By Sadie Whitelocks, Avid-adventurer – 26 countries in 12 months, two polar regions, one mountain, hand luggage only.
Tuesday 27 Nov 2018 8:00 am
Greenland is around five times the size of California but it has a population of just 56,186 compared to 39.54 million.
Id always been told by friends working in the expedition travel industry that its a must-visit for its awe-inspiring scenery, with giant icebergs majestically drifting along the coastline and undulating mountains of mosses and ancient rock giving way to the permanent ice cap.
This is topped off with fascinating pockets of Inuit culture, strewn across remote communities only accessible via boat or by private plane.
In a bid to see the mysterious land Id heard so much about, I signed up for a 17-day expedition cruise with the Norwegian firm Hurtigruten.
Far from the standard boat trip, the itinerary on offer put me through my paces, with daily hikes to explore the stunning coastal landscape, kayaking sessions and a very brisk polar plunge into the 4 degrees Celsius waters!
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There was also a state-of-the-art gym aboard the luxury Hurtigruten boat, Fram, which meant I could maintain my training regime for an upcoming expedition as we went.
And to keep our energy levels pepped up, there was the most delicious spread of locally-sourced cuisine for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with delicacies ranging from fresh baked breads and berry jams to reindeer soup, king crab salad and moreish mountain cranberry mousse.
On our first day venturing north on the expedition, we landed at Sisimiut, which is the second largest town in Greenland with just 5,414 inhabitants.
Meeting up with some local guides, we went climbing on Præstefjeldet (priest hill). The trek took around 4 hours and there was only a small group of us who made it all of the way due to the steep gradient and slightly muddy terrain.
On a clear day, this hike offers magnificent views over the town and harbour, but on the day we reached the summit, we couldnt see more than a metre in front of our feet due to a thick shroud of fog.
However, the next day we were greeted with sunnier skies as we pulled into Qeqertarsuaq in Disko Bay.
From the colourful town, I hiked with a group to the dramatic basalt rock formations.
The windswept walk, which was about a 4-hour round-tip, led us over open moorland with colossal icebergs bobbing in the waters beside us.
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As we snaked our way along Greenlands remote west coast, there were disembarkations almost every day, with activities to suit all abilities.
One of my favourite days was when we stopped at Dundas, a former Inuit settlement which was relocated when the US airbase (Thule) landed there in 1953.
The area is now home to a collection of small shelters, which are used as weekend cottages by personnel at the airbase.
The original turf cottages also remain on the site as a poignant reminder of times gone by, with their frames sadly subsiding into the boggy ground.
We had more than 4 hours to explore the area, which proved to be the perfect amount of time.
Another fabulous day saw us venture off on an explorer hike. This basically meant that we were covering ground that even the Hurtigruten team hadnt scoped out before.
The trek led us through the tiny community of Siorapaluk and up over a turfy hillside where we spotted dozens of arctic hares, before we dropped down to a sandy beach and looped back round to where we started.
After we made it to the most northern point possible on the voyage – to 78 degrees 22″ North and 73 degrees 0.32″ West – the Fram turned around and we started sailing back to where we started; Kangerlussuaq.
But the adventure was far from over.
A highlight for many passengers on our way back south was our stop at Qaanaaq, a town that was founded in 1953 when the inhabitants of Dundas were forced to relocate.
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Qaanaaq, which now has around 650 residents, is the northernmost town in Greenland, just 30km from Canada.
To get a better view of the community, I decided to do a pretty gruelling hike up a sheer-sloping hill looming in the distance.
It was tricky getting up there, with loose rock requiring a bit of a scramble, but the sweaty ascent paid off and the views were silently magnificent.
On the wildlife front, we had the most incredible encounter with several humpback whales by the awe-inspiring glacier at Illusiat (a Unesco World Heritage Site).
We ventured to the ice edge in little fishing boats, which meant we were very close to the mysterious mammals when they appeared.
As we stood in silence, we could hear them breathing intermittedly before they plunged back down into the blue, fanning their flukes as they went.
My adventure around Greenland was topped off by a kayaking session around Itilleq. We spent several hours in the water, paddling around the little seaweed-covered coves, with a thin layer of mist giving way to bursts of sunshine now and then.
All in all, the in-depth introduction to Greenlands west coast with Hurtigruten had been awesome.
The itinerary certainly kept me on my toes, and unlike most expedition cruises Id been on, I returned home in better shape than I started!
The epic voyage had fed my mind, body and soul.
What to pack for an Arctic expedition
From relaxing around the ship, to being outside in the Arctic wilds, here are some expedition gear Id recommend for an adventure on the high seas:
Planning your own expedition cruise:
Expedition cruise company Hurtigruten operates a 17-day Midnight Sun Exploration itinerary on the west coast of Greenland, with prices starting from £7,959.
Regular flights with SAS run from London Heathrow to Copenhagen, with transfers via Air Greenland to Kangerlussuaq.
For airport transfers to Heathrow and to explore Copenhagen during an extended layover, car journeys can be scheduled via the Uber app. Alternatively, to use lounge facilities during extended stopovers, try PriorityPass.
(Top picture: Sadie Whitelocks)
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