Eight years ago I visited Greenland, and although it was a memorable experience, it was ... uhm ... basic. But now you can find the same comfort as on a luxury safari, as Natural Habitat Adventures has expanded facilities at its deluxe Base Camp Greenland, just below the Arctic Circle on the island’s remote east coast.
From Nat Hab Base Camp -- which was established in summer 2015 -- only 15 guests engage in guided exploration by boat, Zodiac, kayak and on foot. Two Expedition Leaders who are versed in Greenland’s natural and cultural history, supervise outings and often divide the group up depending on interests and physical ability. Local guides assist with kayaking and Zodiac excursions.
Getting to Greenland is part of the fun. You'll fly from Reykjavik, Iceland, where the trip begins, to Kulusuk, Greenland. Here you board a helicopter for a short, scenic transfer to Tasiilaq, flying over jagged peaks, fjords and icebergs, with possible whale sightings below. Camp is accessed from Tasiilaq via boat or helicopter, depending on local weather and ice conditions.
Base Camp Greenland provides a genuine wilderness experience. No other tourist facilities exist in the area, and other than a small Inuit subsistence hunting community 20 minutes away by boat from camp, there is no other human presence. The environment here dominates, and you'll encounter it on a variety of activities.
On Zodiac outings in Sermilik Fjord, massive icebergs are evidence of accelerated glacial melting. Uninhabited islands offer hikes over wild terrain (there are no trails) for magnificent views, keeping an eye out for miniature wildflowers and Arctic fox. Bobbing seals and perhaps a spouting whale may emerge on guided sea kayak excursions.
In both Tasiilaq, where the group initially arrives in East Greenland, and in the small village of Tinit nearer to camp, you'll meet local Inuit people and learn about their history, culture and traditional ways of life. A visit to the community museum is included in Tasiilaq. As tourism is nascent and limited here, encounters are uncontrived, authentic and personal.
Located in one of the most remote places on the planet, Nat Hab’s Base Camp Greenland offers amenities usually reserved for far more civilized locales. Modeled on an African safari camp, accommodations are in individual tent cabins that house two persons each. Each spacious cabin is warmed by an individual heater, and has twin beds outfitted with duvets and pillows, a sitting bench, carpet runner, hanging clothing storage and en suite dry toilet and washbasin. Hot showers are available in a separate gender-segregated bath house. Though the Arctic summer offers long hours of daylight, cabins also have interior light provided by small individual battery-operated lanterns.
Each cabin also has a private veranda where, over drinks chilled with chips of 10,000-year-old-ice straight from the Greenland ice sheet, you can imbibe the panorama of the Greenland wilderness. A common room, which houses the kitchen and dining area and serves as a lecture space for presentations, is the social hub. The camp chef prepares meals from fresh and varied ingredients arriving regularly.
The camp’s footprint is minimal, with tents cabins built on raised platforms. Camp facilities are set up for two months in the summer and taken down at the end of each season to reduce impact; only a storage shed remains on site. In order to accomplish this, water piping and plumbing systems must be relatively simple and located in only one building—thus the shower block that is separate from the individual cabins. Only biodegradable soap is used in the kitchen and showers.
Trips are guided by professional naturalist Expedition Leaders, and conservation is at the forefront. NHA is the travel partner of World Wildlife Fund, sharing a mutual commitment to travel as a means of helping to protect the world’s wondrous natural places. Nat Hab has donated more than $2 million to WWF and will continue to donate 1% of gross sales plus $100,000 annual through 2018 in support of WWF’s mission.
Nat Hab is now accepting reservations for 2016, the camp’s second season. Nine-day programs run weekly from early August through early September. Sure wish I had this option on my Greenland trip.
