Skjoldungen Island Greenland Cruise Port

Skjoldungen is a large, uninhabited island in southeastern Greenland on the King Frederick VI Coast. It lies between two fjords, Southern Skjoldungen Fjord to the southwest and Northern Skjoldungen Fjord to the northeast. Cruise ships typically anchor in one of the fjords, allowing passengers to tender ashore or take in the island from the water.

The island's name has its roots in Norse mythology. It was named by Wilhelm August Graah, a Danish Arctic explorer and naval officer who was active during the 19th century. He named it after Skjoldungen, a title associated with the successors of a legendary Danish king.

Skjoldungen also has a more recent human history. Remains of abandoned Inuit dwellings can be found inside the fjord on the island's western shore. They date from 1938, when around 150 Inuit from Ammassalik were persuaded by Danish authorities to settle on the island. The settlement did not last. In 1965, its inhabitants were relocated as part of a nationwide programme to concentrate Greenland's population in larger towns, as fishing and hunting alone could not sustain the community.

The landscape is rugged and remote, with three glaciers and several nunataks. The southern part of the island divides into two large peninsulas that extend southeastwards, while Azimuthbjerg at the northwestern end rises to 1,738 metres, making it the island's highest point. Tundra conditions add to the stark character of the landscape.

For cruise passengers, Skjoldungen is a place to take in Greenland's scenery from close to the water. Tendering ashore offers a chance to see the island's remote setting and traces of its former settlement, while viewing it from the ship or fjords gives a sense of its rugged scale. Its combination of dramatic terrain and human history makes this an especially distinctive stop in southeastern Greenland. Cruisers can log the exact route their ship took on The Cruise Globe to see where they sailed along this remote and striking corner of the Arctic.