In July 2024, we embarked on our third polar region expedition cruise: Gems of West Greenland. Our previous polar adventures include Canada’s east coast in 2019 and Antarctica, South Georgia and the Falklands / Malvinas in 2023. This time around we sailed with a new-to-us company, Quark Expeditions, aboard a very modern vessel, Ultramarine.
Founded in 1991, Quark Expeditions specializes in polar expeditions. It’s the first polar expedition company to take commercial passengers to the North Pole (1991). And Quark made the first commercial passenger ship circumnavigation of Antarctica (1996). Owned by the private equity fund KKR, Quark Expeditions operates 4 dedicated polar ships, including the Ultramarine.
Ultramarine was built by Brodosplit in a Croatia. Quark took delivery in April 2021 and Ultramarine’s first sailings were in the Arctic polar region in 2022. One of the expedition staff on our trip hung out at the shipyard during construction through COVID lockdowns. He said he had nothing better to do, and that it was fascinating to watch the ship come together. And that it meant a lot to him to be able to pitch in wherever possible.
Gems of West Greenland
We took up flat water kayaking after our east coast of Canada expedition cruise. And we tried sea kayaking for the first time on the Antarctica cruise. So as we planned a 2024 return trip to Iceland, we looked for an expedition cruise with sea kayaking that we could book for just before / after a road trip in Iceland. Quark’s Gems of West Greenland itinerary came up as a “best fit” option. The itinerary is reasonably short, in a new-to-us region of the world, and with a charter flight connection from Reykjavík. Unfortunately, eight months after we booked passage, Quark moved the charter flight connection point to Toronto! Fortunately, we hadn’t yet made any bookings for the land portion of our Iceland trip. So we rolled with it and made Gems of West Greenland a stand-alone trip.
Come to find out, we were on the first sailing for the Gems of West Greenland itinerary. And it was no where close to sold out. In fact, of the 158 passengers aboard (capacity = 199), at least 20 were travel advisors or influencers. And more than a handful were Quark staff from marketing and other divisions. All of which, combined with Ultramarine’s dining room layout, lead to sub-optimal conditions for getting to know people over dinner each night.
Arrive Toronto July 14, 2024
We flew Calgary to Toronto on WestJet, arriving early evening. After a LONG wait to claim our suitcases, we walked to the airport hotel. Quark put us up for the night, making this Day 1 of 12. We were just in time to grab some snacks in the lounge and get fitted for our bright, golden-yellow expedition parkas before both operations closed down for the night.
Charter Flight and Embarkation at Kangerlussuaq July 15, 2024
Most passengers were on our charter flight to Kangerlussuaq (aka Søndre Strømfjord). Passengers originating from Europe flew commercial from Copenhagen.
We pre-cleared customs in Toronto. Take-off was about 9:35 am and we landed in Kangerlussuaq around 4 pm local time. We rate the charter flight excellent, with a good meal and plentiful snacks. I took full advantage of my window seat as we flew over west Greenland, inland towards Kangerlussuaq. Of particular interest? The various shades of turquoise, depending on how much glacial rock flour was entering Kangerlussuaq Fjord at any particular location.
Bus and Zodiac Transfers
After landing at Kangerlussuaq, we boarded local buses for the 11 km drive to Kangerlussuaq Fjord. We looked after our carry-on bags (and parkas). Our checked bags magically ended up in our cabin before we boarded Ultramarine!
We spotted cotton grasses, willow shrubs and other hardy vegetation out the bus windows. And also a rock bluff covered in graffiti. Some tags were from 70 years ago; they’ve held up remarkably well!
The road was unpaved, and pretty bumpy, so almost half an hour passed before we got our first glimpse of Ultramarine.
After collecting our belongings and exiting the bus, we queued up to be fitted with a PFD. Then we queued again for a spot in a zodiac, for the short transfer to Ultramarine.
Once aboard, we faced a long and busy evening: finding our cabin, a mandatory welcome/safety briefing, mandatory lifeboat drill, dinner, and a boot & parka exchange for those allocated the wrong size. We also had a chance to go up on the stern top deck to check out one of the two twin-engine Airbus H145 helicopters aboard.
After all of that, it was still very light out. Plus with time difference in our favour, we were keen for a little more exercise before calling it a night. That’s when we discovered one of our favorite features of Ultramarine – the wraparound deck on Deck 5. In other words, the opportunity to walk laps all the way around the ship on Deck 5. We appreciated the generous viewing area at the bow and a reasonable-sized viewing area at the stern.
Kangerlussuaq Fjord
We dug out our cameras and headed outside to photograph the scenery as Ultramarine sailed down Kangerlussuaq Fjord. This fjord is approximately 175 km long, making it the longest fjord in West Greenland. It’s carved in Precambrian rock and varies in width from 4.5 km near the village of Kangerlussuaq to about 2 km near its connection to Davis Strait.
Of note:
- Lumina’s anorthosite mine, located about 80 km west of Kangerlussuaq. Anorthosite’s unique insulating, UV-blocking and friction-resistance properties makes it valuable in applications in the aerospace and defense industries, specifically in materials such as E-glass, plastics, insulation & resins. Apollo 11 returned with 382 kg of lunar anorthosite. The material is found in three other places on earth, but this Greenland deposit has characteristics most similar to the lunar rock. Scientists are trying to find ways to use it as a basic material to build future moon bases.
- A sea eagle flew over the ship!
- The clouds were amazing 🙂
- We saw tongue glaciers, some of the hardy vegetation that makes Greenland “green” and a couple of locations we’d seen from the plane, with a line in the water with dark turquoise water on one side and muddy turquoise water on the other.
- We also noticed the geology. I wish I knew more about geology. A bit of research time revealed that the majority of Greenland consists of Precambrian shield, crystalline rock – specifically gray gneisses, with black amphibolite Kangâmiut dykes. Coastal areas feature granite cliffs over metamorphic rock. The oldest rock in Greenland dates back 3.9 billion years.
At Sea Northbound to Uummannaq Fjord July 16, 2024
Our first full day aboard Ultramarine was “at sea.” In other words, we sailed north, staying on board for the entire day. It was busy: an Arctic birds presentation, 3 mandatory briefings (zodiac and AECO [Association of Arctic Cruise Expedition Operators], kayaking, and helicopter), captain’s welcome reception, the daily recap/briefing, and more. We also had plenty of time to explore the ship. Plus, we made time for “from the deck” photography.
Quite a few people came on deck when we spotted the first of thousands of icebergs we’d see over the course of the trip.
Mr GeoK photographed two bulk carriers using his long telephoto. The Nordic Sanngujuq was built in 2021. At the time of writing, it was in West Australia. Built in 2016, the Nordic Oasis was in the Caribbean Sea at time of writing, en route to the port of Sept-Îles, Canada.
Also over the course of the day, we spotted Northern Fulmars and Brunnich’s Guillemots, both mentioned during the morning’s briefing on Arctic birds.
We continued to wonder what was up when it came to evening dining. With at least 40 extra places in the main dining room, plus another dining area with a different menu starting to fill up in the evenings, it seemed like there were just too many spots for not enough passengers. One of our favorite things about polar expedition cruises is the chance to get to know fellow passengers, particularly over dinner. For the second night in a row, we sat at a table for 8, expecting the other places to fill up as diners trickled in, only to end up at a mostly empty table.
Exploring Uummannaq Fjord July 17, 2024
We woke up to blue sky, sunshine, at anchor on calm water in Ummannaq Fjord. Ever an early riser, Mr GeoK was out on deck, camera in hand, while I slept a little later.
As a result of his early morning Deck 5 perambulation, plus midday and evening photography breaks, we came away with some great photos. Mostly they are of Uummannaq, Greenland’s 8th largest town, readily visible from Ultramarine.
Kayaking and Shore Excursion
Right after breakfast, we heard confirmation over the PA system that kayaking was a “go.” That first kayaking expedition was a wonderful introduction to sea kayaking in Greenland. Please take a couple of minutes to read more about it here. Or watch Mr GeoK’s Relive video recap here.
Before returning to ship, we went ashore for a half hour ramble up the southwest shoreline of the fjord, where we were struck by how many hardy wildflowers were in bloom.
Flightseeing
Immediately after lunch, ship operations pivoted to support flightseeing. Every passenger had the opportunity for a short helicopter ride over Uummannaq Fjord and the western edge of Greenland’s Ice Sheet. This post details the entire experience.
There was a lot of waiting before and after our flightseeing excursion. Since the outdoor deck spaces were closed during helicopter operations, we made good use of our cabin balcony to photograph icebergs, birds and more.
After the daily recap/briefing and briefing in the Ambassador Theatre, we went for dinner. After sitting alone at a large table for about 5 minutes, we invited 2 other people to join us and ended up having great conversations with them. They agreed that there were too many seats in the dining room, and that it was kind of disappointing to sit down and not have anyone to swap stories with over a good meal. We ended up eating with each of them a few more times during the cruise.
Furthest North July 18, 2024
Overnight, the ship’s crew repositioned Ultramarine to Perlerfiup Kangerlua Fjord, a more northerly tributary of the larger Uummannaq Fjord system. Our on Deck 5 before breakfast, Mr GeoK saw the tongue glaciers at the head of the fjord.
We changed it up a bit for breakfast, opting to eat in Deck 7’s Bistro 487. It offered pretty much everything available in the main dining room, but in a smaller and quieter setting. A lot of the expedition staff ate breakfast here every morning.
Morning Kayak and Shore Excursion
Our morning kayaking excursion had us paddling past a large Black-Legged Kittiwake colony on the north coast of Perlerfiup Kangerlua Fjord. After about an hour on the water, we boarded a zodiac for another abbreviated shore landing. We gained enough elevation to enjoy a stunningly beautiful view over the water. You can read a full trip report here or watch Mr GeoK’s Relive video recap here.
Afternoon Kayak
We enjoyed lunch while the bridge crew again repositioned Ultramarine. Then our small group of kayakers returned to the water for another 5 km paddle, this time on Qaumarujuk Fjord. Perhaps the most interesting thing about this fjord is the abandoned Black Angel mine. Read all about it – and our kayaking expedition – here. Or check out Mr GeoK’s Relive video recap here.
Polar Plunge and Celebration
Our afternoon kayak outing was barely an hour long. Expedition Leader Jake wanted everyone back on board for the traditional Polar Plunge! As usual, we were called in our embarkation groups. While we waited, we scouted out which side of the ship we wanted to plunge from. We were a bit torn – Whitey, our lead kayaking guide, was the safety guy on the jumping platform on the port side. But the port side was in shadow. In the end, all kayakers opted for Whitey’s side, including us!
Mr GeoK went first:
Then Whitey punked him, saying the photographer missed his jump, so he went again!!
I wore a bit of a frown as I got ready to dive, but my form was pretty good, if I say so myself. 😉
Only months later, when I got to work blogging about this trip, did I learn that there are heavy metals in the water of this fjord. They’re a bad environmental outcome from when Black Angel mine was operating. Fortunately, it’s been shut down long enough that the heavy metal pollution has dropped off.
Shortly after the polar plunge, everyone was invited up onto the helicopter deck for a celebratory drink and a toast from our Expedition Leader, Jake. It was also another opportunity to see the helicopters, this time tucked away in their storage bays.
Geology
At various times during the day, we had time to photograph some of the geological features we noticed while out on deck. For some reason, I homed in on the alluvial fans on the sides of the steep mountains. We also saw all kinds of tongue glaciers. And those long, thick black layers in the rock like we’d seen in Kangerlussuaq Fjord.
Whales
We saw a fin whale between our kayak outings. It was a long ways off.
During the post polar plunge celebration and supper, the ship’s crew repositioned Ultramarine yet again. We ended up back in Uummannaq Fjord, where we’d started the previous day. After supper, we spotted a humpback whale, or maybe more than one, as there were several sightings.
While on deck watching for whales, we met another passenger. He’s from the Bahamas, and was on the cruise to try to get photos of humpback whale flukes, to see if any of the whales he watches there in the winter migrate to west Greenland for the summer. We shared our photos of humpback whale flukes to the shared directory on the ship’s computer, so maybe we helped him out?
Greetings from Locals
Once we were back at anchor in Uummannaq Fjord, a motorboat with three locals came out to wave at everyone on the decks of Ultramarine. That was pretty neat! 😉
Uummannaq and Qilakitsoq July 19, 2024
Morning in Uummannaq
We enjoyed our first extended shore excursion while out and about in Uummannaq. After a very short briefing at the jetty, expedition leader Jake set us free to explore on our own. We covered about 5 km in 2.5 hours and immersed ourselves in the history and beauty of the colourful town. Mr GeoK’s Relive video recap can be viewed here.
Qilakitsoq Excursion
After another filling buffet lunch aboard, passengers were subdivided – those going ashore to the discovery site of the Qilakitsoq mummies and those who’d paid extra for a more extended heli-flightseeing excursion. We joined the larger group, boarded a zodiac when called, and did the short walk to the site where two hunters discovered the eight Qilakitsoq mummies in 1972.
Ilullissat aka Disko Bay July 20, 2024
Mr GeoK enjoyed beautiful light when he went up on deck early this morning.
We were supposed to spend a good part of the day at the Ilullissat Icefjord UNESCO World Heritage Site, taking in the exhibits, the scenery and maybe heading out for a short hike. Unfortunately, there was just too much ice between Ultramarine and our planned landing site.
Instead, we attended a presentation on glaciers and headed up to the bridge, which was open for part of the morning.
For a closer look at the bridge, as well as an overall tour of Ultramarine, watch Mr. GeoK’s Ultramarine video, embedded immediately below.
Also this morning, we took yet more iceberg photos!
Kayaking Disko Bay
Finally, very late in the morning, our Expedition Leader made the tough call that a visit to the UNESCO World Heritage Site just wasn’t going to be possible. Instead, immediately following lunch, passengers would head out for a zodiac cruise, except the kayaking group would go kayaking. Hurray!
We view paddling among and around giant icebergs in Disko Bay as the kayaking highlight of the trip. Even before we launched from the zodiac, we overcame our disappointment at not being able to visit the Ilullissat Icefjord UNESCO World Heritage Site. And that was only partly because of the Minke whale sighting while aboard our zodiac. Mostly, it was because we were kayaking among HUGE icebergs, some of them with waterfall features! 🙂
Sperm Whales
After supper, lots of passengers were out on deck for the only sperm whale sighting on the trip. There were at least two of them, often rising side-by-side.
Out and About in Qeqertarsuaq July 21, 2024
Today we enjoyed the photographic highlight of the trip – icebergs floating off a black sand beach in Qeqertarsuaq.
For more photos from this quintessentially Greenlandic location, read my full blog post about our morning Out and About in Qeqertarsuaq, including a short hike to a waterfall and the story behind the town’s FIFA regulation artificial turf football pitch.
Out and About in Sisimiut July 22, 2024
Our third and final opportunity to explore a Greenlandic town was in Sisimiut. Greenland’s second largest town has a population of approximately 6,000 people and more than 1,000 sled dogs. In fact, It’s the southernmost town where sled dogs are permitted. Highlights from our morning out and about in Sisimiut included a few minutes watching amazingly skilled school children at play at the BMX/skateboard skills park and the Taste of Greenland experience.
Fun side note: on our walk back to Ultramarine just before lunch, we spotted the Sylvia Earle, sister ship to Aurora’s Greg Mortimer, which we sailed on for our 2023 Antarctica expedition.
After lunch back aboard Ultramarine, we joined six other passengers for an afternoon of mountain biking on a brand new, volunteer-built back country trail around Sisimiut. It was a privilege to be among the very first tourists to pedal this trail, which will mature nicely with more use.
Sermilinguaq Fjord, July 23, 2024
Our penultimate day aboard Ultramarine started with fast-blowing mist in Sermilínguaq Fjord.
As usual, Mr GeoK was on Deck 5, camera in hand, to photograph the beauty of the morning.
Kayaking Sermilínguaq Fjord
Immediately after breakfast, our kayaking group was called to the ready rooms for our last kayak expedition of the cruise. This outing stands out for the fact that Whitey, our head guide, kept agreeing to let us paddle “just a little bit further.” In the end, we paddled 9.6 km, our longest paddle of the trip. And while there were few icebergs, the hanging glaciers on walls Sermilínguaq Fjord made it clear we were still in Greenland.
Short Hike to Inugsuit Taserssuat
After lunch, all passengers had the opportunity for a short zodiac cruise followed by an even shorter hike to a stunningly beautiful glacial lake. Inugsuit Taserssuat reminded us of Moraine Lake in Banff National Park – without the crowds! Some passengers opted for a fresh water polar plunge. I tried my hand at over/under photography with my waterproof Olympus Tough.
Group Photo
Late in the afternoon, everyone gathered on the helicopter launch deck for a group photo taken by expedition photographer, Dave Merron.
Disembarkation in Kangerlussuaq, July 24, 2024
Our final half day on Ultramarine was mostly about hurrying and then waiting. We also talked with and bid farewell to members of our kayaking group and a few other passengers we’ve stayed in touch with since the end of the cruise. But first? Luggage packed and outside our cabins by 7 am.
Just after breakfast, we collected our passports from reception and then headed to the main lounge to hang out, do a little photography and chat. Everyone had to be out of their cabins so the amazing ship’s crew could prepare them for the next group of passengers.
Passengers flying Kangerlussuaq to Copenhagen disembarked at 09:15. A little after that, we had onboard check-in for our charter flight to Toronto.
Time moved slowly. Mr GeoK headed out to his favourite Deck 5 to stretch his legs. Lucky timing! He got a peek inside one of the lifeboats. The two-level seating looks less than ideal to me, but I guess if you need to be in a lifeboat, that would be the least of your concerns.
Also around that time, a little tug pushed a barge alongside Ultramarine, and we watched our suitcases on the luggage conveyor belt and then head off to the dock.
Late morning, Copenhagen-origin passengers for the next sailing came aboard. We were under strict instructions not to talk to them about the amazing weather we’d enjoyed. Their forecast was grim by comparison. Lucky us!
Zodiac and Bus Transfers
After our final lunch aboard Ultramarine, and yet more waiting, it was finally our turn to disembark for bus transfer to the airport.
The bus turned out to be another kind of adventure!! At least 50 years old, the Arctic Circle had no communication between the cab and the passenger compartment.
One passenger was designated to hold a mic, and use it to call in the cab if there was any trouble in the passenger cabin. He did a great job of pretending to be a flight attendant, and we all laughed. And we chuckled some more when the mic from the cab was accidentally left open so that we could hear the the driver and one of the expedition guides making small talk as we bounced along. Dust poured in through the windows that wouldn’t close, and a couple of the bench seats had almost horizontal back rests. You couldn’t do anything but find the funny side of it all. 🙂
At last, we reached the airport, where we climbed down from the bus, walked maybe a hundred meters across the tarmac and queued up again to board our charter flight back to Toronto, for another overnight before heading home the following day.
Final Thoughts
After initial disappointment over the late 2023 change in the charter flight (from Reykjavik to Toronto), we quickly adapted our travel plans for 2024. Instead of Iceland/Greenland, we opted for a couple of weeks of spring season guided hiking in Scotland, followed by this Gems of West Greenland expedition cruise as a standalone adventure.
Of the three expedition cruise ships we’ve sailed on, Ultramarine has the best design. The Deck 5 perimeter deck is our favourite feature. The ready rooms and 3 waterline embarkation points are outstanding, too. And the food quality was excellent.
The only negative thing we have to say about the ship is that the 75% passenger load, extra dining room capacity and large number of tables for 2 made for awkward seating and fewer opportunities to meet people for good conversation over dinner. If Quark had cordoned off part of the dining room so that seats more closely equaled the number of passengers, it may have helped.
Local guides in Qeqertarsuaq, Sisimiut and Inugsuit Taserssuat enhanced the experience. The towns of Uummannaq, Qeqertarsuaq and Sisimiut were friendly and colorful.
Not surprisingly, the wildlife viewing opportunities were pretty sparse compared to South Georgia. We did see two sizeable bird colonies while kayaking. As for whale watching, Greenland offered plenty of viewing opportunities: fins whales, minke, humpback and sperm whales, with at least one sighting on 7 out of 9 days.
The kayaking experience = superb. That’s partly on account of the small group of eight very capable paddlers. And partly because of our top notch guides. Zodiac launches meant optimal positioning relative to currents and scenery. The star of the show was the setting – blue sky, sunshine, calm water and the striking geology, including glaciers and icebergs galore.
Bottom line, would we cruise with Quark Expeditions again? Yes. Ultramarine is a wonderfully-designed expedition ship and the expedition staff were great. As for the kayaking, I’d give it three thumbs up if I could! 😉
Finally, if you want even more photos and facts about this cruise, check out the video Mr GeoK put together.
