Airport expansion drives Greenland cruise offerings

24.04.2024 - 14:08 / travelweekly.com

An airport expansion set to be completed this year in Nuuk, the capital city of Greenland, is driving new expedition itineraries in 2025 for Viking, Silversea and HX, formerly known as Hurtigruten Expeditions.

While expedition and oceangoing ships alike call at Nuuk almost daily during the summer, the airport's longer runway and new terminal are expected to open in late November, providing more options for airlift into Greenland.

Icelandair said it will offer service to Nuuk from the Icelandic capital of Reykjavik, and Air Greenland will offer service from Copenhagen, according to Cirium flight schedule data. Officials hope to eventually offer U.S. service, as well.

The development is helping turn the town on the west coast of Greenland into a strategic starting place for roundtrip and open-jaw expeditions rather than originating in nearby Reykjavik.

Viking is offering four new cruises from Nuuk on the Viking Octantis next year, ranging from 13 to 27 days and exploring the polar north of Greenland and Canada. On all of these sailings, Nuuk will act as a point for embarkation, debarkation or both.

Viking's Into the Northwest Passage is a 13-day cruise with four departures from late July through early September with sailings roundtrip from Nuuk. The cruises begin by traveling the coast of Greenland into the Arctic Circle before crossing Baffin Bay to Canada's Nunavut territory and exploring the Pond Inlet and Beechey Island. The ship then returns to Greenland for a call in Sisimiut before returning to Nuuk.

Two longer Viking cruises sail between Nuuk and Toronto. A 15-day version called Canada and Greenland Explorer makes three calls in Greenland, including Ivittuut, before sailing south to the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador en route to Toronto. The sailings will depart on July 15 from Toronto and Sept. 15 from Nuuk.

A 27-day Canada and Northwest Passage sailing includes more calls on the western edge of Greenland and into the Canadian High Arctic, including Nunavut. The itinerary overlaps with Viking's Canada and Greenland Explorer, continuing north of Nuuk to experience more of Greenland and Beechey Island, Dundas Harbor and Cape Hay in Canada. Departures are scheduled for July 15 out of Toronto and Sept. 3 out of Nuuk.

A fourth new itinerary is Viking's most expansive from Nuuk. Overlapping with the Canada and Northwest Passage itinerary, the line will sail an 87-day cruise on Sept. 3 to reposition for Antarctica expeditions. After calling in Toronto, the ship will head south along the east coast of the