Greenland Dog Sledding & Skiing Expedition

Land of the Polar Inuit!

Trip Highlights

• The best of Greenland’s High Arctic scenery, culture and wildlife

• Camp on shore of the world's largest polynya

• View seabirds, seals, narwhal and walrus amid towering icebergs

• Spectacular hikes to cliff-nesting seabird colonies

• Travel by dogsled with the Inughuit, the Arctic's most traditional hunters

• Visit to world's northernmost settlements

Greenland Dogsledding Expedition – 15 days  Starts / ends in Nunavut

Explore part of the Thule district in north western Greenland at Latitude 77° N.  Join us on a remarkable dog sledding journey to the Arctic's last stronghold of truly traditional people, the Inughuit, or Polar Inuit. A traditional hunting society, the Polar Inuit live in a manner unheard of elsewhere in today's Arctic. They feed their families from the land, hunt Narwhal by kayak and in winter they travel entirely by dog team, having banned the use of snow mobiles due to noise and exhaust fumes. This expedition offers a window to view a bygone era, a glimpse into a hunting culture a thousand years old.

On our ‘Ultimate Thule’ expedition you travel by dog sled or skis with the Inughuit people through the Thule District where the ice edge is a dynamic phenomenon in the Arctic - a place of incredible biological productivity.  The journey with Greenland’s traditional hunters takes you to the edge of the world's largest polynya (ocean area free of sea ice).  Here, the warmer spring temperatures and 24-hour sunlight of late April mark the arrival of hundreds of thousands of seabirds; these include Thick-billed murres, Northern fulmars, Common eiders and Little auks or Dovekies.  We observe these species both at the ice edge and at sea bird colonies along our route. In addition, sightings of larger animals may include Muskox and Caribou. The ice edge is the domain of Walrus, Bearded and Harp seals. The subsistence hunters set up their camps along the sea ice during this time of year, hunting seals and netting sea birds.  The scenery is outstanding - a dramatic landscape of icebergs frozen in place against a backdrop of mountain cliffs that rim the inland icecap.  This unusual journey is a remarkable learning experience - we see first hand a society that has changed little over the last centuries, making this a rare opportunity not to be missed.

Itinerary-in-Brief

Day 1:  Travel north aboard First Air to Iqaluit, Nunavut’s capital city. Overnight hotel. 

Day 2:  We board our chartered Twin Otter for the flight over to Qannaaq, Greenland.

Days 3-12:  Ice conditions permitting, we travel overland from our drop-off site towards Inglefield land. Our direction of travel each day will be governed by such factors as wind, ice and wildlife.  We will spend time sitting on the ice edge watching marine mammals and sea birds plus visiting several seabird colonies. We plan to spend time with the Polar Inuit hunters and their families, watching these remarkable people in action and sharing tea with them when we visit their camps.  This unusual journey takes us amongst a myriad of picturesque icebergs and inland when we travel over parts of the massive Greenland icecap. Throughout the course of the trip your guides will provide an informal commentary on the flora, geology, birdlife, and geographical features of Greenland’s High Arctic.

Day 13:  The dogsled trip will finish in Inglefield Land (Trip # 1) or Qaanaaq (Trip # 2).  

Days 14-15:  Day 14 we will fly to Grise Fiord on Ellesmere Island to overnight. On Day 15 we fly to Resolute Bay to connect with the First Air flight southbound to Ottawa.

Trip Details
15-day trip starts and ends in Resolute Bay, Nunavut.

Additional details about this trip are available on request.