Greenland

See the Earth the way it once was

Experience Earth’s wilder side on a Greenland cruise

When you join us on an Arctic cruise to Greenland, adventure is guaranteed. Not only will you encounter a world where Inuit and European culture meet, but also a ruggedly beautiful wilderness populated by a wide range of exotic Arctic animals.

A Greenland trip takes you to places like Scoresby Sund, Earth’s largest fjord system and a spectacular place to experience the magical northern lights. It takes you to places like Northeast Greenland National Park, the largest park in the world.

A trip to Greenland also takes you to places where you might encounter musk oxen, bowhead whales, Arctic hares, and various species of seabird and seal.

Our Greenland cruises do not merely observe the coastline from the decks of a vessel, they get you to shore as often as possible, immersing you in one of the Arctic’s most unforgettable and scenically stunning landscapes.

But even the sea time of a Greenland cruise is eventful, as the waters surrounding this unrivaled island are alive with belugas, blue whales, fins, minkes, narwhals, sperm whales – and of course, bowhead whales, one of the least-known cetaceans in the world.

If you’re interested in experiencing the ultimate Arctic wilderness, join us on one of our many dynamic Greenland cruises detailed below.

Lees verder

Cruises to Greenland

Vier eilanden | IJsland- Noordoost Groenland-Spitsbergen- Bereneiland
Tot US$1970 korting

Vier eilanden | IJsland- Noordoost Groenland-Spitsbergen- Bereneiland

25 aug. - 12 sep., 2026

Reiscode: PLA12C26

  • EN
  • DE
  • LA

Zet vanuit IJsland een epische koers uit naar de lommerrijke fjorden van Groenland en de prachtige wereld van het pakijs in noordelijke richting. Deze combinatiecruise steekt de Groenlandse Zee over en voert u vervolgens door de Svalbard archipel, waar...

Spitsbergen - Noordoost-Groenland, Vliegen & Zeilen

12 aug. - 31 aug., 2026

Reiscode: RVR15-26

  • EN

De cruise naar Spitsbergen en Noordoost-Groenland voert door wateren met adembenemende landschappen. De expeditie vaart door gebieden waar zeehonden, zeevogels, walvissen en IJsberen leven.

Noordoost Groenland Extreem

15 aug. - 28 aug., 2026

Reiscode: HDS11-26

  • EN
  • CN
  • BI

Waag je aan de dramatische, ruige kustlijn van Noordoost-Groenland en vaar door 's werelds grootste fjord, Scoresby Sund, waar je walvissen, zeevogels en muskusossen tegenkomt voordat je naar het noorden reist door de mooiste zeestraten en fjorden. Onderweg...

Oost-Groenland, Scoresby Sund, inclusief lange wandeltochten

16 aug. - 25 aug., 2026

Reiscode: PLA11-26

  • EN
  • DE
  • LA

De cruise Oost-Groenland - Scoresby Sund steekt de poolcirkel over naar de thuiswateren van meerdere walvissoorten. De expeditie ziet enorme ijsbergen terwijl ze door het grootste en diepste fjordensysteem ter wereld vaart.

Noordoost Groenland Extreem

25 aug. - 7 sep., 2026

Reiscode: PLA12-26

  • EN
  • DE
  • LA

Waag je aan de dramatische, ruige kustlijn van Noordoost-Groenland en vaar door 's werelds grootste fjord, Scoresby Sund, waar je walvissen, zeevogels en muskusossen tegenkomt voordat je naar het noorden reist door de mooiste zeestraten en fjorden. Onderweg...

Greenland cruise video

Laatste blog en klantverhaal

Greenland blog

De erfenis van de Thule-cultuur – Legende van de Noormannen, temmers van Groenland

De mysterieuze Thule-cultuur heeft zijn sporen achtergelaten in dit woeste, prachtige land en zijn aanwezigheid is nog steeds voelbaar in de mondelinge overleveringen en cultuur van zijn hedendaagse afstammelingen, de Groenlandse Inuit.

Alle gerelateerde berichten

Greenland story

Greenland: Land of Superlatives

On September 16th, I flew to Iceland and spent an evening in Reykjavik, then crossed the island for the town of Akureyri the next day.

Deel je verhaal

Laatste hoogtepunt en wilde dieren

Map of Greenland

Greenland cruise photos

Greenland cruise reviews

Het Arctisch gebied

sehr gute Reise, bin voll zufrieden
Alles bestens, viele Erlebnisse, tolle Betreuung und auch guter Service auf dem Schiff
Fabulous trip. Expedition is the way to enjoy the out of doors
This year I had been injured in an accident and hospitalized during March this year. It took a lot of time and effort to start walking again and be able to do some serious hiking. I had been on previous Oceanwide Expeditions trips and decided to book the Greenland trip to Scoresbysund in september. It turned out to be my best trip ever. To start with the ship itself and the crew. You might think this is an old and battered ship. It is not. All cabins are neat and nicely outfitted. The ship itself is sturdy and very suitable to navigate the Polar regions. Not too small, not too big. The captain and officers are very experienced. The deckhands do an excellent professional job. They are approachable and friendly. The expedition staff was amazing. Very enthusiastic and knowledgeable. The hotel management and stewards trying to do their utmost to serve you as best they can. We were lucky to have very nice weather with blue skies offering fine photo and video opportunities. We saw a lot of wildlife, four polar bears, several polar fixed, whales, seals, musk oxen, arctic hares, and various birds. On various nights we had fabulous Northern Light sightings. I can still hear the crackling of the ice, the calving of ice sheets from the glacier, the tumbling of the small icebergs, the looming big icebergs while we were driving by in our zodiacs. The landscapes were amazing, red mountains, stark black mountains covered with snow and ice, immense tundra plains with scattered skeletons of musk oxen. We also visited Ittoqqortoormiit, an Inuit settlement. School was out and all the children waving at you. No harbour so the landing was with the zodiacs. But the thing that stroke me the most was the absolute serenity of the long hikes and the kayaking. Being in touch with the landscape. That was the lifestyle experience I was looking for. I will be back. Thank you Oceanwide for a memorable experience.
Second trip with Oceanwide (first was Antartica in Feb 2023). Spotless organization. Great staff and crew. Various offshore activities to choose according to own’s abilities. Staff and guides very professional, available at any time, worked around the clock to maximize the experience on and off-shore. Services on board (restaurants, facilities) very good. Excellent food.
It was a wonderful trip on a wonderful ship with an even more wonderful crew! "Chapeau" to the whole crew! I've learned so much about Plancton and saw it's intricate beauty under the microscope (thanks Chloé! And sorry Andrew: birds from now on come 2nd...😉) Lots of landings and Zodiac cruises brought us close to the amazing nature. I can highly recommend this voyage on Hondius into Antarctica!

FAQ's about Greenland cruises

Groenland ligt ten oosten van Canada en ligt meer tegen het Noord Amerikaanse Continent aan dan tegen Europa. Het is het grootste eiland van de wereld en het strekt zich van noord naar zuid over ongeveer 2800 kilometer uit. Het enorme eiland is grotendeels met ijs bedekt en ziet er daarom ‘wit’ uit op de kaart.

De enorme grootte van Groenland heeft tot gevolg dat er een grote variatie in temperatuur en ook weertypen voorkomen. Zo liggen bijvoorbeeld alle bewoonde gebieden aan de kust omdat het kustgebied vaak vrij is van ijs. Het binnenland van Groenland is daarentegen geheel met ijs bedekt. 

In Nuuk is de wintertemperatuur gemiddeld niet meer dan -8 graden Celsius, de temperatuur stijgt er in de zomer echter tot zo’n 7 graden. Het gebied ervaart zelden temperaturen die hierboven uitstijgen, de zomers zijn dus vrij koel maar de winters milder dan in veel gebieden met een meer wisselend klimaat.

Het landschap langs de kust van Groenland is zeer dramatisch en spectaculair. De hevig ingesneden kust heeft ontelbare fjorden, baaien en eilanden. De kust wordt verder gevormd door steile rotskusten, tot wel 2000 meter hoge bergpieken, gletsjers en ijskappen. De grote gletsjers produceren reusachtige, kathedraalachtige ijsbergen, zo typerend voor de Groenlandse wateren. In de kustgebieden en in de zee komt ook een indrukwekkend dierenleven voor.

In Groenland kan vooral een grote variëteit aan vogels worden gezien, er komen wel 52 vogelsoorten voor.

Het aantal zoogdierensoorten is relatief klein maar er komen wel meer landzoogdieren soorten voor dan in bijvoorbeeld Spitsbergen en de soorten zijn vaak ook wel zeer bijzonder. Zo komen er onder andere voor; de zeldzame Poolwolf, Poolvos, Hermelijn, Gekraagde lemming, Muskusos en de Poolhaas. De ijsbeer wordt helaas zelden gezien aan de westkust maar wel vaker aan de oostelijke en noordoostelijke kust.

Het binnenland van Groenland wordt gevormd door reusachtige ijskappen. De enorme ‘outlet’ gletsjers die vanaf deze ijskappen richting zee stromen hebben in duizenden jaren tijd lange en vaak diepe fjorden gevormd. In de fjorden breken de gletsjers in zee in stukken en vormen daar grote ijsbergen die langzaam naar zee drijven, de kathedraalachtige ijsbergen zo typerend zijn voor de Groenlandse wateren.

Groenland gebruikt de “Coordinated Universal Time” (UTC). Omdat Groenland erg groot is worden er verschillende tijden aangehouden, met een range van UTC +0 tot -4. Dit heeft tot gevolg dat wanneer het bijvoorbeeld 18.00 UTC is in Nuuk, het in New York 16.00 is, in London 21.00 en in Amsterdam en Brussel 22.00.

About Greenland cruises

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.

Loading