Cruises to Greenland

What you’ll see on a cruise to Greenland

Fewer than 100,000 people call Greenland home, most of them Inuit – the indigenous people of the Arctic. Positioned northeast of Canada, Greenland is considered part of North America, though politically it has always been associated with Scandinavia.

What does this mean for your Greenland cruise? It means that, despite the mile-thick ice sheet that covers most of this incredible island, Greenland is home to fascinating cultures in addition to its exotic wildlife and scenery.

Numerous land mammals reside along the northern and eastern shores, where human populations are scarce. Your cruise to Greenland will take you into waters where you might see beluga whales, blue whales, fin whales, Greenland whales (bowheads), minkes, narwhals, and sperm whales.

Greenland’s ice sheet is the only one of its size in the Arctic. About a tenth of the Earth’s surface is covered in similar sheets, nearly all of which are concentrated in Greenland and Antarctica.

It almost goes without saying, then, that there are no roads connecting the coasts of Greenland. This is why your cruise to Greenland will be the ideal way to experience Earth’s largest island.

A few facts to prepare for your Greenland cruise

• Greenland is officially part of Denmark, though it retains a great degree of self-rule
• Almost 80% of Greenland is frozen in ice – only Antarctica has a larger ice sheet
• 20% of Greenland’s ice-free land is nearly the size of Sweden
• Greenland is the largest island (and least densely populated landmass) on Earth
• An estimated two million seals live in the waters around Greenland, and you’ll have a great chance of seeing many of them on your Greenland cruise
• Greenland’s ice sheet is estimated to be between 400,000 and 800,000 years old
• Words like “igloo” and “kayak” – and more than a few synonyms for snow – originated from the Inuit of Greenland
• The warmest temperatures don’t average much higher than 10°C (50°F) even during the summer, so dress warm on your cruise to Greenland

Cruise to Greenland and see Earth the way it once was

Join one of our Greenland cruises to encounter a land where European and Inuit cultures intersect to create a world wholly its own.

This is a severe but stunningly picturesque landscape of sprawling ice, towering rock, and limitless sky-blue sea, all of which you can enjoy on your cruise to Greenland.

From the midnight sun to the northern lights, the full range of this mythic environment’s awe-inspiring attractions are possible on our many Greenland cruises. Our ice-strengthened vessels will provide you a comfortable base from which to embark on daily expeditions, allowing you to dig deep into the Greenland experience.

And if traditional sailing is more your speed, join us aboard our three-masted schooner, Rembrandt van Rijn, for a more intimate and historic experience.

Our cruises to Greenland give you experiences that are truly once in a lifetime: hiking the same trails as the Vikings, watching numerous species of whale visit the Greenland coast, meeting the Inuit people and learning firsthand about the vibrant Thule ancestry―not to mention bird watching, polar diving, and kayaking.