In September of 2024, I ran my semi-annual Polar landscape expedition to Scoresby Sund (the world’s most extensive fjord system) in Eastern Greenland. This has been an expedition I have been organising, leading and guiding for more than a decade now and is one I always eagerly look forward to. Scoresby Sund is not only the most extensive fjord system in the world but also the most extraordinary. Monolithic icebergs drift like silent sentinels on gentle ocean currents set against a backdrop of precipitous glacial scarred mountains, making for surreal, otherworldly imagery. It is a breathtaking arena of icebergs unmatched anywhere on earth.

This expedition was a fly-in, fly-out trip that saw us fly by private charter plane from Keflavik in Iceland to Constable Point in Greenland. Although flights into eastern Greenland can often be delayed by weather, flying across the Denmark strait takes less than two hours and saves the better part of three days sailing in either direction across a notoriously rough stretch of water. Having sailed these waters multiple times, I much prefer to fly and spend the extra time cruising the calm waters of the fjord system. This year, we were blessed with good weather for flying, and our outgoing and incoming flights were on time.

On arrival at Constable Point, we had a quick briefing before embarking on our expedition vessel, the Rembrandt Van Rijn. Although the Rembrandt is a comfortable schooner and can take a maximum of 32 passengers, I always prefer to take just 16 and provide private cabins for everyone – this also offers more space on the decks for photography. With a group size of 16, it is also possible for all participants to utilise zodiacs simultaneously. After the mandatory safety briefings, we were quickly underway and made our way across the channel in calm seas to Vikinbukt.

In Vikinbukt, we had our first glacier sighting, several stunning blue icebergs, and six Polar Bears. Most of the bears were high up on the moraine slopes, where they seemed to feel safe to rest when not active and while they waited for the sea to freeze to resume hunting on the ice. During the expedition, as the sun set, I decided to put zodiacs in the water to achieve a sense of scale with the enormous icebergs juxtaposed against our expedition ship. These sorts of opportunities are only possible on dedicated photographic expeditions such as this and make all the difference to the final portfolio of photographs one takes away from an expedition such as this.

During the expedition, we had some extraordinary sunrises and sunsets with beautiful, soft, pastel light painting the sky and icebergs. The weather is always a mixed bag in Greenland. Frequent dramatic lenticular clouds perfectly complement the mountain peaks and stunning icebergs. We were extremely fortunate to have outstanding conditions for the duration of our expedition, with snow falling only on our very last day. We also had northern lights on multiple nights. This time of year, the Arctic tundra was also at its peak colour. Having now completed more than three dozen expeditions to Eastern Greenland, I have learned that by far, the best time to visit is September when the sun is low in the sky and there are proper sunrises and sunsets. Expeditions earlier in the season are typically lit by 24-hour daylight and blue sky days, making photographing problematic. By travelling in the late Autumn of September, we ensured stunning Arctic tundra and soft pastel light.

We had multiple photographic encounters with Musk Oxen during the expedition. On our landing at Ingmikertikajik island, we encountered a lone Musk Oxen that posed for us on the edge of a rocky prow. I always prefer to photograph Musk Oxen when silhouetted against the sky as they blend into their surroundings when photographed against the Arctic Tundra. This young male provided us with some beautiful opportunities.

Below is a map of the trip voyage and the locations we visited during the expedition. The astute and experienced Greenland travellers will note that we did not visit Rhode Island (the Red Island). Recent changes to restrictions in this area mean it is unfortunately no longer possible to visit this location (a restriction designed to avoid disturbing local Narhwales – which are still hunted and slaughtered by the local Inuit). Those of you who may have visited it in the past can rest comfortably knowing that you visited one of the most incredible iceberg graveyards on earth. For those of you who have never been there, there is always hope that restrictions will lift in the future. For this expedition we sailed around the back of Milne land, visiting the other side of the iceberg graveyard. We also encountered our first sea ice in this area in combination with some beautiful light.

Towards the end of our expedition, we made the short sail back to Constable Point, where we disembarked the Rembrandt and flew by private charter plane back to Iceland. After the short hour-and-a-half flight, we bid farewell and concluded our expedition.

Wild Nature Photo Travel will return to Greenland again in October of 2026 to lead a small group expedition to Southeastern Greenland. The landscape and geology of the East Coast of Greenland are both stunning and extraordinary. Our main objective is to photograph this incredible landscape under soft golden Arctic light. We will also see and photograph incredible castellated icebergs that have calved off the many glaciers of Greenland. Dramatic glaciers, plunging cliffs and beautiful drift ice formations will also be present. We intend to fly from Iceland to the remote East Coast of Greenland, where we will be based for the duration of this expedition. We will make day trips on our expedition boat and spend our time exploring and photographing some of the world’s largest and most spectacular icebergs. If you are excited about travelling to the remote East Coast of Greenland with a small group of dedicated photographers, now is the time to register your place by dropping us an email. Places are very limited, and once they are spoken for, that’s it.