Boat Trips

What a Greenland boat tour involves

A boat tour takes you into fjords and coastal areas that cannot be experienced from a road or a viewpoint on land. Trips usually run in small groups with a guide, using either an open or covered vessel. The boat used depends on the particular tour and the local conditions.

Some departures have a specific destination, while others are primarily about travelling through a fjord or coastal area. In either case, the route may need to change according to wind, waves, visibility and ice conditions. We do not recommend treating a published itinerary as a fixed transport schedule that will follow exactly the same course on every departure.

Before booking, check the duration, vessel type and main purpose of the trip. A short tour may be enough for an introduction to travelling by boat in Greenlandic waters, while other travellers prefer to allow more time. It is more useful to choose according to the experience you want than to compare departure times and prices alone.

Boat tours from Ilulissat and Nuuk

Boat tours are available from Ilulissat and Nuuk. From Ilulissat, trips operate towards the Ilulissat Icefjord and into Disko Bay. From Nuuk, tours travel through the fjord system around the city.

These are different waters with different departure points, but the main questions before booking are similar. Check how long the trip lasts, whether the boat is open or covered, and how much of the route may be exposed to wind and waves.

Our dedicated guides to boat tours from Ilulissat and Nuuk provide more local detail. They cover subjects such as routing among icebergs near the mouth of the Ilulissat Icefjord and the character of the Nuuk fjord system. Here, we focus on what boat tours generally involve, including vessel types, conditions on the water, safety and pricing.

Open and covered boats

Greenland boat trips may use open or covered vessels. On an open boat, you are directly exposed to the wind and temperature even when the water appears calm. A covered boat provides more shelter, although that does not necessarily mean the entire trip is spent indoors. If the vessel type affects your decision, confirm it when booking rather than relying on a general tour description.

Small groups are common on these trips. This is a different arrangement from travelling on a larger passenger vessel, but the actual group size can still vary. A guide is typically present, and the information provided during the trip will depend on its focus and on what can be observed that day.

Tour names are not always enough to show what a departure includes. Terms such as boat tour, fjord tour and icefjord sailing may describe trips with different purposes. Read the details to establish whether the departure is a general round trip, a journey towards a particular area or an activity built around a specific theme.

Conditions in fjords and open water

Conditions depend on where the boat is travelling as well as on the weather. A sheltered fjord may be calm, while open water in a bay can have more noticeable waves. This distinction matters if you are not accustomed to smaller boats or movement on the water.

Calm water at the departure point does not guarantee the same conditions throughout the route. A tour may pass between protected stretches and more open water, with different conditions from one area to the next. The guide and boat operator assess what is safe, and they may adjust the route accordingly.

If you know that you are affected by waves, ask about the general character of the route before booking. This is more useful than asking whether the tour will be calm, as the answer depends on conditions on the day. We also advise against planning on the assumption that the water will be completely still. Greenland has an Arctic climate, and boat travel remains subject to the conditions outside.

Safety, route changes and cancellations

A life jacket is basic safety equipment on a boat tour. Follow all instructions when boarding and during the trip, even in a calm fjord. This includes directions about where to sit or stand and any guidance given by the boat operator or guide.

Departures are weather-dependent. Wind, waves, visibility and ice conditions can cause a trip to be changed, postponed or cancelled. This is a normal part of operating in Greenlandic waters rather than evidence of poor planning. A route that was possible the previous day may not be appropriate the next.

Read the operator’s conditions for changes and cancellations before booking. If the boat tour is an important part of your visit, avoid placing it so tightly in your schedule that you cannot accommodate a change. The practical alternatives will depend on the operator and the rest of your itinerary.

Follow the stated meeting instructions and allow time for life-jacket fitting and the safety briefing. If you have questions about boarding, the amount of space or the vessel itself, ask before departure rather than assuming how the boat is arranged.

What to wear on a boat tour

The temperature on the water can feel different from the temperature in town or in a sheltered place on land. Wind is felt directly on an open boat, and a covered vessel may still have outdoor areas.

Our general Greenland packing list provides fuller guidance on layers, footwear and equipment for boat trips and whale safaris. For an individual departure, follow the operator’s clothing advice. The appropriate choice depends on the vessel, the length of the tour and the weather, not only on the temperature at the meeting point.

The Ilulissat Icefjord

The Ilulissat Icefjord has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2004. Its icebergs can rise more than 150 metres above the waterline, and around a hundred large icebergs gather at the fjord mouth in summer. This is why the icefjord is the destination or setting for many tours from Ilulissat.

Those figures do not determine what will happen on a particular departure. The position of the ice and conditions on the water affect where a boat can travel and how much distance it keeps. The boat operator chooses the route according to the conditions at the time, so an icefjord trip should not be understood as a fixed loop between particular icebergs.

Local assessment is part of any sailing near the icefjord. Our separate guide to boat tours from Ilulissat covers the area and navigation near the fjord mouth in more detail; this general guide does not attempt to provide route-level information.

Boat tours and whale safaris

A general trip into a fjord or to the icefjord is not the same activity as a dedicated whale safari, even though both take place on the water. A fjord tour normally centres on the route and the surrounding area, while a whale safari has a different purpose.

Read the description rather than assuming that every boat tour includes the same activity. If your main aim is a whale safari, choose a departure that is explicitly organised as one. Our separate whale safari guide covers that activity in more detail.

Greenland boat tour prices in 2026

In August 2026, the cheapest published two-hour boat tour in Ilulissat we could find started at 790 DKK, while an open-boat iceberg safari of the same length cost 1,430 DKK. That observed floor of 790 DKK is useful for initial budgeting, but it is not a fixed rate for every tour: boat type, group size and content change the price significantly, and the current tour description determines the actual price.

When comparing options, check the stated duration, vessel type, guide arrangements and purpose of each trip. Two tours of the same length are not necessarily the same activity. It is also worth checking the terms that apply when weather causes a cancellation, as every departure depends on the conditions that day.

We recommend looking at the complete trip rather than selecting the lowest price alone. Open and covered vessels provide different arrangements, while a short round trip cannot be compared directly with a tour intended to reach a particular area.

Before booking

First decide whether you want a general fjord trip, a tour towards the Ilulissat Icefjord or a boat tour in the Nuuk fjord system. Then check the duration and vessel type. If the information is unclear, ask whether the boat is open or covered and whether the route normally includes more exposed water.

Review the meeting time, safety information and policy for weather-related changes. Do not assume that a published route can be completed without alteration in all conditions. Some flexibility is a practical part of planning a boat trip in Greenland.

You do not need prior knowledge of the local waters. You do need to follow the crew’s instructions and choose a tour that fits your expectations for duration, vessel type and conditions on the water. Once those points are clear, it becomes easier to compare the available forms of fjord and coastal sailing.