We woke up as National Geographic Endurance was approaching the innermost end of Evighedsfjorden, or “The Eternity Fjord.” Most guests chose the option of a Zodiac cruise towards a glacier at the very edge of the Greenland ice sheet, whereas others opted for kayaking. After lunch, the ship moved towards the outer part of the fjord, where hikes of various lengths were offered. After dinner, marine biologist Martina Capriotti, a visiting scientist, shared her impressive insights about microplastics with her presentation, “A Jump into the Invisible.” We are now proceeding north and will cross the Arctic Circle during the coming night, so stay tuned for upcoming reports from our Arctic adventure!
8/18/2024
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National Geographic Endurance
Ilulissat, West Greenland
We arrived at the beautiful town of Ilulissat early in the morning, and from then on it was all about ice. Ilulissat means ‘iceberg,’ which is the only proper name to describe this incredible place. The sculpturesque icebergs that can be seen both from sea and from great viewpoints at the UNESCO site originate from Sermeq Kujalleq, otherwise known as Jakobshavn Glacier, which is almost forty miles away from the town. We started out on a cruise amongst these bergs with a few humpbacks hanging around as well. Slightly overcast skies gave the scene a very dramatic feel. After lunch, we headed toward the Ice Fjord Museum. A boardwalk took us down to the UNESCO site, which offers great views of the bergs from a higher viewpoint. But we were not done with the ice. Captain Aaron took us through the maze as the sun was slowly setting for a last chance to see this amazing place before we moved onward for tomorrow’s adventures.
