Express tour: 2 highlights of Greenland in 4 days

After breakfast, the guide from our local excursion office will welcome you and inform you about the excursion possibilities available but also about experiences you can make on your own during your stay in Ilulissat. We suggest that you buy our excursion package when you buy your trip - then you will not miss out on all the essential excursions.

If you buy our excursion package, you will go on thre excursions today. The cultural histrocal walk will start after the welcome meeting, the trip to Sermermiut will take place in the afternoon and at night you will go sailing among the icebergs.

Cultural historic walk (optional)

Some people might think: “we can just take a walk around the town on our own.” You could, but with the guided tour you will get an enhanced understanding of the Greenlandic culture and history, which will give all your other experiences in Greenland a new perspective.

Ilulissat was founded in 1741 and is now the third largest town in Greenland with more than 4,500 inhabitants. The guide will tell you about the history of the town, the Greenlandic culture and contemporary life 300 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle.

We will visit the fishermen at the harbor and the hunters at their trading post “Brættet”. We will show you the church and famous explorer Knud Rasmussen's place of birth.

This cultural historic walk is a great way to gain a lot of knowledge.  

Now it's time for lunch and then you should get ready for the next excursion. The midnight sun makes the days very long, and you will feel full of energy to explore and really take advantage of the entire day.

Hike to the Ice Fjord and the abandoned Sermermiut settlement (optional)

Beautiful icebergs provide the setting for the old settlement of Sermermiut 1.5 kilometres south of Ilulissat. For 4,000 years, different Inuit cultures lived in the settlement and, today, you can still see the relics, which indicate their presence.

You will hear the story about the life of the Inuit and their traditions before Europeans came to Greenland. You get to see the ruins and touch the permafrost with your own hands. It is really strange to think that people could survive here in such harsh conditions in the winter.

Historic places will be pointed out on the way, and these can be difficult to find on your own. And, besides, it is always nice to share the experience with somebody. Coffee/tea break at “Kællingekløften” with a beautiful view of the Ice Fjord before we head back.

Then it's time for a Farewell-to-Ilulissat dinner before we venture out again, this time by boat.

Sailing among the icebergs (optional)

Almost every visitor in Ilulissat chooses to try this boat trip among the icebergs at midnight at least once. Every day, more than 40 million ton of ice flow out into the fjord. The floating icebergs are gigantic, sometimes measuring more than 100 metres wide and long – and with a height of more than 100 metres above the water surface as well.

These giants gather at the end of the fjord providing you with a great opportunity to sail among them. You should not miss out on this exceptional experience when visiting Ilulissat. The icebergs are a wonderful sight in every kind of weather; in the sunshine the contrasts are very clear, the blue shades are very beautiful when it is cloudy, and the midnight sun casts a unique glow on the icebergs during the night.

Taking the boat trip on a bright night is definitely an extraordinary experience. Remember to bring warm clothes – otherwise sealskin clothing is available for rent.

Today, you will still have a lot of time to explore as we are not leaving Ilulissat until 5:00 PM. You have this day to discover Ilulissat on your own. You could take a hike in the mountains or you can go and experience the city some more.  However, if you bought the excursion package, now you get the opportunity to go on a whale watching trip.

Whale watching (Optional)

It is a fantastic experience to get close to large animals such as whales. There are 15 species of whale in Greenland. Three of these stay in Greenland during the winter; the narwhals, the beluga and the bow-head whale (also known as the Greenland whale). Blue whales and killer whales are not seen very often.

During the summer we normally encounter the humpback whale, the common minke whale and the fin whale. The whales swim in the entire Disco Bay during the summer. Sometimes they come close to the town, sometimes they are in the ice fiord or up north by the Crown Prince Island.

We are in constant radio contact with the fishermen. They are our sources of information about the whales and their whereabouts. The humpback, with its characteristic fin, is the one we see most of the time.

The trip lasts approx. 4 hours. We use the fast boat Targa, so we can get around. After this boat trip, you will still have time to do some more explloring in Ilulissat.

At 3:40 PM, it's time to fly on to Nuuk where we arrive at 5:25 PM. From the airport, you will go to the Hotel Hans Egede where you will spend your next two nights.

There are several restaurants in Nuuk. The best one in town is Sarfalik, located in the hotel, but there are many other options, both at the hotel and nearby.

You should start your day with a hearty breakfast at the hotel before venturing off on foot with a local guide for a tour of Nuuk. 

Town walk – see the mummies of Qilakitsoq 

This morning’s walk will take 2½ - 3 hours and will include a visit to the National Museum of Greenland. You really do not want to miss the mummies at the museum! 

The Mummies of Qilakitsoq were found in 1972 by two brothers out hunting up north near the town of Uummannaq. Looking under the shelter of a rock, they found 8 freeze-dried mummies which are amazingly intact even though they are 600 years old. Four of these mummies are on display at the museum. They are so beautiful, especially the baby mummy. On some of the women, you see the 600-year-old tattoos on their faces. 

The museum also has a wonderful display of the Greenland national costumes and, basically, cover all of Greenland’s history in its buildings.

The tour will also take us around the rest of the old colonial harbor, including the statue of The Mother of the Sea, past Parliament and through Greenland’s cultural House Katuaq and other of the major sights of the city center.
Like last night, you will have some time on your own for lunch. Try one of the cafés, e.g. Café Esmeralda or Café Pascucci. 

Boat trip to Qooqqut, including jigging (Fish'n'Dish)

At 3:30 PM we will set off from Nuuk Atlantic Harbor. We are going on a boat trip to the wonderful Qooqqut Nuan’ Restaurant but this is no ordinary restaurant visit. While sailing through the enormous fjord system behind Nuuk (it is actually the second largest fjord system in the world), we are going to make a stop and catch our dinner. Tonight, there’s will be no complaining that the fish is not fresh!

Qooqqut is a spot located in a wonderful secluded valley in the Nuuk fjords. The mountains surrounding the valley are up to 2,000 meters high. Trees are scattered in the area behind the restaurant and there is even a soccer field right beneath the restaurant. One of Nuuk’s most respected chefs moves here during the summer and serves the most fantastic dishes. Tonight, we are going to eat our own freshly caught fish. 

After dinner, we get back into the boat and return to Nuuk where we will arrive around 9:00 PM, ready for a good night’s sleep (or maybe a night cap in one of the many watering places surrounding the hotel).

Breakfast is served all morning at the hotel. You should take the opportunity to get a good meal. Our flight out of Nuuk is at 9:55 AM and we have to be at the airport at least an hour before so make sure to get up in good time.

We board the Air Greenland Dash 8 plane and set off for Keflavik International Airport right outside of Reykjavik in Iceland. Because of the time difference, we land there at 3:05 PM. 

Now you have the opportunity to take your connecting flight to elsewhere – or why not stay a day or two in Iceland and get the most of two destinations in one trip