After days in the Canadian Arctic without a glimpse of civilization the brightly colored houses that dotted the hills of Ummannaq might have felt like the bright lights of Vegas to those on board National Geographic Explorer. Although Ummannaq is a modest settlement, its setting could not be more dramatic. A prominent rock mountain is surrounded by colorful buildings, and with a bright blue sky and large white ice bergs in the foreground we were given the perfect opportunity to practice our panoramic shots.
We were welcomed ashore by the barking huskies as we made our way along the port road towards the museum. The museum displayed examples of traditional clothing and tools, while a photography exhibition at the blubber house portrayed scenes of Greenlandic home life as well as beautiful aerial views of the town. Some guests visited the church which was constructed with locally quarried metamorphic rock.
While guest and staff explored the town the undersea specialist team were exploring the marine environment just off the rocky cliffs. The many small fishing boats out that morning were a positive sign that there would be plenty of life underwater, and the divers were not disappointed. A beautiful bed of kelp covered rocks was inhabited nudibranchs, mollusks, skeleton shrimp, sculpin and others. Guest Dwight Minton had one of his more successful mornings fishing in these rich waters.
During lunch we sailed the short distance across the bay to Qilakitsoq. Qilakitsoq, literally meaning ‘place of the small sky,’ is a small bay enclosed by steep rocky cliffs. It was here that a remarkable archaeological discovery was made, in 1972, when a group of mummies were found buried under rocks. In total the bodies of six women and two children were found here, well preserved due to the icy conditions and some bones are still visible. The setting of Qilakitsoq is beautifully serene despite the presence of graves and human remains. A freshwater stream trickled past the remains of a small building and towards the shoreline.
After reluctantly leaving shore to return to the ship our guests were treated to our first real sighting of the trip, with a number of fin whales feeding at the surface in the bay. The fin whales, distinguishable by their tall spouts, provided a fantastic end to our first day back on the Greenlandic side of the Arctic.
