2024 Gems of West Greenland

be able to enter the house where he was born in 1879 as it’s now a small museum dedicated to his achievements. From 1906 until the early 1930s, Kununnguaq, or “Little Knud,” devoted his life to Arctic studies. His greatest achievements included the Danish Ethnographical Expedition to Arctic North America, also known as the Fifth Thule Expedition, which enabled Rasmussen and his team to take archaeological, geographical and natural history data from Greenland right across the North American Arctic. SISIMIUT Sisimiut is located just above the Arctic Circle on the west coast of Greenland, approximately 320 km north of Nuuk. The second-largest city in Greenland, Sisimiut has been inhabited for thousands of years. It’s a city of contrasts: in a single day you can walk in the footsteps (and observe the homes) of prehistoric peoples, and next

you’ll visit one of Sisimiut’s fashionable craft stores where you can purchase art that combines traditional and modern techniques. Sisimiut means “the residents at the foxholes.” The site has been inhabited for the last 4500 years, first by peoples of the Saqqaq culture, then Dorset culture, and then the Thule people, whose Inuit descendants form the majority of the current population. MANIITSOQ Maniitsoq is hidden behind a series of jagged peaks, which perhaps explains why it’s a little-known gem until recently. Visitors are drawn to the area’s pristine rivers, huge mountains, seemingly endless glaciers and deep fjords, especially Eternity Fjord, which is one of the longest in Greenland. These diverse features makes Maniitsoq one of the most alluring and wild regions of West Greenland. Vertical cliffs attract thousands of birds, while

rivers are teeming with Arctic char. Maniitsoq offers excellent whale- watching opportunities. One of our favorite experiences in the Maniitsoq area is a hike with our local partners to a remote and picturesque lake, Innussuit Tasersuat, where guests can enjoy a picnic of local delicacies with our Greenlandic friends.

EXPEDITION SPIRIT Embracing the unexpected is part of the legacy—and excitement—of expedition travel. When traveling in extremely remote regions, your Expedition Team must consider the sea, ice and weather to guide the route and itinerary details. This itinerary is a tentative outline of what you’ll experience on this voyage; please be aware that no specific itinerary can be guaranteed. By the same token, wildlife encounters as described are expected, but not guaranteed. Your Expedition Team will use their considerable experience to seek out wildlife in known habitats, but the presence of any particular species of bird or marine wildlife is not guaranteed.

Call your Travel Professional or a Quark Polar Travel Adviser at 1.888.892.0073 | Visit QuarkExpeditions.com for additional details

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