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| We had multiple stops planned for Scoresby Sund |
Located on the east coast, Scoresby Sund has a tree-like structure, with a main body approximately 68 miles long and branches covering 14,700 square miles. The longest of fjord extends 210-220 miles inland. The depth is 1,300-2,000 feet in the main basin, but depths increase to up to 4,760 feet in some of the ancillary fjords.
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| A BIG iceberg in the Sund |
The name of the fjord honors English explorer William Scoresby, who in 1822 mapped the area in detail. "Sund" or "Sound" means "strait," which is commonly used to describe narrow waterways between landmasses.
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| Scoresby isn't that narrow (that's Scott admiring the Sund) |
Scoresby Sund lies between Jameson Land to the north and King Christian IX Land to the south. To the west beyond Milne Island is the Renland Peninsula. The land surrounding the fjord is mostly mountainous, with steep rising edges. The mouth is 18 miles wide. Its southern part has a steep wall of basalt 3,300 to 6,600 feet tall, and the northern side is lower and more rounded.
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| Map provided by Ittoqqortoormiit |
On the northern side of the mouth of the Scoresby Sund stands Ittoqqortoormiit.
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| This would be our next stop |
Scoresby's main basin, Hall Bredning, splits into multiple branches, including Fønfjord, Røde Fjord, Vestfjord, Gåsefjord, Hurry Inlet, Øfjord, Hare Fjord, Rype Fjord, Snesund, Nordvestfjord and Flyver Fjord. Between Øfjord and Fønfjord lies the largest island of the system, Milne Land, with an area of 1,511 square miles. Other islands are Storo and Sorte Øer off the northwestern shore of Milne Land, Rode Ø further south in Røde Fjord, Danmark Ø off Milne Land's southern coast and Bjørneøer off the northeastern headland of Milne Land.
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| Late day on Scoresby Sund; Photo: Scotty Sinton |
The plant life in the region is unusually rich for Greenland because of availability of open water in the mouth with protection from the winds by the high sides, relatively fertile land and with polynyas that do not freeze even in winter.
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| Narwhals in a polynya; Photo: Paul Nicklen |
Polynyas are large, persistent areas of open water or thin ice surrounded by dense, winter sea ice, that act as critical oases in Arctic and Antarctic ecosystems.
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| The articles said plant life; not sure I saw any! |
The land animals include the usual: Muskox, Arctic Fox, Ermine (also called Stoats), Arctic Hare and Lemming. Reindeer and Arctic Wolf used to live in the area, but disappeared around the early 20th century.
Large numbers of birds migrate to Scoresby in the summer, often breeding in colonies with millions of individuals, but they were long gone by September.
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| A flock of Black-legged Kittiwakes still hanging around |
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| We saw Ravens there, too; Photo: Scotty Sinton |
Marine animals of the area include Arctic Char, Greenland Halibut, Polar Cod, Cuttlefish, Wolf Fish and Greenland Shark, as well as Seals that feed on fish in winter and crustaceans in summer. Larger species include Atlantic Walrus, Narwhal and sometimes Beluga Whale.
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| Narwhal; Photo Arizona State University |
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| The closest we got to Narwhal was a horn on display in a home in Ittoqqortoormiit |
Ittoqqortoormiit
Located on Liverpool Land east of Hurry Inlet and near the mouth of the northern shore of the Kangertittivaq Fjord, Ittoqqortoormiit is the only permanent settlement in the region, with a population of less than 350.
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| Ittoqqortoormiit |
The population has fluctuated over the past three decades, decreasing about 35 percent since 2006.
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| Ittoqqortoormiit homes |
It has been described as one of the most remote settlements on Earth. The nearest settlement in Greenland is Kulusuk, 516 miles away. Sandvík, Grímsey, Iceland, is actual closer at just 290 miles away (across often rough seas).
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| A lonely place |
The community was founded in 1925 as Scoresby Sund by Ejnar Mikkelsen.
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| A statue of Founder Ejnar Mikkelsen graces the beach; Photos: Scotty Sinton |
Eighty Inuit settlers (70 persons from Tasiilaq and four families from western Greenland) were brought ("more or less voluntarily") on the ship Gustav Holm and settled 249 miles south of the last known Inuit settlement in northeastern Greenland.
The town's name changed to Ittoqqortoormiit as it became more settled.
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| Ittoqqortoormiit is Greenlandic for "big house dwellers" |
Why was a tiny town created so, so far from any other civilization? It wasn't continuously inhabited ancestral lands. It wasn't sacred ground. It wasn't easy to get to and it was fairly inhospitable.
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| But, you can see icebergs from your house! |
It was specifically to protect Denmark's claim on northeast Greenland. Plus, moving people out was intended to improve declining living conditions in Tasiilaq.
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| We learned a lot of this from our onboard Greenlandic culture expert, Lana Bendtsen |
Although there were no settlements nearby when Ittoqqortoormiit was founded, the area itself had been home to a dense population of Inuit in the past, as testified by ruins and other archeological remains.
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| There were a few houses (I think used seasonally) down a ways from the main town |
Despite its spare, rugged appearance, the new town offered good hunting conditions for Seals, Walruses, Narwhals, Polar Bears and Arctic Foxes. Soon, the settlers prospered. Hunting is a significant economic factor; residents earn income by trading meat and meat by-products, but business is seasonal and variable.
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| Ittoqqortoormiit views |
Polar Bear encounters in Ittoqqortoormiit are frequent (I have read the most frequent of any town on Earth) because the town sits on a primary migration route. Encounters have been increasing because climate change has caused sea ice to form later and melt earlier, forcing bears to seek food on land.
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| Many encounters occur above town |
Residents often sight bears near town, necessitating patrols, with multiple emergency shootings of bears occurring annually to protect the community. Most people carry a rifle when leaving town.
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| This young boy was wearing Polar Bear pants; Photo: Scotty Sinton |
A specialized Polar Bear squad supported by the World Wildlife Fund patrols the village to deter Bears, using tools like signal guns and thermal cameras.
Ittoqqortoormiit lies near large populations of shrimp and Greenland Halibut, but sea ice prevents year-round harvesting and, as a result, fishing has never been extensively developed there.
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| Seems that most fishing is subsistence; Photo: Scotty Sinton |
Tourism is growing in importance in Ittoqqortoormiit and the town is visited often by researchers and extreme Arctic expeditions on land and by sea (like us). A local company, Nanu Travel, owns the only guest house in the settlement and arranges tours and expedition logistics for visitors.
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| The boardwalk aids in walking the steep town; Photo: Scotty Sinton |
The buildings at the abandoned Uunarteq settlement, also known as Kap Tobin, 74.7 miles south of Ittoqqortoormiit, are used for various purposes all year by local residents.
Ittoqqortoormiit has gravel roads in town, but no roads in or out.
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| Used for transport in winter |
It is served by Ittoqqortoormiit Heliport, with Air Greenland helicopters shuttling passengers between the settlement and Nerlerit Inaat Airport 24 miles away. Norlandair operates two weekly flights from Reykjavík Airport and Akureyri Airport to Nerlerit Inaat. Boat transfer is possible for a few months a year. In 2025, plans began to construct an airport in Ittoqqortoormiit, financed by the Danish state.
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| Map provided by Ittoqqortoormiit |
The area has cold winters, chilly summers and no monthly average close to the 50 °F threshold that would allow tree growth. It has an average annual temperature of 23 °F.
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| Surprisingly snow-free |
Ittoqqortoormiit is striking, with brilliantly painted wooden buildings perched on steep gravel hills with snow- and glacier-covered mountains as a backdrop and the sparkling blue Scoresby Sund in the foreground.
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| Top-down view; Photo: Sandesh |
Our historian told us that, traditionally, buildings were color-coded in Arctic settlements, particularly in Greenland:
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| Red for churches ... |
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| ... schools (that long building), teachers' or ministers' homes and trade shops |
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| Yellow for hospitals and doctors' and nurses' homes |
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| Green for telecommunications and power stations |
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| Blue for fisheries |
Black is for police stations, but I didn't see any black buildings.
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| Not sure about purple! Photo: Scotty Sinton |
The bright, distinct colors made it easy for residents and sailors to identify buildings against the snowy, white landscape (not snowy while we were there!). It also helped with directions because the buildings have no street numbers.
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| Historically, paint colors were limited to what could be imported by colonial traders |
While the strict code is no longer mandatory, it is still reflected in some modern buildings.
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| But, I suspect many of the colors were just used for regular homes, as well |
Our trip to Ittoqqortoormiit began, as usual, with a quick Zodiac cruise to a gravel beach at the base of town. Despite having been a settlement for over 100 years, Ittoqqortoormiit has no deep harbor or dock.
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| Landing site |
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| Zodiacs on the beach; Photo: Scotty Sinton |
We then had time to roam the town on our own, visiting the church, supermarket and a local home that was opened for an afternoon "tea." That's where I tasted the dried Muskoxen.
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| Visiting a local home; Left: Scotty Sinton |
The town's supermarket provides about everything residents could need and is usually supplied (by barge) only one time a year. Occasionally, weather will permit a second supply run.
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| Full shelves |
The store is stocked with a wide variety of goods.
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| Vinyl fabric (the top is printed with the Greenland flag) |
Across the street is a giant warehouse that holds the wares for the year. There is also a small (very small) museum.
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| It tells the story of the area and the town; Photo: Scotty Sinton |
The Lutheran church was open for visitors to see.
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| As custom dictates, the exterior is red |
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| The interior is surprisingly vibrant |
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| A model ship hangs from the ceiling |
Power is diesel-generated. There are huge tanks at the edge of town that are also re-supplied by barge.
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| Tanks; Photo: Scott Stevens |
At the top of town is the helipad and a soccer field. We didn't walk all the way up, but many fellow travelers did.
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| Looking up |
For most of the people on the boat, the biggest draw was a new crop of Greenland Sled Dog puppies.
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| The dogs seemed happy to see people, too; Photos; Scotty Sinton |
Greenland Sled DogsResidents use dog teams for hunting forays and the sled dogs are tethered fairly near where our Zodiacs unloaded.
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| A puppy greeted us when we disembarked; Right: Scotty Sinton |
We were there when the locals arrived to feed the dogs with chunks of meat.
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| Based on carcasses nearby, I assume lunch was Seal or Muskox; Photo: Scotty Sinton |
The howling that began as soon as the dogs saw the meat arriving was deafening.
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| Lunch! Photo: Scotty Sinton |
A large breed of husky-type dog used to pull sleds, Greenland Dogs and Canadian Eskimo Dogs were brought from Siberia to North America by the Thule people 1,000 years ago. The two dogs are considered the same breed since they have not yet diverged enough genetically to be considered separate, despite being geographically isolated for centuries.
Because of its national and cultural importance to Greenland, efforts are made to safeguard the Greenland Dog's purity. In western Greenland north of the Arctic Circle and the entirety of eastern Greenland, it is illegal to import any dog from outside except for police and assistance dogs with a special permit. Since 2017, all dogs have to be microchipped and registered in the Greenland Dog database.
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| A young dog; Photo: Scotty Sinton |
The Greenland Dog has a powerful body, heavy coat and muscular short-haired legs, with a natural capacity for load pulling and endurance in a harsh working environment. It has a broad, wedge-shaped head, slightly tilted eyes and small, triangular ears covered with thick fur that prevents frostbite. The tail is usually rolled along/across its back and, when it lies down and curls up to rest, it often covers its nose with its tail.
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| Adult dogs chained near the beach; Photo: Scotty Sinton |
The medium-length coat has two layers; a short wool-like fur inner layer and a longer, coarser, water-repellent outer layer. The Greenland Dog comes in all colors, from black to fawn and does not have blue eyes. A characteristic of most Greenland Dogs is the úlo, a triangular shaped area on the shoulders named after a common knife of the same shape. Males are significantly larger than females at at least 23.6 inches at the withers; females start at 21.7 inches.
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| Greenland Sled Dogs; Photo: AZ Animals |
Nearly all dog breeds are genetically close to the Grey Wolf, but several Arctic dog breeds, including the Siberian Husky and Greenland Dog, show a genetic closeness (from 3.5 to 27 percent shared DNA) with the now-extinct Taimyr Wolf of North Asia.
Because Greenland Dogs have been isolated from other breeds since their arrival in Greenland, the breed is considered one of the oldest in the world.
Puppies in Greenland run free until they reach adulthood.
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| Puppies; Right: Scotty Sinton |
They are subsequently chained and trained for work. The Dogs work only during the winter, gathering strength during the summer.
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| Chained a make-shift doghouse |
As is common among sled dogs, Greenland Dogs are able to traverse very difficult terrain with ease and with a high tempo. They are especially valued for their physical strength, endurance and bold mentality.
Roald Amundsen used Greenland Dogs to great success on his 1912 expedition to the Antarctic, where he became the first person to reach the South Pole. The men started with more dogs than they technically needed to pull the sledges, killing them along the way to use as food for dogs and men. Tough ending for a "highly valued" dog.
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| Despite status; they live in modest surroundings; Photo: Scotty Sinton |
A Great Photo Stop
Ittoqqortoormiit was our only stop this day because we had spent the morning moving from Kong Oscar Fjord to Scoresby Sund.
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| Scoresby Sund |
It was a great spot for taking photos.
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| Both from the ship ... |
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| ... and from town |
We didn't see anything like it anywhere else.
Next up?
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| Staggering beauty! |
Trip dates September 5 – 30, 2025
