Easter in Greenland

On Thursday, we fly from Copenhagen to Ilulissat. Along the way, you stop in Kangerlussuaq, where you change to a smaller domestic airplane, and, from this plane, you can enjoy the sight of the floating icebergs as we approach Ilulissat. In Ilulissat, you will be transferred from the airport to Hotel Arctic.

Travel Program

You can freely arrange the days on this trip according to your wishes. However, in the following day-to-day program, you can find inspiration for activities, and purchasing excursions are possible.

Today, you start the adventure with a guided town walk in Ilulissat. Here you will get to know the town, and the guide will point out the places that you can later explore on your own.

Cultural-historical Town Walk (add-on)

Our guided town walk is a good way to hear about Ilulissat and Greenland’s history because the guide gives you an overview of the area’s history and culture. We also walk past the local museum, housed in the building where our world-famous polar explorer Knud Rasmussen grew up. In addition, we experience the bustling harbor, the old, beautiful wooden buildings of the colonial era, and the almost 250-year-old Church of Zion. And then, of course, we also have to pass Kalaaliaraq, the local meat and fish market!

Throughout the walk, the guide will tell you about the town’s history, Greenlandic culture, and life today, 300 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle.

At night, you will have a lovely welcome dinner in the hotel’s amazing restaurant (drinks not included).

Today, it is possible to join a walk to Sermermiut, and ælater meet sled dogs.

Hike to Ilulissat Ice Fjord and the Abandoned Settlement of Sermermiut (add-on)

Ilulissat’s beautiful icebergs form the backdrop for the ancient settlement of Sermermiut, one and a half kilometers south of the town. For 4,000 years, different Inuit cultures have lived in the settlement. You will hear more specifically about the lives and customs of the early Inuit before the arrival of the Europeans. In addition, you will feel comfortable having a guide with you on your first hike in Greenlandic nature. However, Sermermiut is not a difficult hike, and we are helped by walking on a footbridge so as not to wear nature on this UNESCO World Heritage Site.

We will have a coffee and tea break at “Nakkaliivik,” which recently became even more famous due to its role in the TV series Borgen, season 4, which took place in Ilulissat. Here, we enjoy a beautiful view of the ice fjord before we hike back again.

You can also try something completely different today:

Meet the Greenlandic Sled Dogs – A Living Arctic Tradition (add-on)

Step into the world of Greenland’s iconic sled dogs on this guided tour that brings you closer to one of the Arctic’s most enduring symbols. Learn about their deep cultural roots, their role in traditional life, and how they continue to adapt in a changing world.

Led by a knowledgeable guide, you’ll hear stories and insights about how these resilient dogs have helped shape life in the Arctic, from transportation and hunting to their continued relevance in today’s remote communities. You’ll gain a meaningful understanding of the special bond between humans and sled dogs in Greenland.

The tour takes place outdoors, where the dogs thrive in their natural habitat. Their thick coats protect them against the harsh cold, making them well-suited for the open environment – not as indoor pets, but as strong, working companions.

With the owner’s permission, you may approach selected dogs and experience the individual dog up close. We always prioritize your safety and the well-being of the animals, so any interaction is guided and respectful.

You’ll also get a chance to explore traditional sledding gear and learn how it connects past and present practices in dog sledding culture.

This tour is ideal for families and curious travelers of all ages looking for an authentic, educational experience focused on Greenlandic wildlife and tradition. It’s an encounter that will stay with you long after your journey ends.

Please note: For the safety and comfort of guests and dogs, approaching the animals without the owner’s permission is prohibited.

Today you have the day on your own.

If you bought an overnight stay at Igloo Lodge, now’s the time!

Overnight Stay at the Igloo Lodge (add-on)

Today, you can experience a real igloo, where you will spend the night and take part in some unique excursions. You will not miss any of the other excursions described in the daily program, although in some cases they may take place at a different time to make the schedule work.

World of Greenland has been very successful with their summer lodges at the Eqi Glacier and in the settlement of Ilimanaq. Now, they also offer winter lodges in the shape of igloos. You will be taken on a snowmobile into the wonderful winter landscape where we hope to see the northern lights dance in the sky in the evening.

Here, at the foot of the mountains, you will spend the night in an igloo (with the possibility of staying in a heated cabin). Igloo Lodge consists of five spacious igloos, each of which accommodates two people. Reindeer pelts and warm winter sleeping bags are covering the beds. There are also candles on the bedside table, which means that the temperature is around the freezing point inside the igloo. It is comparatively warm compared to the minus 20 degrees Celcius/ minus 4 Fahrenheit outside. The wooden cabin by the lodge is where we will eat our meals. In the wooden cabin, there is also an outhouse type restroom.

The trip to Igloo Lodge itself is an adventure! You are driven in a snowcat for about an hour into the Ilulissat hinterland with amazing views along the way. You will be met at the cabin with coffee and lunch. Later, you will have an afternoon coffee with cake, dinner, and evening coffee followed by a look outside to see if the northern lights are out. Then you will stay overnight in an igloo, and, in the morning, breakfast is served and, finally, there’s the trip back to civilization.

Option on the afternoon on Day 3:

Walking among Giants (add-on)

Walking amongst Giants is a spectacular snowmobile excursion that takes guests deep into the winter landscape of Ilulissat. The tour starts at Igloo Lodge, from where you ride two by two on snowmobiles into the backcountry towards Aattartoq. After about 45 minutes of driving, you reach Aattartoq and the frozen fjord Sikuiuitsoq. Here, frozen icebergs rise straight out of the meter-thick sea ice in dramatic formations of blue and shining white. This is where you truly understand the name of the tour: you are literally moving among Greenland’s giants.

The area is also an active hunting and fishing ground. Small cabins provide shelter from the cold, while dog sleds and sled dogs rest on the sea ice nearby. After arrival, the snowmobiles are parked and there is plenty of time to walk out onto the sea ice among the icebergs and experience the Arctic nature up close. Along the way, the guide will also share insights into life as a hunter and fisherman in modern Greenland before the tour returns to Igloo Lodge.

Please notice: If you’ve purchased dogsledding at Igloo Lodge, you’ll go dog sledding after breakfast on day 2 at Igloo Lodge. The sled is bigger, so there are three of you on it instead of two.

The day is at your disposal. If you booked the excursion, you will go dog sledding today.

1½-Hour Dog Sled Ride (add-on)

The dog sled is one of the most famous Greenlandic icons and a thousand-year-old tradition for the Inuit. Not many vehicles have survived such a long period without change in appearance and technology: a pack of happy dogs in harnesses tied to a simply constructed wooden sled. It is hard to explain this experience – it has to be tried.

This trip often takes place in flat terrain on a plain near Ilulissat. In addition to the driver, you are two participants on each of the sleds, so if you have booked the tour alone, you may share a sled with another person. All dogs are different, so if you are out with family and friends, we cannot guarantee that you will be riding together on the entire trip. If you have neck or back problems or are immobile, this trip is not for you. Participants must be 12 years and older.

Easter Dinner

We celebrate Easter with a 5-course menu in the hotel’s restaurant (excluding drinks). It will be a wonderful evening!

You are free to go sightseeing today. However, if you have bought the excursion package, you are also going on a wonderful sailing trip on the Ice Fjord.

Sailing among Icebergs (add-on)

Almost all visitors to Ilulissat choose to try this boat trip between icebergs at least once. Every day, more than 40 million tonnes of ice flow from Ilulissat Glacier into the ice fjord. The result is huge icebergs.

These giants are stranded at the mouth of the Ice Fjord, and here we have the opportunity to sail among them. It is an incredible natural experience you should not rob yourself of when visiting Ilulissat.

And there’s room for more fun, too:

Helicopter Excursion (add-on)

This helicopter trip is the only way to enter the core of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. No boat or hiker can reach the enormous glacier on the mountain’s outskirts.

Kangia Sermeq is the most productive glacier in the northern hemisphere, producing 43 million tonnes of ice every day. The glacier is over one kilometer thick and seven kilometers wide. Seeing these limitless quantities of ice and the huge forces of nature is awe-inspiring.

The helicopter takes off from Ilulissat Airport and soars over mountains, lakes, rivers, and the Kangia Ice Fjord as low as safety and laws allow. We arrive on a mountain on the ice sheet’s edge. We have about half an hour here to take in the scenery.

We fly over the glacier front and follow the Ice Fjord for 70 kilometers on the way back. The largest icebergs strand on the moraine edge just before town, giving a stunning finish to our journey.

You start your morning with a good breakfast. Then, after some wonderful days here 300 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle, we fly back to Copenhagen. From the plane, you get one last view of the huge icebergs in Ilulissat Ice Fjord.