Ever wondered what true wilderness feels like? This 12-day hiking adventure across East Greenland will take us to the deepest end of the Ammassalik fjord system, where towering granite peaks meet massive glaciers that calve directly into the sea. We’ll navigate challenging terrain, from rocky moraines to glacial crossings, and ascend to breathtaking viewpoints that few have ever witnessed. Along our route, we’ll explore abandoned Cold War outposts, visit villages where dog sleds outnumber cars, and camp under skies so vast they’ll make you feel like a speck (but in a good way). Pack your gear and prepare for an adventure that will redefine your concept of “off the grid.”
Get ready to explore East Greenland's wild side on this 12-day hiking tour. For 10 days, we'll hike through a world shaped by ice—big glaciers, deep valleys, and sharp mountains, all led by an expert guide. Most nights we'll camp under the Arctic sky, with a few stays in local houses and a mountain hut to mix things up. Don't sweat the details: accommodation, all meals and cooking gear, and boat and luggage transfers are all taken care of. If you’re ready for a real adventure in one of the most remote places on Earth, come prepared for a challenge and you'll go home with stories to tell.
Meet your guide and your group at Keflavík Airport in Reykjavík. The plane takes off at 5:30pm and lands in Kulusuk at 6:15pm local time. We’ll take a short 30-minute walk to Kulusuk village and have dinner. We’ll spend the night in a hut-style house in Kulusuk and recharge for tomorrow.
Meals: Dinner
Accommodation: Hut-style house in Kulusuk
After breakfast, we’ll take an exciting boat trip north to Karale fjord, passing islands and icebergs before hitting the Ikatek strait and its snow-capped mountains. Our first camp is near the impressive Knud Rasmussen glacier. The view here is stunning—we’ll see the glacier front and high mountains reflected in the still water. We’ll put our camp here for two nights. The afternoon is reserved for a hike to a beautiful viewpoint before getting back to our equally stunning camp setting.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Accommodation: Tents
Hiking time: 4 hours
Today we’ll hike towards the Karale glacier along the coast of the Karale fjord. We might cross a small glacier tongue to avoid meltwater rivers. The view to the other side of the fjord will be worth our while: we’ll see huge glaciers and mountains like the Rytterknægten towering over the fjord. After learning how climate change is shaping this unique landscape, we’ll return to our camp and spend another night there.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Accommodation: Tents
Hiking time: 6 to 7 hours
We’ll leave our camp and walk east along the coast to the Nuuaartik point, where the Karale fjord opens to the outer fjord system. Once there, we’ll get a close-up view of the Knud Rasmussen glacier floating in the ocean and breaking off pieces of ice from time to time. Then we’ll turn south, climb to a small mountain pass, and make our way towards our next camping spot: a spot on the shore in an area full of boulders.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Accommodation: Tents
Hiking time: 6 to 7 hours
Today’s hike takes us through varied terrain. We’ll follow the coastline into the Ikatek strait, sometimes climbing higher to avoid steep areas. Our path leads us past inlets, along rivers, and across a lake outflow. Finally, we’ll reach Ikatek and Bluie East Two, an abandoned WWII airport and small military base full of old machines, cars, equipment, and fuel drums. We’ll set up camp near the old docks, surrounded by history and wilderness.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Accommodation: Tents
Hiking time: 6 to 7 hours
We’ll start our hike by walking along an old runway to the small peninsula of Suunigajik. From there, we’ll turn towards Tunu (Dunu), a breathtaking fjord surrounded by mountains. We might spot some local wildlife like common ringed plovers, Arctic foxes or ptarmigans. After crossing a couple of rivers, we arrive at our next camping spot and settle between tiny Arctic willow bushes.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Accommodation: Tents
Hiking time: 6 hours
A week into our adventure, it’s time to fill up our supplies. We’ll visit Kuummiit, a small hunting village situated at the Ammassalik fjord, a location where water never freezes. Surrounded by high peaks, Kuummiit is home to about 250 people who depend on fishing in the nearby fjords. It’s an interesting chance to see how people live in this remote part of Greenland. In the afternoon, we’ll make our way back to our camping spot.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Accommodation: Tents
Hiking time: 6 hours
We’ll cross the Tunu fjord to the Tasiilaq fjord through the narrow Tunup Kuua valley. After passing a few lakes, we’ll reach a glacier that crawls into the valley from the north. We might need to use crampons to cross the glacier. The view in Tasiilaq fjord is truly breathtaking, with high granite peaks sheltering the narrow fjord on each side. We’ll set up camp at the sea of the north bank of a river.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Accommodation: Tents
Hiking time: 7 hours
Today’s hike takes us along the Tasiilaq fjord coastline, with some incredible views of the bottom of the fjord, the valley, and Greenland’s most outstanding mountains—”The Triplets”. It’s a shorter walking day, so we’ll be back at our camp in the middle of the afternoon.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Accommodation: Tents
Hiking time: 5 hours
Our tenth day in the rugged Greenland landscape will be challenging, but truly rewarding. We’ll hike past a glacier and up some steep sections until we reach Tasiilaq Mountain Hut, sitting at about 800 m / 2,625 ft altitude. Apart from some spectacular views, we’ll truly enjoy the silence and calmness of the mountains. No camping today—the hut is our home for the night.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Accommodation: Tasiilaq Mountain Hut
Hiking time: 7 to 8 hours
It’s time to slowly get back to Kulusuk. We’ll make our way down the moraine and past some beautiful boulders. In mid-afternoon, we’ll be back in the fjord, and a boat will bring us back to Kulusuk. We’ll spend our last night in a house in Kulusuk.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Accommodation: Tasiilaq Mountain Hut
Hiking time: 5 to 6 hours
We’ll have a relaxed morning in Kulusuk, with time for a short walk to a nearby viewpoint and a visit to a small local museum. The flight departs from Kulusuk at 7pm, and we’ll arrive in Keflavik at 9.45pm local time, with all the memories of an incredible Greenland adventure.
Meals: Breakfast and lunch
If you’re having trouble finding flights from Reykjavík to Kulusuk for your desired travel dates, just let us know. Your guide pre-books flights to make sure your trip is locked in.
What you get on this adventure:
What’s not included:
This East Greenland hiking tour from Karale to Tasiilaq is suitable for experienced hikers with great physical fitness. The terrain is often uneven, rocky, and steep, with some days spent completely off the beaten track. You should feel comfortable navigating exposed or stony ground and walking for extended periods.
Most hiking days involve 5-7 hours of active walking through challenging landscapes, including coastal paths, glaciers, and boulder-filled valleys. Due to the nature of the terrain and the duration of the hikes, it is important to be in good physical shape.
Here’s a list of the equipment you need to bring:
Dress comfortably and for the weather in clothes you can move in. We suggest bringing clothing appropriate for the season. Layers are best and don’t wear jeans.
Your guides will provide the majority of the equipment needed, including all camping and cooking gear, tents, a mess tent, and safety equipment (satellite phone, first aid kit, etc.). You should only bring your own sleeping bag. A sleeping bag rated for comfort between 0°C to -5°C (32 to 21°F) is recommended to ensure a comfortable night’s rest. If you don’t have a suitable sleeping bag, you can rent one—please let us know upon booking.
Group sizes and pricing
A Greenland hiking tour from Karale to Tasiilaq can be arranged for larger groups. Contact us to make arrangements.
Min. age requirements
If your group has hikers under the age of 18, contact us prior to booking to make arrangements.
The starting point of your Greenland hiking tour from Karale to Tasiilaq is Kulusuk. To get there, you’ll fly into Kulusuk Airport (KUS) from Keflavik International Airport (KEF) in Reykjavik, Iceland. You will meet your guide at the airport for the 5:30pm flight local time (GMT -1). After landing in Kulusuk at 6:15pm, you will take a 40-minute walk to the village together. A quad-bike with a trailer will take your larger luggage to your first accommodation.
Medical and travel protection is mandatory. To make your booking and traveling experience as carefree as possible, simply choose Redpoint—the official 57hours insurance partner!
Redpoint tailors their protection packages for adventure travel, offering a comprehensive travel program, even in remote locations. Trip cancellation, natural disasters, pandemic coverage, medical evacuation, primary medical expenses—regardless of the travel interruption that may happen, Redpoint will have you covered.
Once your booking is confirmed and your trip is paid in full, you will be offered to purchase Redpoint’s protection. If you need any help or require more information, let us know and we will be happy to help!
Full payment is due upon booking. Once the trip is confirmed by the guide, the cancellation policy stated below applies. If the Client cancels the tour…
We loved the trek from Karale to Tasiilaq fjord. It was challenging but deeply rewarding, and we came away feeling changed. “Greenland showed me things about my life,” I now say and my husband agrees. He credits the trip for helping him make a long overdue decision to go back to university.