Gunnbjorns Fjeld (3.693m), the highest peak in the Arctic. In all, this range contains the 10 highest mountains in the High Arctic – a stunning collection of peaks virtually unknown to the outside world.

The concept behind this bold trip is to sail from the northwestern tip of Iceland, zigzag through the pack ice to arrive at the east coast of Greenland where we’ll unload our rigid kayaks, and explore the many islands, fjords and inlets with paddle in hand. We’ll break from kayaking to go ashore on foot, for a further investigation of one of the most pristine tracts of wilderness left on earth. This is a place that only a few hardy adventurers in the annals of Arctic exploration have ever deigned to challenge (and some of them died in the process). We have heard from our local Inuit friends who investigated the area this summer that the landscape is virgin and the waters teeming with narwhals – and there should also be good chances to spot polar bears.

Only seven participants will be selected for each departure. Prior polar sea kayaking experience is a must! Call Olaf directly at 510-559-8099 to discuss details of the trip and be considered for selection.

2010 Dates
Jul. 30 - Aug. 14

Aug. 16 - 31*

*This departure will run in reverse direction from Kulusuk to Isafjordur.

Trip Difficulty: This trip is rated expedition.

Land Cost

Group size 7: $5,900*
Single Supplement: none

Internal Air

Kulusuk – Reykjavik one-way (or reverse):

$382 per person

*Rates quoted are per person, based on sharing double accommodations.

Note: This special departure requires a non-refundable first deposit of $2,000 per person to reserve your spot.

*Price does not include international airfare or trip insurance. Prices are given in US Dollars