Greenland and Wild Labrador
Natural history and culture – journey from West Greenland to Newfoundland | 19 Days
This is a sailing of staggering geographic diversity covering over 2,200 nautical miles from the head of Sondre Stromfjord in Greenland all the way to St. John’s, capital of Newfoundland and Labrador, stopping at four Canadian national parks along the way.
We set out along the western coast of Greenland, calling at Nuuk, one of the world’s northernmost capital cities, and exploring one of the many fjords for which the area is famed. Across Davis Strait in Canada, we visit the stunning Torngat Mountains National Park—the first and only national park in Canada to be staffed completely by Inuit. Here, at the edge of the Canadian Shield, massive mountains slope down to the Labrador Sea, forming one of the most dramatic coastlines in Canada. Northern Labrador has to be seen to be believed, and we will do just that with daily Zodiac expeditions and excursions.
As we move further south, we’ll pay our respects to North America’s Viking visitors at L’Anse aux Meadows before ending our voyage in historic St. John’s.
Highlights include:
Crossing the Arctic Circle while sailing a spectacular Greenlandic fjord
Hiking the pristine wilds of the Torngat Mountains National Park
Searching for polar bear and black bear along the rugged Labrador coast
A community welcome at the Torngâsok Cultural Centre in Nain
Following in the wake of the Vikings at L’Anse aux Meadows and the Wonderstrands
Ship: Ocean Endeavour
When: 15 September – 3 October 2023, 26 September – 14 October 2024
Guide price: From £12,650 per person based on twin cabin (private facilities) with early booking offer (for 2024 voyage)
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Clients’ comments
“Ship was very comfortable, lovely food, waiters and cabin stewards did a grand job. Good selection of talks and entertainment. It was a privilege to be welcomed into the Inuit and Newfoundland communities. A unique, once in a lifetime experience that I’ll look back on with great pleasure.”
Christine Lord, Wild Labrador and Greenland
“The trip went very well thank you. Our time for landings and zodiac cruises was maximised extremely well and the entire trip was very well organised and managed. We even saw the Northern Lights on the last night in Kangerlussuak and many whales. A great experience overall.”
Sheila Westwater, Greenland Explorer
“I had a wonderful holiday. We saw the expected multitude of icebergs, plenty of glaciers, a couple of distant polar bears, several foxes including a blue, and some musk oxen and we visited a couple of little auk colonies and a kittiwake cliff. The food on board was very good although there was no choice. Shore excursions usually lasted for three hours and there was a long walk and a so-called shorter walk. When we were in the far north the two guides each carried a rifle (in case of polar bears) and we were required to keep up with them and stay together. This was not always easy, the terrain was often difficult and some of us, including me, were not in the first flush of youth! As to future holidays, I will certainly recommend Arcturus and Greenland. I had been to East Greenland on three occasions and it was interesting to contrast East with West, they are certainly very different, both very interesting in their different ways.”
Elizabeth Lonkhurst, Sail West Greenland
“The holiday was fantastic. Favourite aspects were the wonder of the Scoresby Sund fjord under clear blue skies, the northern lights and the icebergs. In Iceland the bus drivers, both male and female, were all very courteous. The B&B was excellent, very clean and friendly staff. I chose you as you offered en route accommodation and return flights – definitely a point in your favour.”
Sandy Lawson, Scoresby Sund
“Pre-departure the service was very helpful and friendly. The whole trip was wonderful and friendly and everything went like clockwork. We enjoyed it all.”
Pat Gellion and Margaret Moore, Scoresby Sund (Professor Molchanov)
“Thank you for arranging our trip to the Arctic. We found Fiona to be extremely helpful and very knowledgeable about the destination. We had a fantastic time and really enjoyed the Arctic experience. We wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to friends and would certainly use Arcturus again.”
Gillian and Neville Ham, Spitsbergen and NE Greenland
Your service was truly exceptional! We have traveled a lot and tried the services of several companies (both in the UK and the US) and you rank right up there at the top (and we have used some good ones). Your responsiveness was very much appreciated, particularly when the 2014 trip was cancelled. This level of personal service really makes a difference. This was one of the best trips we have taken – one of those that was a revelation and will always be remembered (like our first trip to see the wildlife in Southern Africa, for example). And your service was first rate – we are so glad that we chose you to organize our trip. We would be happy to be a reference/resource for you with any future travelers (particularly from North America) if you would ever want us to.”
Richard and Christine Holdrup, Arctic Explorer
“A brilliant holiday! Franz Josef Land must be the ultimate Arctic experience.”
Barbara Forrai and Margaret Dykes, Franz Josef Land
“As Marion promised, I attach a copy of the log from our recent trip to Franz Josef Land. The photos in the log illustrate the quality of the polar bear encounters! Dense sea ice is definitely the place to see bears at close range, and we couldn’t have got into the middle of it without an icebreaker. In one twenty-four hour period we had fourteen bear encounters. Often with two in view at the same time. (That 14 count involved some repeat visits by the same bear, who seemed fascinated by the ship).”
Grant Hutchison and Marion McMurdo, Franz Josef Land