Seven Million Tons of Frozen Art: a Disko Bay Expedition

Board your HX charter flight from New York and trade the Manhattan skyline for the granite peaks of the Arctic in just a few hours. Upon landing in Nuuk, you’ll be transferred to your hotel in Greenland’s colorful capital, where a welcome dinner awaits. Take an evening stroll to the old waterfront quarter — Nuuk Cathedral, the Hans Egede statue, and the iconic Mother of the Sea sculpture are all within easy walking distance.

The morning belongs to Nuuk. Head to Colonial Harbour — home to some of the city’s oldest buildings including the Hans Egede House, built in 1728 — then board a small boat for a scenic ride up Nuuk Fjord to a remote, abandoned settlement for a memorable Arctic lunch. In the afternoon, return to the harbor, board the MS Fridtjof Nansen, attend the mandatory safety briefing, and settle in as your voyage gets underway.

A day to settle into expedition rhythm. Attend the mandatory AECO briefings if you plan to join any shore landings, then explore the onboard Science Center and catch the first round of lectures on Greenlandic geology, wildlife, and culture. Somewhere during the day, the ship crosses the Arctic Circle — entering the lands of the Midnight Sun at the height of summer. It’s worth being on deck for this one.

This is the one. The Ilulissat Icefjord — fed by Sermeq Kujalleq, one of the world’s most productive glaciers — delivers icebergs so massive they grind on the seafloor before drifting south. Walk the wooden boardwalk to the fjord’s mouth, take a Zodiac through the ice graveyard, and visit the Icefjord Centre in town. The scale here is genuinely impossible to communicate in advance. Just go.

Beyond the Nuussuaq Peninsula, Greenland’s far north begins in earnest. Uummannaq Fjord is the gateway — dominated by a striking heart-shaped mountain that towers 1,170 meters above the sea and serves as one of the most photographed peaks in the Arctic. Potential landings include the town of Uummannaq itself, with its vivid painted houses, working dogsled culture, and deep-rooted Inuit traditions.

A second day in the Uummannaq region means the expedition team can go deeper. Potential stops include Ukkusissat, a small settlement perched dramatically on a peninsula, and — weather and ice permitting — the Qilakitsoq site, where 15th-century mummies were discovered in 1972. One of the most significant archaeological finds in Greenland’s history, and a landing that changes how you think about this place.

Welcome to the reason this trip exists. Disko Bay opens up in all its cathedral grandeur — deep blue water scattered with icebergs in every conceivable shape, from flat-topped tabular giants to impossibly sculpted arches and spires. The Expedition Team gets Zodiacs in the water immediately. Vaigat Sound stretches to the west. The bay is alive with movement, scale, and the occasional humpback surfacing alongside the inflatable.

Three days in Disko Bay means you can go deep. Today’s program focuses on wildlife and ice — Zodiac runs through iceberg fields where humpbacks surface alongside the inflatable, and landings on Disko Island at Qeqertarsuaq, the main settlement, where basalt columns rise from the shoreline and sled dogs watch you pass with practiced Arctic indifference. Optional excursion: Hike to the basaltic rocks.

The eastern fjords of Disko Bay offer a quieter, more intimate counterpart to the main bay’s drama. Ice is dense here, wildlife concentrated, and the odds of a truly private landing — just your Zodiac and a gravel beach — are high. The Citizen Science program runs between shore visits; the onboard geologist tends to get very animated in this part of the bay. Budget accordingly for your attention span.

Sailing south now, the ship traces the central west coast — a land of contrasts where some of Greenland’s longest fjords frame tiny settlements clinging to the shoreline. Possible calls today include Itilleq, a small fishing and hunting village perched just north of the Arctic Circle. Distances here are vast, the population sparse, and the sense of remoteness is genuine — not curated.

Greenland’s second-largest town sits at the intersection of 4,000 years of Saqqaq culture and a surprisingly modern present. Visit the local museum, browse qiviut products (musk ox wool, reportedly 10 times warmer than sheep — yes, really), and take in the panoramic views from the hills above town. Optional excursions include the Arctic Sounds Concert, the Panoramic Sisimiut by bus, and the Cultural-Historical Hike. Don’t skip the concert if it’s scheduled.

Disembark in Nuuk and say a fond farewell to the crew, the Expedition Team, and the new friends that 11 days in the Arctic reliably produces. From Nuuk, your charter flight returns you to New York — a journey of just a few hours that somehow feels like crossing a much greater distance. You leave with icebergs still in your head and a serious Greenland problem.