06.04.2026
Norrøna Adventure guide Carl-Martin Schönning shares firsthand stories, stunning photography, and expert insights from his latest expedition navigating the icy fjords of Greenland. Discover what it’s truly like to paddle the historic birthplace of the qajaq alongside towering glaciers and pristine Arctic landscapes.
I'm going to tell you about a trip we took a few years back that became a memory for a lifetime. Elisabeth and I went ahead to arrange the equipment and buy food for the whole group. Then we met the trip participants at the tiny airport in Kulusuk—one of only two on the entire east coast; the other one is further away from here than Iceland is! At the quay, the boat was waiting to be loaded according to all rules of the art, and a good hour later, we were dropped off in the wilderness. Here we were to set up camp, go through routines, and settle in. At night, the sun set (barely) and the full moon rose over pointed mountains and glaciers. The next day, the paddling adventure began. Ahead of us was the Knud Rasmussen Glacier, which flows down like a river between some of East Greenland's highest mountains, calving impressive icebergs when it meets the fjord. The ice in the water has a life of its own, with crackling sounds as it melts and releases thousands-of-years-old air bubbles. In the afternoon, we took a stroll up the mountain above the camp to a glacial lake, where a few brave souls in the group went for a swim. Personally, I prefer wearing a drysuit if I'm getting into cold water!
The best thing about kayaking is that you don't really have to worry about weight when packing for a multi-day trip. We even managed to bring Danish pastries from the shop in Kulusuk! Both Elisabeth and I love cooking, so we had a varied menu and tried to sneak in local ingredients wherever we could. But naturally, there's a limit to how much food you can squeeze into a kayak, as we learned the following day when packing up to move camp. We managed to get underway, though, paddling along the Sermiligaaq Fjord and past the Karale Glacier.
The next camp turned out to be, if possible, even more beautiful than the last. Flowers along a river running down to a sandy beach, set against the blue sea and icebergs on the horizon. We paddled onwards for days, accompanied by curious seals and humpback whales on their summer feeding grounds in the north. And to both our delight and annoyance, the arctic fox also caught wind that we were in the neighborhood. One night, he made off with not one, but both shoes belonging to someone in the group! How could that happen—considering we had awake polar bear guards at night? Well, the fox was quick and sly, so now those shoes might be serving as beds for small pups in a den.
Polar bear watch? Yup! Everyone takes a one-hour shift every night or every other night to keep an eye out for polar bears. They are rarely seen on land, preferring the drift ice belt off the coast, but they do occasionally show up inside the fjords. Fortunately, we can almost completely trust the locals to spot a bear first, so the polar bear watch usually ends up being a lovely, quiet moment alone with the silence and the Arctic nature.
And so the days go by, and eventually, we reach Kuummiit, a beautiful village of 300 souls with fantastic fishing lakes in its backyard. We meet several youngsters with a trout in each hand and a sixth on the hook of their fishing rod. From here, the plan was to lace up our hiking boots and make our way up to a climbing hut in the backcountry, but in the morning, our local boat skipper arrives to tell us we're being picked up and taken to Tasiilaq—there's a storm on the way! Well, this is Greenland. Have you ever seen an Inuit stress? Didn't think so. Instead, we get two extra days in Tasiilaq, the capital of East Greenland with 1,400 inhabitants surrounded by jagged peaks. It made for several nice hikes in the area, a visit to the museum, and the highlight had to be the East Greenland Football Championship! A huge town festival where all the villages meet for a tournament, and everyone, young and old, turns out to catch the action either as spectators or players.
Eventually, the boat is ready with the luggage to be loaded onto the flight back to Iceland and on to Norway. Cliché, I know; but we left our hearts behind in East Greenland.
- Carl-Martin Schönning