Kangerlussuaq

Kangerlussuaq is the Ice Sheet, UNESCO World Heritage, fjord sailing, dog sledding, hiking and more Ice Sheet! In this remote area you will find plenty of natural gems that every traveller to Greenland should treat themselves to!

What can I experience in Kangerlussuaq

Deep at the head of a 180-kilometre-long fjord you will find Kangerlussuaq, beautiful and well sheltered in lovely surroundings. It is the most popular place to visit in Greenland, because you can drive straight out to the Ice Sheet. Kangerlussuaq is a busy settlement and a transport hub, but Kangerlussuaq is much more than an airport: its hinterland has just been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

In Danish, Kangerlussuaq is also known as Søndre Strømfjord.

The Ice Sheet

The Ice Sheet lies 25 kilometres from Kangerlussuaq, and when you are here, you really should not miss it. It is a bit too far to walk for most people, so most choose to travel to the ice in one of the large all-terrain vehicles designed for exactly this trip.

On the way to the ice you will encounter very varied nature, sometimes with fine green carpets of grass on one side of the vehicle and small swirling sand tornadoes in the Arctic desert on the other. Do not be alarmed by the word tornado, as the whirlwinds are rarely more than a couple of metres high. But they do appear now and then, and they look incredibly beautiful in photos.

There are two very popular trips to the Ice Sheet. At the ice itself you can choose to stop and, for example, have a barbecue near the ice wall at the Russell Glacier. You can also choose the trip where you drive a little further and get up onto the ice itself. It is so incredible to stand there knowing that on three sides there is kilometre after kilometre of ice. Yes, even below you there is nothing but ice. Out here at the edge of the Ice Sheet it is of course not quite as thick, but in the middle it can actually be more than three kilometres thick.

For the most adventurous, we can also offer a night in a tent on the Ice Sheet. This is also an incredible trip, because there is the opportunity to hike quite a bit on the ice.

The Northern Lights

Few people know it, but not everywhere in Greenland actually has northern lights. If you travel all the way up north, for example, there are hardly any. Elsewhere, on the other hand, they are very strong, and luckily Kangerlussuaq is one of those places. The northern lights are very strong in Kangerlussuaq in spring, winter and autumn, so keep a close eye on the sky at those times of year.

In Kangerlussuaq you do not have to go terribly far to be free of artificial light from the inhabited areas, and then you really get your money’s worth when it comes to northern lights and starry skies. People come all the way from Asia to experience the northern lights here. You should give it a try too.

Wildlife

Kangerlussuaq has a rich wildlife. The best-known species are probably the musk oxen, the reindeer and the Arctic foxes. The musk oxen in the area were actually moved here from Northeast Greenland in the 1960s. 27 musk oxen were flown across to the other side of the ice, and it has been a staggering success.

The milder climate and the larger grazing areas in West Greenland mean that instead of having one calf every other year, the musk oxen now typically have two a year. The population has reached 10-25,000 animals, which is a fantastic development. You are not always lucky enough to see the musk oxen, which, especially during the hunting season, like to play hide-and-seek and move away from inhabited areas. If you are lucky enough to see them, remember to keep your distance. They may look like calm “hippie cows”, but they are not to be trifled with.

Dog sledding trips

Kangerlussuaq lies just north of the Arctic Circle, which is why keeping sled dogs is permitted. Where there are sled dogs, there are also dog sleds, so if you are here in winter, you should definitely try to go on a dog sledding trip. There is something quite extraordinary about a dog sledding trip, and the experienced mushers make sure you get out and back safely. You can go on short trips lasting an hour or try longer trips.

Excursions

There are many good excursions you can take in Kangerlussuaq. For example, there is the mountain Tacan, which lies south of the settlement. From here you get a tremendous view over the area all the way to the Ice Sheet. From here you can continue to the Store Saltsø lake and Granatfjeldet (Garnet Mountain).

By Lake Ferguson lies the restaurant Roklubben, where on certain days the most delicious Greenlandic buffet is served, letting you taste many of the country’s specialities. You can also take a (long) walk along the road down to the harbour and enjoy a view of the long fjord.

Relics from the American era

Like Kulusuk in East Greenland and Narsarsuaq in South Greenland, Kangerlussuaq is an airport built by the Americans during either the Second World War or the Cold War. You can see this in the architecture, which has something military about it. Paintwork and decoration have, however, softened some of the military look.

Many of the former military buildings stand at right angles and in rows along the roads. Their names still bear the mark of the American presence, even though the American words street or road have been replaced by the Greenlandic aqqutaa. It also means that in this unique settlement you will find a swimming pool, a gravel golf course and a cinema. You should also take a walk to the museum and discover the local history; the history of aviation in Greenland is also well described there.