Greenland luxury expedition travel begins with numbers that require a moment to process: 836,000 square miles, 80% covered by a permanent ice sheet averaging 1.4 miles thick. A population of 56,000, spread across settlements connected by boat and helicopter because there are no roads between towns. The largest city, Nuuk, has 19,000 residents. It is, by most measures, the most sparsely inhabited place on earth outside Antarctica.
None of that is a drawback. Greenland rewards travelers who want the experience of genuine remoteness — the Ilulissat Icefjord, where icebergs calved from the Sermeq Kujalleq glacier (which produces more ice than any other glacier in the Northern Hemisphere outside Antarctica) drift through a UNESCO-listed fjord 40 miles long. The midnight sun in July, when the sun circles the sky without setting for weeks. Dog sledding in March across frozen sea ice with the northern lights overhead
Getting Started
Begin planning your customized trip today. Call Breakout Travel Co. or schedule a consultation.
Greenland Luxury Expedition at a Glance
Greenland is an autonomous territory of Denmark — Danish legal structures apply, including LGBTQ+ protections, and the Euro is not the currency (the Danish Krone). The primary travel hub is Ilulissat in the Disko Bay region, which is accessible by Air Greenland from Reykjavik, Copenhagen, or Kangerlussuaq. The Ilulissat Icefjord is the anchor attraction. Nuuk, the capital, is increasingly developed for cultural tourism. Eastern Greenland (Tasiilaq, Scoresby Sund) is more remote and requires greater logistical commitment.
Travel Offerings
- Custom Private Travel
- Expedition Cruising
- Dogsledding & Winter Expeditions
- Kayaking & Midnight Sun Experiences
- Hiking & Wilderness Expeditions
- Northern Lights Viewing
Travel Guide
- U.S. citizens need a valid passport; no visa required (Greenland applies Schengen/Denmark rules for most purposes).
- Currency is DKK (Danish Krone).
- Air Greenland (gl.com) operates the primary routes — connections through Copenhagen (CPH) or Reykjavik (KEF).
- Internal transport is by Air Greenland inter-settlement flights, helicopter, and boat.
- There are no roads between settlements.
- Pack for cold in all seasons — even July produces 40–55°F temperatures with wind chill.
- Travel insurance with helicopter evacuation coverage is essential.
- Ilulissat Icefjord (UNESCO World Heritage Site): the Sermeq Kujalleq glacier calves up to 44 cubic kilometers of ice per year. Icebergs range from small house-sized blocks to tabular bergs the size of city blocks, drifting out of the fjord in a sequence. The viewpoint trail (5-mile round-trip from Ilulissat town) runs along the fjord edge.
- Midnight sun kayaking in Disko Bay (June–July): paddling among drifting icebergs at midnight, with the sun an hour above the horizon, is one of the more specific experiences available on earth.
- Humpback whale watching in Disko Bay (June–August): the krill density in the bay attracts humpback, fin, and minke whale concentrations.
- Dog sledding on sea ice (February–April): a half-day sled with 12–16 dogs north of Ilulissat across frozen Disko Bay, with a pace and silence that running engines don't produce.
- Northern Lights in Ilulissat (late August through April when darkness returns): the combination of ice, darkness, and clear skies produces aurora displays without competing light pollution.
Greenland follows Danish law, under which same-sex marriage has been legal since 1989 — Denmark was the first country in the world to legalize it. LGBTQ+ travelers will find Greenland reliably welcoming in formal terms.
The small-scale community culture of Greenlandic settlements means LGBTQ+ visibility is limited simply by population size — there are no Pride events in Ilulissat. The environment is welcoming; community infrastructure is minimal.
Two very different experiences define Greenland's seasons.
Summer (June–August): midnight sun, kayaking, whale watching, hiking with full visibility and 20+ hours of daylight. The icefjord is most spectacular with active calving and the sun illuminating the ice at every hour.
Winter (February–April): sea ice forms, dog sledding is possible, and darkness returns — northern lights viewing in February–March is the primary draw. Temperatures in winter range from -4°F to 23°F; in summer, 40–55°F.
May and September–October are shoulder seasons with the best chance of northern lights while retaining some daylight.
7-Day Itinerary
Greenland Summer — 6 Days
Day 1 — Arrive Ilulissat
Fly via Copenhagen or Reykjavik. Arrive Ilulissat and orient to the scale of the Disko Bay — the icebergs are visible from the town. Late evening walk on the icefjord path.
Day 2 — Icefjord Full Day
The 5-mile Icefjord trail circuit along the fjord edge. Bring binoculars — the glacier face at the fjord head is 6 miles from the viewpoint. Afternoon: boat trip into the icefjord for close-range iceberg navigation. The scale of a tabular berg seen from a small inflatable boat is not something that photographs prepare you for.
Day 3 — Kayak Midnight Sun
Evening kayak in Disko Bay departing at 9 p.m. — the midnight sun is 1–2 hours above the horizon at its lowest point. Paddle among drifting icebergs in a light that doesn't exist anywhere else on the calendar.
Day 4 — Whale Watching & Sermermiut
Morning whale watching in Disko Bay — humpback and minke whales feeding on the krill concentrations. Afternoon: Sermermiut ruins walk (the archaeological site of a former Inuit settlement, now absorbed by the icefjord landscape) and the extended north trail above town.
Day 5 — Helicopter or Boat to Remote Site
Charter helicopter to Eqi Glacier Calving Front (active tidewater glacier north of Ilulissat with viewing platforms and hut accommodation) or boat north to Qeqertarsuaq (Disko Island) for the basalt columns and hot spring pools.
Day 6 — Depart Ilulissat
Morning at leisure. Fly home via Copenhagen or Reykjavik.
