Where to base yourself
Tasiilaq. The one place with a hotel of some size, guesthouses, a supermarket and outfitters. The base for any land-based trip.
Kulusuk. A small hotel near the airstrip and the village; convenient for short stays and day trips from Iceland.
Ittoqqortoormiit. A guesthouse with a few rooms, used mainly by winter sledding and skiing groups. Almost all summer visitors sleep on their ship.
On board. Expedition ships carrying roughly 12 to 200 passengers are the hotels of Scoresby Sund. Smaller vessels reach shallower bays and land everyone at once.
Food & drink
On a ship you eat what the galley serves, often very well. Ashore, the hotels in Tasiilaq and Kulusuk have dining rooms with set menus built around fish, musk ox, reindeer and imported staples; there are few other places to eat. Supplies arrive by ship only a few times a year in the north, so shop shelves can be bare of fresh food by spring. Do not expect to buy special dietary items locally — tell your hotel or cruise line in advance.
Money-saving and safety tips
- Compare cruises by ship size, days actually spent in Greenland and the number of guides per passenger, not just by price.
- Late August and September sailings are cheaper than peak Svalbard season and add northern lights.
- Polar bears are present along the whole coast, including near villages. Follow your guides’ perimeter rules on every landing.
- Ask before photographing people, homes, sled dogs or hunting catches, and do not photograph children without a parent’s consent.
- Buy crafts directly from carvers where you can, but check import rules: items made from narwhal, walrus or polar bear cannot be taken into many countries.
- Leave nothing behind and take nothing but photographs — plants, bones and old hut remains are protected.
Sample plans
Ten-day Scoresby Sund cruise
- Embark in Iceland; a day and a half across the Denmark Strait
- Enter the fjord: Zodiac cruising among icebergs and tundra landings
- Inner arms, Røde Ø and musk-ox country
- Visit Ittoqqortoormiit
- Return crossing, watching for whales and aurora
Five days in Tasiilaq
- Fly Iceland–Kulusuk and transfer to Tasiilaq
- Walk the Valley of Flowers and visit the museum
- Full-day boat trip to Sermilik fjord
- Guided hike or kayak; boat to a glacier front
- Buffer day, then fly out
Winter week
- Arrive via Kulusuk in March or April
- Dog-sled day trips with local hunters
- Snowshoeing and northern lights
- Two spare days for weather
East Greenland: where to stay
Accommodation on this coast is extremely limited. Tasiilaq and Kulusuk each have one main hotel, and both sell out in July and August; elsewhere you sleep on your ship. Reserve early and confirm transfers.
