Iceland to Greenland: In the Wake of the Vikings – Adventure Canada
The story of Greenland and the Vikings stretches back over a thousand years—to the exile of Erik the Red in 980 CE.
Banished from Iceland, he sailed west and discovered a land he called Græna-land—“Greenland.”
The name can sound optimistic for a region shaped by one of the world’s great icefields, but the southwest is warmed by ocean currents, with fjords that offered shelter, pasture, and possibility.
Here, Erik established his homestead, planting the roots of what would become two thriving Norse settlements. At their height, nearly five thousand people lived in this region for more than four centuries. The Icelandic Sagas suggest Erik chose the name “Greenland” to inspire hope—and to entice others to follow. It worked.
Sailing from Iceland to Greenland today means crossing the Denmark Strait through the same waters that carried those early voyages—into landscapes that still hold the traces of that story. Along the way, history feels close: in the shape of the coastline, in the fjords that opened routes inland, and in the communities that continue to define Greenland on their own terms.
Come for the crossing; leave with a deeper sense of how people and place shape one another.
The Norse originally set sail from Iceland in search of farmland—and found it in Greenland’s striking southern fjords.
“Follow Erik the Red’s route to explore a seldom-seen coastline, visit key archaeological sites, and connect with modern Greenlandic communities along the way”.
Iceland to Greenland: In the Wake of the Vikings
June 28 to July 10, 2026
Aboard Ocean Nova
From $8,995 to $18,595 USD
per person based on double occupancy
CAD pricing available for Canadian residents
(Iceland to Greenland: In the Wake of the Vikings – Adventure Canada)
