Whale Safari in West Greenland
View Trip Notes
Explore West Greenland on this unique Whale Safari. Highlights such as searching for Whales at the mouth of Disko Bay, soaking in the warm hot springs on shore and exploring the fantastic scenery of West Greenland.
The vessel for the trip is the S/V ‘Rembrandt Van Rijn’ which was built as a herring lugger early last century. The vessel was rebuilt as a three-mast passenger sailing schooner in The Netherlands in 1994 and sailed in Spitsbergen (1994 – 1996) and in Galápagos (1998 - 2001). The vessel underwent a complete rebuilding and refurbishment program in 2011. The communication and navigation equipment has been completely revamped according to the latest SOLAS regulations.
The Rembrandt van Rijn measures 56 meters in length (168 ft.), 7 meters in width and has a draft of 2.5 meters. The maximum engine speed is 9 knots. She has an experienced crew of 10 on board including two tour guides. The ship can accommodate a maximum of 34 passengers in 17 twin cabins (1 Twin Shared cabin with porthole (shared shower and toilet), 6 Twin Private Inside cabins (with shower and toilet, no porthole), 10 Twin Private cabins (with shower and toilet and porthole). A spacious restaurant on board the vessel allows all passengers to have their meals at the same time. The vessel furthermore consists of a separate bar including a reading table. The ship is well suited for expedition cruising among small islands and offers good open deck viewing areas, even when under sail. The two inflatable rubber crafts (zodiacs) enable landing and wildlife viewing opportunities in otherwise inaccessible areas.
Deckplan
Click here to view deck plan for the Rembrandt Van Rijn
Arrive in Maniitsoq from Reykjavik by chartered plane
Fantastic landscapes of the Sermilinguaq Fjord
Visit Evighedsfjord
Sailing to Sydbay
Sail in the mouth of Disko Bay
Enjoy warm springs at Qeqertarsuaq
Jakobshavn Glacier to Ilullissat
Departure day from Ilulissat
Countries visited
Places visited
Transportation
Newly restored and fitted out herring lugger S/V ‘Rembrandt Van Rijn’
Included In Price
* Voyage aboard the indicated vessel as indicated in the itinerary.* All meals throughout the voyage aboard the ship including snacks, coffee and tea.
* All shore excursions and activities throughout the voyage by Zodiac.
* Program of lectures by noted naturalists and leadership by experienced expedition staff.
* Transfers and baggage handling between airport and ship in Greenland harbours on the chartered group flights.
* All miscellaneous service taxes and port charges throughout the program.
* AECO fees and governmental taxes.
* Comprehensive pre-departure material.
Meals Included
This tour includes 20 meals; 7 breakfasts 6 lunches 7 dinners
Not Included In Price
Any airfare, whether on scheduled or charter flights; pre- and post land arrangements; transfers to / from the vessel outside Spitsbergen; passport and visa expenses; Government arrival and departure taxes; meals ashore; baggage, cancellation and personal insurance (which is mandatory); excess baggage charges and all items of a personal nature such as laundry, bar, beverage charges and telecommunication charges; and the customary gratuity at the end of the voyages for stewards and other service personnel aboard (guidelines will be provided).Note:It is agreed that if world fuel prices will reach or exceed US Dollar 90 per Barrel Brent 90 days prior to departure Oceanwide Expeditions reserves the right to levy a fuel surcharge of US Dollar 25 per passenger per night, to be paid by the contracting party of Oceanwide Expeditions.
Important Information
We strongly recommend to pre-book optional excursions, as these can easily be booked out. Note, however, that weather conditions may affect these excursions and due to this we cannot guarantee that the excursions will run on the time/date booked.You can do snow shoeing on this voyage.
| Start | End | Quad pp | Twin private inside | Twin Private Porthole | |
| 14 May 2013 | 21 May 2013 | AU$ 2460 | AU$ 2710 | AU$ 2970 | |
| Book before 1st Jan, 2013 to enjoy this price. | |||||
Day 1: Arrive in Maniitsoq from Reykjavik by chartered plane
We arrive in Maniitsoq from Reykjavik by chartered plane (flight not included in the voyage cost). The town is nestled on an island at the mouth of a fjord surrounded by peaks above 2000 m. The port of Maniitsoq is ice free from late spring to early winter. It is a community where fishing and hunting form the backbone of the economy. There is a museum which portrays regional history and culture. Sperm Whale frequently surface in the waters near town.
Accommodation
S/V ‘Rembrandt Van Rijn’Meals Included
1 x DinnersDay 2: Fantastic landscapes of the Sermilinguaq Fjord
East of Hamborgerland we reach the fantastic landscapes of the Sermilinguaq Fjord, where we will sail by colonies of Brünnich’s Guillemot and Kittiwake. The Maniitsoq area offers a rugged scenery and mountain tops are flanked by glaciers reaching down to the sea. On snowshoes we will explore the lower slopes and viewpoints.
Accommodation
S/V ‘Rembrandt Van Rijn’Meals Included
1 x Breakfasts1 x Lunches1 x DinnersDay 3: Visit Evighedsfjord
At the mouth of Evighedsfjord we often see Humpback Whale. We sail into that fjord and visit a large seabird colony at Taaterat (Kittiwake) and sail along the nearby glacier front. Further into the fjord we sail among the highest alpine mountains in West Greenland.
Accommodation
S/V ‘Rembrandt Van Rijn’Meals Included
1 x Breakfasts1 x Lunches1 x DinnersDay 4: Sailing to Sydbay
We arrive at Sydbay (Ukivik), where the 18th Century whalers traded with the Eskimo’s at the occasion of the yearly Assivik, when people from a large area come together, on a beautiful sandy beach. We land also at nearby Isortoq where remains of houses from the Thule culture can be found. In this area we may also see Reindeer.
Accommodation
S/V ‘Rembrandt Van Rijn’Meals Included
1 x Breakfasts1 x Lunches1 x DinnersDay 5: Sail in the mouth of Disko Bay
The island groups of Hunde Ejland and Kronprinsens Ejland, at the mouth of Disko Bay, are surrounded by rich waters which attract both seabirds and whales. We intend to call at the small settlement on Hunde Eijland where old dwellings of Greenlands’s Thule culture (dating from the 11th Century) and graves from 18th Century Dutch whalers can be seen. Later we will make Zodiac excursions in the beautiful narrows of the Kronprinsens Ej 189c land archipelago. This day we will have good opportunities to observe foraging Greenland Whales at the mouth of Disko Bay.
Accommodation
S/V ‘Rembrandt Van Rijn’Meals Included
1 x Breakfasts1 x Lunches1 x DinnersDay 6: Enjoy warm springs at Qeqertarsuaq
Another day of opportunities to see Greenland Whales, when we sail to Disko Island and land at Engelskmandens Havn and Fortunebay near Qeqertarsuaq (Godhavn), where there are warm springs.
Accommodation
S/V ‘Rembrandt Van Rijn’Meals Included
1 x Breakfasts1 x Lunches1 x DinnersDay 7: Jakobshavn Glacier to Ilullissat
Today we find ourselves just south of the large Jakobshavn Glacier with its enormous ice- bergs. We climb the hill at Avangnardlit from where we have a fantastic view across the Jakobshavn Isfjord, which is a World Heritage site. In the evening we sail along the front of the glacier and the ice-bergs to Ilullissat, where we will spend the night.
Accommodation
S/V ‘Rembrandt Van Rijn’Meals Included
1 x Breakfasts1 x Lunches1 x DinnersDay 8: Departure day from Ilulissat
Ilulissat (5000 inhabitants) is an important West Greenland town, with museums, institutes bookstores, etc. At mid-day we fly from Ilulissat to Reykjavik by chartered plane.