Day 1: The tour starts with our flight to Kulusuk, a village named after the island of Kulusuk. Departure and arrival are at the same time, so it is some kind of time-travel: two hour´s flight and two hours’ time difference! Kulusuk is a small village clinging to the rocky coast, surrounded by iceberg-filled water. We take a quick look at the island we will be spending a night on, before boarding our boats to Karale fjord. We sail for about 2 hours to one of the most serene campsites in the world, surrounded by pointy peaks and dramatic glaciers. This beautiful place will be our camp for the next 3 nights. Approx. 2 hours sailing.
Day 2: Although silence is omnipresent in East Greenland, most likely you will wake up to the thunder of ice calving from one of the three glaciers surrounding us. This is a pleasant noise to wake up to and it will fill you with energy for today´s 850 m ascend. From here you will get a breathtaking view over the fjord and a different sense of our size in the world. We spend the night in the Karale fjord camp. Approx. 7-8 hours walk.
Day 3: Today’s hike includes less ascend and more focus on the vastness of the glacier. We walk into the fjord towards Karale glacier’s ice-wall, stretching four to five kilometers wide. Karale is the biggest glacier in the area, and enormous ice clumps regularly detach from it. As we follow the coast, we will need to ford a small river. If we have brought a bottle of whiskey, this is the ideal place to have a drink with ice that is over 600 years old! Feel free to bring some ancient ice back with you for tonight’s aperitif! At the end of our hike, we return to Karale fjord camp. Approx. 6-7 hours walk.
Day 4: Today we leave Karale fjord, but just wait, the next campsite is no less amazing. We walk along the coast and eventually cross over a pass on Nunartivaq mountain, passing colorful rock formations and enjoying yet another great view. We descend down into a small valley full of old stone blocks (boulders) not far from a beautiful beach. We put up camp for the night. Approx. 6-7 hours walk.
Day 5: Here is a tip: get up before everyone else does and take a dip in the ocean! You will need some extra kick as this will be one of the more demanding days. The trek includes following the slopes of the mountains that descend into the sea, towards the Southwest. We walk into the Ikateq strait, a narrow passage between the mainland and the Qianarteq island. We arrive in a valley with an old, abandoned military airport from WWII. This place is a fountain of curiosities. We put up our camp here for the night. Approx. 6- 7 hours walk.
Day 6: After we all find a WWII treasure, we continue through the Ikateq strait towards the Tunu fjord. Although, today is not as challenging as yesterday, we will still see some action. In Tunu we have to ford a large glacier river that flows in many branches towards the sea. Really refreshing! We continue to Tunup Kua valley, between high and steep granite mountains. There is something special about the energy here, and we will set camp in this magical place for the evening. Approx. 6 – 7 hours walk
Day 7: Today, we turn away from the coast for the first time and walk in the Tunup Kua valley. We go over a mountain pass to the Tasiilap Nua valley in the extremely narrow and deep Tasiilaq fjord. This fantastic valley is surrounded by up to 1500m high granite peaks on both sides. Today’s adventure includes crossing a glacier tongue, and we advise you to have your hiking sticks handy. Approx. 6- 7 hours walk.
Day 8: Following the coast, we walk north to the very bottom of the Tasiilaq fjord. On the way, we cross a couple of small streams, child’s play compared to the large river we crossed in Tunu on Day 6. We put up the camp close to a river flowing from the valley behind the Tasiilaq fjord, called Tasiilap kua. This is the last time we camp on this trip. Approx. 5 hour walk.
Day 9: It is time to ascend out of the valley. We pack our bags for the next two nights, our sleeping bags and food for two days, and head up to Tasiilaq mountain hut. The hut is situated at around 700 m altitude in a mountain range rising above 2000m. The day starts easy, but we must hike one steep hill along a glacier moraine before we arrive to the beautiful view in the valley where our hut is located. Tonight, we make ourselves comfortable in this cozy mountain hut. Approx. 5 hours walk.
Day 10: The goal for today is to find a place where we can enjoy the fantastic alpine landscape around us. We head out from the hut to climb a summit rising above our accommodations. After taking in so much beauty and splendor at the summit, we head back to our cozy mountain hut for the evening. 6 hours walk.
Day 11: During our last day of hiking, we descend down to the Tasiilaq fjord again, the same way as we came up. A boat awaits us and a smiling chauffeur will sail us back to Kulusuk, where we spend our last night in sleeping bags at the Kulusuk Hostel. Approx. 4 hours walk and 2 hours boat.
Day 12: Before we can say farewell to Greenland, we spend some time learning a bit about Inuit culture and history. On a guided tour of the Kulusuk Museum, a tiny and charming place run by a local family, we fill up on knowledge about Greenland’s native people. Brimming with new knowledge and memories that will last a lifetime, we say goodbye to Greenland and fly back to Reykjavík, Iceland.