A true Greenland expedition from Nuuk to Disco Bay!
Welcome onboard our expedition Disco Bay Round; in the heart of West Greenland! We spend a week around mighty peaks, vast landscapes, towering ice bergs and not least a bustling wildlife. Underway we’ll get off the beaten track, go onshore for hikes and beach parties, visit remote villages and just enjoy the greatness of these surroundings.
From Ilulissat around Disco Bay
We start and end this expedition in Ilulissat. This vibrant adventure hub of West Greenland. Reknown for the UNESCO World Heritage area Ilulissatfjord. Where the calving glacier Sermeq Kujalleq fills the fjord with the world’s largest icebergs straight from the vast inland ice sheet. From here we work our way north towards the next fjord basin; Uummannaq Fjord. We will circumnavigate the Disco Island, where also Amundsen was docking on his famous journey conquering the North-West Passage.
We will spend most of our time this week inshore, among the fjords, mountains and islands here. But we will for a few shorter stretches venture a little further offshore and probably sail through some of the nights. Having the wheelhouse filled with the midnight sun on our night watches; a great experience in itself!
Marine wildlife and inuit villages
The waters of Disco Bay is known for its thriving and rich marine ecosystems. All the runout from land and the glacier fronts bring with it lots of minerals and nutrients for plancton and algee, which in turn support the rest of the ecosystem. One of the larger species on the top of the food chain, we will see here, is the humpback whale. Where they blow and dive among floating icebergs. When we are this far north, we may even be able to spot a pod of Narwhales, even though they are very rare here in summer. We’ll find the local hunters and ask for their advice!
On our way we will also pass along some smal cozy villages. Where colourful houses cling onto the mountain sides among rocky slopes on the blue seafront. Some of the villages on this leg include Uummannaq and Qeqertarsuaq. Where we dock, look around and hope to get some new friends and learn about the local inuit heritage and traditions. The trip will also include secluded anchorages in beautiful landscapes with bonfires on the beach. And mountain hikes with incredible views from the inland ice cap in the east, to the Baffin Bay to our west.
Join as part of the crew on board
From SeilNorge we will be skipper, co-skipper and crew/guide onboard. All good sailors, at least one of whom will have solid sailing time and experience from similar expeditions. The guide and remaining crew on board also take responsibility for being polar bear watch when we are on land, where needed. En route for sail or motor, we include everyone on board in the sailing. We will mostly sail around the clock, and divides everyone into watch teams. We rotate between the duty shifts and go 4 hours on and 8 hours off. In addition, we include a couple of shorter shifts in the rotation in the afternoon, so that we also rotate the night shifts between the different watch teams.
Our expedition vessel, Valiente
It’s not just any sailboat we’re using on this trip, but our 70-foot expedition boat Valiente. She is a very stable and comfortable boat built in steel for sailing in arctic waters. The boat is well equipped and has large outdoor areas, and a wheelhouse and a saloon with a 360-degree view. Find pictures and more information about the vessel Valiente here.
The great Greenland expedition 2025
This expedition, like our other longer trips, is primarily a great voyage of discovery, but also an excellent opportunity to learn a lot about sailing and navigation. And not least using a boat as a starting point for discoveries and experiences on land. Are you ready for our big expedition from Greenland?
We recommend all participants stay a few extra days in Greenland, there is a lot to see and do here. We will send out tips and information about activities and accommodation to all participants. This is also part of our big Greenland expedition in 2025, where we will go all the way up to Disco Bay and back. If you want to join several of the stages up/down the west coast of Greenland, you are also most welcome!
Environment and sustainability
The Arctic is a vulnerable area under pressure from people and the climate. However in SeilNorge, we are concerned with taking care of the environment to the greatest extent possible. We believe that small boats with fewer people and little pollution and waste are much less harmful to the environment, climate and local wildlife, than larger boats and cruise ships. In the places we visit, we also try to clean up litter rather than leaving anything behind, so we leave a positive handprint. In Svalbard and Greenland, we follow AECO’s guidelines for encounters with wildlife, beach cleaning, cultural heritage sites and for visitors and operators in the Arctic. You can read more about AECO’s guidelines here.
This longer expedition to Greenland and Disco Bay is a dream we’ve had for a long time. The last years we had to postpone - so we look a lot forward to set sails for new adventures in 2025! Many have already showed their interest for the different legs so this will be very exciting!
Emil, SeilNorge
Itinerary
Day 1: Welcome on board in Ilulissat
We meet in the habour in Ilulissat at 16.00 this first day. To start us off, we will get to know the boat and the other expedition participants. We walk through how life is on board, safety information and basics about sailing and navigation. When we are all ready we hoist sails for our adventure already this first afternoon and sail into the midnight sun!
Day 2: Sailing day to Uummannaq Fjord
We spend the first night getting into our watch rotation. And our first day getting to know the vessel well, and learning more about sailing. As we make our way north towards the next fjord basin. For the night we arrive in the Uummannaq fjord, where we find a suitable anchorage for the night.
Day 3-4: Uummannaq - sea cliffs and caves, hiking and exploration
We spend these next few days around the Uummannaq area. Where also the village of Uummannaq is a very pretty place. Situated just below towering rocky peaks reaching more than 1000m to the sky! We have also heard rumours about some great sea cliffs and even caves on an island in this fjord. So we need to spend our exploration days well!
Day 5: Whale watching around Disco Island
Further on our adventure we will sail south, on the outside of Disco Island. The waters here are rich and we may spot lots of different marine life underway. Seals and whales in the sea, and maybe musk oxen and polar foxes on land! Keep your eyes open and course steady!
Day 6: Qeqertarsuaq
The main port on Disco Island lay on the south side. In a nice sheltered bay surrounded by mountains, as all villages here in Greenland. We stop here, rest, hike and explore what the little town has to offer. This is also where Roald Amundsen was stopping with his expedition vessel Gjøa. As their last stop in Greenland before they headed towards the Northwest Passage.
Day 7: Back towards Illulissat and the ice fjord
We sail back into Disco BAy to complete our circut, again at the UNESCO World Heritage Ilulissat Ice Fjord. This fjord itself is around 1000m deep, and the huge inland ice is calving enormous ice bergs into this fjord. At the entrance of this fjord though, it’s only a few hundred meters deep. Which make all the huge ice bergs ground and form a plug. So this whole fjord is packed with ice bergs, large as skyscrapers. A super impressive sight. For the evening we anchor at Ilimanaq, south of the ice fjord. Have dinner by the bonfire on the beach and enjoy!
Day 8: Bye for now, in Ilulissat
Last day we spend sailing around the huge ice bergs at the entrance of the ice fjord. Before we head back towards the port of Ilulissat. Where we pack together our stuff together, clean and tidy the boat and say goodbye by 16.00 this last afternoon. Thanks for a wonderful experience together!
Changes to the program
The program should be seen as a rough itinerary that we can adapt to the weather and conditions. We also reserve the right to change and improve our itineraries. We will have a dinghy for beach trips and small expeditions, fishing gear for cod, and gear to hike or make bonfires on the beach on all our trips – we are ready for adventure! Are you?
What is included?
- A trip experience with sailboat – experienced skipper with local knowledge on board
- Co-skipper and crew/guide on board
- All food we eat on board during the trip
- Our Comfort Package, which consists of accommodation on board in a shared double cabin (bunk or double bed) with a ready-made bed (warm and nice duvets and pillows!)
- An environmentally friendly, local, sustainable, unique, exotic and exclusive Norwegian adventure holiday
- A shared experience and friendship with like-minded adventurers from around the world
- A lot of time outdoors – raw and honest nature experiences
- Use of our shared equipment if available: dinghies, kayaks, fishing equipment, etc.
- All boat-related costs such as diesel, propane and harbor fees
- Personal safety equipment; Helly Hansen inflatable lifejacket
- Survival suit and Search and Rescue (SAR) Insurance for everyone on board
- Instruction, advice, guidance and practical training in boating and sailing
What is not included?
- Travel to and from the start/end location
- Optional meals at a cafes/restaurants during the trip
- Entrance to galleries, museums, or other alternative activities that you/we may come up with
- Rental of equipment and/or activities from external operators, ex. kayak, glacier hiking or surfing where possible
- Drinks such as wine, beer or exclusive apple juice and other luxuries (yes, we drink beer and wine on board, bring your own)
- Travel insurance and/or cancellation insurance – (up to you, but recommended!)
Important info
Departure and arrival
This trip starts and ends in Ilulissat, Greenland.
You find more information on travel, equipment and other tips under Practical info.
Safety and risk on our expeditions
As mentioned, we take safety very seriously. Even more so on our expeditions, as we then explore really remote waters and terrain, cross open oceans and sail into areas with additional risk factors such as sea ice or poor charts and uncharted waters. We deal with this by having an extra focus on the situations we may encounter among everyone on board, for each expedition. We sail in these remote areas only in the most optimal seasons; and we use larger and very solid boats for our expeditions. Which are both equipped and sized to cope with this type of expedition trips and waters very well.
We are absolutely certain that sailing is the safest and most accessible way to visit these very inaccessible places we go on our expeditions. However, all sailing in general, and particularly sailing in arctic regions and over open seas, involves a certain risk that you must be aware of when joining.
Level of the expedition
Some have their first sailing experience ever, joining us on an ocean crossing! Please note that our expeditions require a certain physical health and mobility level.
The boats we sail on our expeditions are larger, robust and sit well in the sea. On our sailing expeditions we both sail in more coastal, sheltered waters, and cross open stretches of waters. On some of our expeditions even ocean crossings over several days at sea. An incredibly wonderful and special experience!
Weather dictates our journey, and we adapt each expedition’s program accordingly, often allowing extra days for flexibility in assessing and choosing optimal weather windows. Despite planning and preparations, we can’t control the weather, so be prepared for various conditions. The proximity to nature’s forces on such expeditions is a rare and rewarding experience.
On expeditions, we sail with many participants, forming watch teams for a solid on board team spirit. Rotating watches around the clock ensures active involvement without overwhelming fatigue.
As everyone participates actively during the week or more on board, seasickness is rare. If you anticipate seasickness, consider bringing remedies, such as seasickness plasters, often effective for longer expeditions. Consult your doctor for advice on seasickness and any necessary medications. Feel free to ask us about seasickness as well.