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Turquoise water beneath the edge of the sea ice with mountains beyond in Scoresby Sund, East Greenland, on a PONANT Greenland expedition cruise

Scoresby Sund and the Northeast Greenland National Park · 65° to 81° North

East Greenland

The longest fjord system on earth, the largest national park on earth and a coast with one settlement in a thousand kilometres. September brings the aurora. Ten days here changes what you think a fjord is.

Highlights

Why East Greenland

Scoresby Sund is the largest fjord system in the world, 350 kilometres from the sea to the glaciers and 1,500 metres deep in places. The ice sheet calves into it, the icebergs ground in its side fjords for years, and the only people for a thousand kilometres live in Ittoqqortoormiit at its mouth. North of it begins the Northeast Greenland National Park, 972,000 square kilometres with no permanent residents. The sea ice holds the coast closed until August, and by mid-September the nights are dark enough for the aurora over the fjord.

Large white iceberg mirrored in still water in the Bear Islands, Scoresby Sund, East Greenland, photographed on a Swan Hellenic Greenland expedition cruise

Icebergs grounded in the fjords

Close-up profile of a shaggy musk ox on Little Island, Scoresby Sund, East Greenland, photographed on a Swan Hellenic Greenland expedition cruise

Musk oxen on the tundra

Drum dancer in beaded Greenlandic national costume performing for visitors in Ittoqqortoormiit, East Greenland, on a Swan Hellenic Greenland expedition cruise

Ittoqqortoormiit, the last village

Ribbons of northern lights reflected on calm water at night off East Greenland, photographed from SH Vega on a Swan Hellenic Greenland expedition cruise

The aurora from the deck

Polar bear climbing over dark coastal rocks at Hekla Havn, Danmark Island, East Greenland, photographed from a Swan Hellenic Greenland expedition cruise

Polar bears on the shore

Signature locations

Where the voyages go

Ten places from the mouth of Scoresby Sund to the national park. The ice sets the order, and the swell off the coast sets the day.

Red wooden houses perched above the fjord in Ittoqqortoormiit, Scoresby Sund, East Greenland, visited on a Swan Hellenic Greenland expedition cruise

Ittoqqortoormiit

Founded in 1925 and home to around 350 people and their sled dogs, at the mouth of Scoresby Sund. Drum dancing, a red church, musk-ox hides on the walls and the most isolated post office in Greenland.

When to go

Eight weeks, and when to take them

The sea ice holds the coast closed for most of the year. The season for the sister ships runs from early August to late September, and only Le Commandant Charcot sails here in the spring ice.

Only Le Commandant Charcot, through the fast ice of Scoresby Sund and the Blosseville Coast, with seals on the floes and the ice sheet under snow. A voyage for guests who want the ice itself.

Wildlife

Who you meet, and when

East Greenland holds the largest population of musk oxen in the world and a polar bear population that lives along the sea ice of the national park. Sightings are never promised. These are the odds as we know them.

Almost certain. The herds of Kong Oscar Fjord, Rypefjord and the Bear Islands graze within sight of the landings from August to September.

Things to do

How the days are spent

Two outings a day, by Zodiac and on foot, with the whole ship ashore at once. All included on the ships we sell, except kayaking, booked in advance.

Aerial view of a sculpted white iceberg on dark water during a Zodiac cruise in East Greenland, photographed on a Swan Hellenic Greenland expedition cruise

Zodiac cruising among the icebergs

Bare mountain peak rising above a rocky tundra valley at Segelsallskapet Fjord, East Greenland, a landing on a Swan Hellenic Greenland expedition cruise

Tundra hikes in the side fjords

Drone view of an iceberg with its turquoise underwater mass visible during a Zodiac cruise in East Greenland, on a Swan Hellenic Greenland expedition cruise

Kayaking in the inner sound

Guest setting up a telescope and camera on the deck of SH Vega before the solar eclipse off East Greenland, on a Swan Hellenic eclipse cruise

Night watches for the aurora

Layered red cliffs of Teufelsschloss above an iceberg in Kejser Franz Joseph Fjord, East Greenland, cruised by SH Vega on a Swan Hellenic Greenland cruise

Field notes

What the brochures leave out

Getting there is the part nobody explains. The sister ships and SH Vega reach Scoresby Sund across the Denmark Strait from Reykjavík, a night and a day at sea each way with swell. Le Commandant Charcot and the Aurora ships do the same. The Ponant Greenland crossings on L’Austral, Le Lyrial and Le Boréal touch the south-east at Tasiilaq and Skjoldungen before rounding to the west coast. There is no charter airstrip in Scoresby Sund that the ships use, so every voyage here is a crossing, and we tell you honestly how your ship handles one.

The practical things. Greenland is Danish territory with its own government, outside Schengen: no visa for Australians, but carry your passport ashore. East Greenland is twelve hours behind Sydney in September. The currency is the Danish krone and the village shop takes cards. There is no mobile coverage anywhere on this coast, only the ship’s satellite Wi-Fi. September days sit between 0 and 6 degrees, nights below zero, and the aurora is best seen from the open deck with the ship darkened, so pack a down jacket under the parka the ship gives you.

  • 350 km of fjord
  • 972,000 km² of park
  • 8 weeks a year

How we plan it

Four decisions, in the right order

An East Greenland voyage is decided by the crossing and the calendar. This is the order we work in with every guest.

August for the longest days and the widest landings, September for the colour and the aurora. We tell you which fortnight gives you both.

What an East Greenland voyage costs

From A$19,812 per person for ten nights aboard Sylvia Earle in September, Iceland and East Greenland under the northern lights, with the Reykjavík hotel night included.

From A$20,900 for thirteen nights aboard Le Lyrial from Longyearbyen to Reykjavík by Jan Mayen and Scoresby Sund, Paris charter included. From A$28,414 for fourteen nights aboard Sylvia Earle on the Jewels of the Arctic route.

From A$18,810 for thirteen nights from Reykjavík to Nuuk aboard the Ponant sister ships, east coast to Disko Bay, with the flight from Greenland to Paris included.

From A$53,550 for sixteen nights between Reykjavík and Longyearbyen through the sea ice of the Blosseville Coast and the national park, Paris charter included.

Flights from Australia to Reykjavík or Paris, hotel nights there, kayaking on most lines and travel insurance are the usual additions. Many of these departures carry offers we hold for Arctic Cruise guests and do not publish. Call us and we quote the whole journey with them, in Australian dollars, on one proposal.


Expeditions

Expeditions to East Greenland

Scoresby Sund under the aurora, Svalbard across to Greenland and Iceland, the spring ice aboard Le Commandant Charcot and the Greenland crossings to the west coast. Tell us the month and we tell you which sailing, which ship and what we can do on the fare.

All expeditions
10 Nights
Aurora Expeditions
From A$19,812

Iceland and East Greenland, Under the Northern Lights

Reykjavík to Reykjavík in September, with a hotel night in Reykjavík included. Sailings in 2027 and 2028, with 2029 to follow. From A$19,812 per person, planned with you by Arctic Cruise.

14 Nights
Aurora Expeditions
From A$28,414

Jewels of the Arctic: Svalbard and East Greenland

Oslo to Reykjavík, or the reverse, with the charter flight to Longyearbyen included. Sailings in 2027 and 2028, with 2029 to follow. From A$28,414 per person, planned with you by Arctic Cruise.

13 Nights
Ponant
From A$20,900

From Svalbard to Iceland

Longyearbyen to Reykjavík aboard Le Lyrial, by way of the north-west fjords of Spitsbergen, Jan Mayen and Scoresby Sund in East Greenland. One sailing, 4 to 17 August 2028, with the Paris to Longyearbyen charter flight included. From A$20,900 per person, planned with you by Arctic Cruise.

16 Nights
Ponant
From A$53,550

In the Ice of the Arctic: Svalbard and Greenland

Reykjavík to Longyearbyen in June, or Longyearbyen to Reykjavík. Sailings in 2027, with 2028 to follow. Paris charter flight included. From A$53,550 per person, planned with you by Arctic Cruise.

13 Nights
Ponant
From A$18,810

Expedition to the Edge of the Ice Sheet

Reykjavík to Greenland aboard a Ponant sister ship: Tasiilaq and the east coast, Prins Christian Sund, the Norse ruins of the south, Nuuk, Disko Bay and the Eqi glacier. Four sailings across 2027 and 2028, the Greenland to Paris flight included. From A$18,810 per person, planned with you by Arctic Cruise.

14 Nights
Quark Expeditions
From US$10,041

South Greenland: Alpine Exploration by Helicopter

Reykjavík to Reykjavík, with the flight from Nuuk at the end included. One sailing in August 2027, one in August 2028, with 2029 to follow. From US$10,041 per person in US dollars, planned with you by Arctic Cruise.

Go further

Pair East Greenland with the rest of the Arctic

Most East Greenland voyages begin or end in Iceland, and the longest ones start in Svalbard or finish in Disko Bay. These are the routes that join them.

All expeditions
7 Nights
Ponant
From A$15,770

Unexplored Svalbard

Longyearbyen to Longyearbyen aboard Le Lyrial, around the north of Spitsbergen to the nature reserves of Nordaustlandet and Edgeøya. Five departures from 30 June to 28 July 2028, return charter flights from Paris included. From A$15,770 per person, planned with you by Arctic Cruise.

7 Nights
Ponant
From A$17,120

Disko Bay and Inuit Villages

Nuuk to Nuuk aboard Le Lyrial: the Eternity fjord, Disko Island, the Eqi glacier, the Karrat fjord, Uummannaq and the icebergs of Ilulissat in a single week. One sailing in September 2027, one in August 2028, return flights from Paris included. From A$17,120 per person, planned with you by Arctic Cruise.

17 Nights
Ponant
From A$22,370

Wilderness from Greenland to the East Coast of Canada

Nuuk to Halifax aboard a Ponant sister ship: Baffin Island, the Torngat Mountains, the Labrador coast, the Norse site of L’Anse aux Meadows, Newfoundland and Saint-Pierre et Miquelon. Three sailings across September 2027 and 2028, the Paris to Nuuk flight included. From A$22,370 per person, planned with you by Arctic Cruise.

Polar bear resting on boulders at the water's edge at Hekla Havn, Danmark Island, East Greenland, seen on a Swan Hellenic Greenland expedition cruise

Questions

East Greenland, your questions answered

The crossing, the ice, the aurora and getting there from Australia. If your question is not here, we are a call away.

Fly to Reykjavík, around 26 hours with one stop, and board there. Most voyages sail from Reykjavík and cross the Denmark Strait to Scoresby Sund. We book the long-haul flights, a night in Reykjavík before you board and the hotel on the way home, so it is one booking with one specialist.

Late August to mid-September. The sea ice has cleared, the tundra has turned, the icebergs are at their largest and the nights are dark enough for the aurora. August gives longer days and more landings, late September more aurora and more swell.

From the last week of August, on any clear night, and most September voyages see them more than once. We cannot promise a clear sky. We can tell you which sailings sit in the darkest fortnight.

It can be. The crossing from Reykjavík takes a night and a day each way, and September brings swell. The ships we sell here are built for it, and we tell you which decks and which cabins ride it best. Inside the fjords the water is flat.

Sylvia Earle for an Australian team and the September aurora route, Le Lyrial for the Svalbard to Iceland crossing with Paris flights, the Ponant sister ships for the long Greenland crossings, Le Commandant Charcot for the spring sea ice. We have sailed them all and we say which suits you.

Between 0 and 6 degrees by day in September, below zero at night and in the wind off the ice sheet. The ships provide the parka and boots. Bring thermal layers, waterproof trousers, a down jacket for the aurora watches and gloves you can work a camera in.

Yes. Every Scoresby Sund voyage calls there, usually for a morning: the church, the museum, the weather station and the sled dogs. Buy something in the shop. It matters to a village of 350.

We have sailed these ships on this coast, we know which suite to ask for, and we hold offers on many departures that are only available by talking to us. One Australian specialist plans the whole journey and stays with you until you are home.

Made to measure

Tell us your Arctic, we build the rest

Every guest sails differently. Tell us what you are hoping for, the ice, the wildlife, the light, who you are travelling with, and we match it to the right sailing, the right stateroom and the right year, with flights from Australia and our own offers included. One Arctic Cruise specialist stays with you from the first call until you are home.

The Arctic, by destination

Other Arctic destinations

Seven coasts, each with its own season, its own ships and its own page. Tell us which one you are drawn to and we tell you how it fits with the others.

All expeditions

Svalbard

Nine islands halfway between Norway and the Pole, where the bears outnumber the people and the sun does not set for four months. We have sailed every coast of it.

Northwest Passage and the Canadian Arctic

The sea route that Franklin died looking for and Amundsen took three winters to sail. Today it opens for six weeks a year, and the ships that go in come back with stories no other coast gives. Ice decides the route, every year, every morning.

Labrador and Newfoundland

The autumn coast, where the polar bears come down to a shore of red tundra, the Vikings built the first European houses in the Americas and a piece of France waits at the end. September, when the colour is on the tundra and the bears are on the shore.

West Greenland and Disko Bay

The coast where the ice sheet reaches the sea. The fastest glacier in the northern hemisphere, the icebergs it sends into Disko Bay, towns of coloured houses on the rock and, in September, the aurora over the ice. The easiest Arctic to reach, and the one with the most icebergs.

The Geographic North Pole

One passenger ship in the world can take you to the top of the planet, and she sails from Svalbard. Three days through the pack ice, two days on it, every direction south, and nothing else like it on any ship.

Iceland and Jan Mayen

Where most Arctic voyages begin or end, and where the best of them linger: the Westfjords, the whales of Húsavík and the volcano that rises alone out of the Greenland Sea. Two nights in Reykjavík either side, and the whole of the North Atlantic between.