Northeast Greenland National Park

Northeast Greenland National Park is the world’s largest national park and the ninth largest protected area on Earth. It should come as little surprise, then, that it’s also bigger than most countries, covering an impressive 972,000 square km (375,300 square miles).

This epically proportioned park not only boasts some of the best geological formations on the planet, it’s also one of the most ecologically attractive areas in all of the Arctic. In fact, you’re more likely to spot a polar bear here than perhaps any other area in Greenland.

To unpack some of the many winning features of NE Greenland National Park, we’ve covered below a few favorites of both our guides and passengers.

NE Greenland National Park’s landscapes and high lights

Perhaps the most consistently raved-about feature of NE Greenland National Park is the area’s amazing landscapes. In fact, some of our guides liken the coastlines and inlands of NE Greenland National Park to the eye-popping sub-Antarctic islands of South Georgia.

Of particular interest to lovers of geology are the park’s rock formations, such as the ancient rock layers at Segelsallskappet. Exploring this area on foot is nothing less than breathtaking.

And if you visit Northeast Greenland National Park when conditions are right, you may catch a glimpse of the northern lights (aurora borealis). These undulating light waves are best witnessed during the spring and summer, when the sky is more consistently dark.

The extensive animal life of NE Greenland National Park

Fantastic though its shorelines and rock formations are, NE Greenland National Park is also home to Arctic wildlife that cannot be overlooked. Healthy populations of walrus, musk oxen, and seals (harp, bearded, and ringed) breed in this expansively scenic area.

You might also spot Arctic wolves, Arctic hares, Arctic foxes, stoats, and collared lemmings in NE Greenland National Park, and that’s just if you stay on land – which you of course won’t. Beluga whales, narwhals, and exotic Arctic birdlife are sometimes seen offshore, adding to this park’s unique cast of animal life.

NE Greenland National Park entry, access, et cetera

Access to this renowned park is more strictly controlled than other East Greenland areas we explore, such as Scoresby Sund, requiring us to apply for separate permits. But when we can visit the park, our motor-vessel voyages follow a common route: embarkation from Longyearbyen, Svalbard (Spitsbergen) and disembarkation in Akureyri, Iceland.

Our Rembrandt voyages to northeast Greenland, which focus on smaller groups aboard a historic vessel, follow a similar route but disembark in Greenland’s Nerlerit Inaat Airport, also known as Constable Pynt Lufthavn.

Some of the Greenland trips we offer aboard Rembrandt as well as our larger motor vessels include expeditions around Svalbard, one of the best spots on Earth to look for polar bears.