Nordic tour operator, 50 Degrees North, has launched two new escorted small group tours to Greenland for summer 2020, led by charismatic Greenland travel expert, Lykke Geisler Yakaboylu, who spent 20 years of her career working as a consultant for Visit Greenland.
Greenland is off the beaten path and unplagued by overtourism, and is a place where the effects of climate change are seen and felt more starkly than in most places in the world.
“The new tours have been motivated by our desire to offer something truly unique and authentic in our region, and having Lykke as the tour guide means that our customers have the opportunity to truly get under the skin of Greenland and gain a much deeper experience and understanding of this unique country than they could on their own,” said Tietse Stelma, the CEO and co-founder of 50 Degrees North.
The Greenland Ilulissat Small Group Tour (8-12 people) is a 6-day tour that takes travellers to the west coast of Greenland. It includes 5 nights’ accommodation, mostly in Ilulissat, all breakfasts and dinners, numerous guided walking and boat tours, a 50-minute flightseeing over Disko Bay, a kayaking experience and more.
The South Greenland Small Group Tour (8-12 people) is a 5-day tour of South Greenland that includes all accommodation, all meals, numerous private guided tours, a Blue Ice camp hike, a private Qassiarsuk UNESCO site visit, kayaking, and soaking in the Uunartoq hot springs. Two dinners are organised in private homes, including one with the UNESCO Heritage Manager, Alibak Hard.
The tours can be combined, and both tours fly in and out from Reykjavik, Iceland, and can be combined with an independent Iceland tour. Both tours have departures in June, August and September 2020, and prices start from AUD$7505 per person for the Greenland Ilulissat Small Group Tour and AUD$5440 for the South Greenland Small Group Tour.
“Ilulissat is all about the icebergs and they never stop to impress – it is like an ever-changing art gallery. It is the cool fresh air, the changing light and smiling local people that I love to share with travellers,” said Lykke Geisler Yakaboylu. “I also love the contrasts of South Greenland – the lush, green fields, even small woods, and sheep grazing. When you hike to a mountain peak, you can see the glaciers, the icebergs and blue fjords as a contrast to the green mountains.”