Flights from Copenhagen to Ilulissat via Kangerlussuaq. Welcome meeting and possibly sightseeing (optional)
Departure from Copenhagen is in the morning, and after approximately 4½ hours’ flight, you will set foot on the world’s largest island. Following a brief stop in Kangerlussuaq, we continue toward Ilulissat on a smaller plane. It is a beautiful 45-minute flight, which allows you to take in the magnificent icy landscape, the barren wilderness, and the magnitude. During our approach to Ilulissat, the city will appear in the middle of nowhere. The colored houses stand in stark contrast to the snow-clad mountains, and you can look forward to the next days filled with ice, winter and dog sledding – combined with cultural elements from a highly traditional Greenland city.
The bus of Hotel Arctic will pick you up at the airport, and you check in at the wonderfully situated four-star hotel. Here you will meet a guide from our local excursion office ‘World of Greenland’ who will brief you about the city, the area, dining and excursion possibilities. You can book excursions at the meeting, or have your pre-booked excursions confirmed.
Guided town walk (optional)
The first excursion in the excursion package is a guided tour of the town. You will learn about the history of the Ilulissat and experience its many interesting aspects. One of them is the many sled dogs that live here. Most of the dogs stay outside of the town at a large dog site if they are not roaming the terrain.
Ilulissat on your own or possibly a walk to Sermermiut (optional)
If you have purchased the excursion package, you can look forward to today’s guided walk to the old settlement at the Ice Fjord.
Sermermiut, the former settlement at the Ice Fjord (optional)
Beautiful Icebergs are the setting for the old settlement of the Sermermiut 1½ kilometers south of Ilulissat. For 4,000 years, different Inuit cultures lived in the settlement. Hear the story about the Inuit people’s life and traditions before the Europeans came to Greenland, see the ruins and touch the permafrost with your own hands.
On this hike, we will pass “Kællingekløften” where you can enjoy the magnificent view of the Ice Fjord, before heading back again. During the hike, there will be time to talk about flora, fauna, geology, and not least, the story behind the omnipresent ice.
Ilulissat on your own or possibly sailing among icebergs and a northern lights safari (optional)
Disco Bay is one of Greenland’s most popular tourist destinations. Primarily because of the ice, but also due to the beauty of the place, the many cultural attractions and the interaction between the traditional way of life and modern city life.
Ilulissat and the surrounding area offer excursion possibilities aplenty, and perhaps the initial briefing has inspired you to make the best use of your day, or perhaps you want to take in the fantastic view across the Disco Bay and let time freeze.
Sailing among icebergs (optional)
Almost every visitor in Ilulissat chooses to try this boat trip among the icebergs at least once.
More than 40 million ton of ice flows out into the fjord every day. The result is gigantic icebergs, which can be more than 100 meters on each side and with a height of up to 100 meters above the water surface. These giants strand at the end of the fjord, and that gives you a good opportunity to sail among them. An exceptional experience, you do not want to be without while visiting Ilulissat.
Remember to bring warm clothes, or you can rent a suit of sealskin.
Northern Lights Safari (optional)
2019: September 19 – December
When the sky is clear on winter nights, you can see the most beautiful northern lights over Ilulissat. Aurora Borealis is, without a doubt, the night sky’s most spectacular phenomenon. We are going to drive away from the lights of the town and go to where the darkness is most intense. The guide will tell us all about the causes of the phenomenon. You will also get tips and tricks to enable you to take the best pictures of the colored lights as they cross the night sky.
Ilulissat on your own or possibly a boat tour to the Eqi Glacier or settlement sightseeing in Oqaatsut (optional)
Use your final full day in Greenland to experience the atmosphere and life in the town. Go back in time and get a sense of history at the cozy museum established in Knud Rasmussen’s birthplace. The fishermen at “Brættet,” the local marketplace, provide you with an impression of the interesting food products of Greenland that do not come fresher than this.
When you have satisfied your appetite for visual experiences, it is time to pleasure your palate and fill your stomach. The restaurants in Ilulissat invite you on a journey through local specialties such as Greenland sushi, deep-fried ammassats (small fish), whale and seal – and in the cafés, freshly baked cakes will tempt your sweet tooth. This is indeed a journey that will impact on all your senses.
Day Tour to Eqi Glacier – the calving glacier (optional)
2019: August – September 18
Only a few places in Greenland are as beautiful as the Eqi Glacier, which ends in the fjord 80 kilometers north of Ilulissat. It is possible to get close to the glacier by boat and experience huge pieces of ice breaking off. The sounds are high, and the sight of the ice crashing into the water is breathtaking.
We sail in modern and convenient boats at the excursion to the Eqi Glacier. The route goes north along the coast passing Bredebugt, the settlement of Oqaatsut and the big fjord system called Pakitsoq, where whales and seals often are seen. Further on, we pass through the Ataa Strait, which is surrounded by steep mountains with bird life and waterfalls. Our ice secured boats lie approximately two hours in front of the glacier and wait for the ice to calve, while a delicious lunch is served. This is an all-day excursion, where you will have a good opportunity to be immersed in the experience and the boat trip in the ice-filled water.
Please notice:
The length of the boat trip to and from the glacier can last between 2 – 5 hours each way. It depends on the boat used the given day.
Settlement sightseeing – Ilimanaq by boat (optional)
2019: September 19 – December
Small isolated settlements are very special in Greenland. They have internet and flat screens in the settlement, but everyday life has another pace. Just one generation ago, the majority of the Greenlandic people lived in the small settlements along the coast.
Through several centuries, the settlement of Oqaatsut was the resort of the Dutch whale hunters. Therefore another name for the settlement is Rodebay (Red Bay). Today, whales are still drawn ashore here once in a while. Oqaatsut is beautifully situated approximately 15 kilometers north of Ilulissat, and even though it only has 45 inhabitants, it has a school, church, shop and a small restaurant called “H8”, which is located in one of the old buildings from the colonial time.
On this excursion, we sail from Ilulissat harbor to Oqaatsut and back. The sailing time is approximately one hour each way, and we pass the impressive Ilulissat Ice Fjord along the way. We spend about two hours in Oqaatsut. Coffee and tea will be served on the boat.
Flights from Ilulissat to Kangerlussuaq and Copenhagen
After an intense, extended weekend, it is time to say your goodbyes to Ilulissat. Greenland is likely to have made quite an impressions on you that will spark a special feeling and flash a series of indelible mental images whenever you hear the word Greenland mentioned in the future.
You depart from Ilulissat via Kangerlussuaq, arriving in Copenhagen in the evening.
