Arrival in Kangerlussuaq - welcome meeting and sightseeing tour (optional)
Once you have checked into Hotel Kangerlussuaq, the guide will call everyone together for an information meeting. You will get practical advice about the settlement, the area, places to eat and go, and here you can confirm any excursions you may have booked from home.
After the meeting, you can explore at your own pace or you can join the guided sightseeing tour in Kangerlussuaq and the surrounding area.
Sightseeing in Kangerlussuaq (optional)
Kangerlussuaq is a former US airbase. Today, the former airbase is Greenland’s main airport. The guide will share exciting stories about the origins of the base, from the Second World War to the Cold War, and its transformation into a modern international airport.
The area around Kangerlussuaq has Greenland’s longest road, and here we will see several interesting places and encounter the great Greenlandic nature.
We drive to the harbor to enjoy views of the beautiful fjord. The drive also takes us by Kellyville, a small research settlement, 12 kilometers from the airport and through the old base area. We will also visit the local kennel where you can get better acquainted with Greenlandic sled dogs. The scenic drive offers ample opportunity to take in the stunning scenery and get used to the cold.
You can enjoy dinner either at the hotel’s cafeteria or restaurant or in Restaurant Roklubben which is beautifully located on the shores of Lake Fergusson, approximately four kilometers from the airport, Roklubben serves delicious food combining local produce with international flavours. Transport to and from Restaurant Roklubben will be organized by our guide.
Day free at leisure in Kangerlussuaq. Why not join an excursion to the Ice Sheet and an evening northern lights tour (both optional)
Ice, ice, and more ice! The name Point 660 does not do justice to this stunning place at the edge of the Ice Sheet. Here, approximately 37 kilometers from Kangerlussuaq, the road ends and all further travel is by foot into the Arctic winter landscape.
This evening, you can join a northern lights tour. The trip to Point 660 and the northern lights tour are included if you buy the excursion package.
Greenland Ice Sheet, Point 660 (optional)
Kangerlussuaq is known as the gateway to the Ice Cap, and this is a guided tour to the immense ice sheet the size of Western Europe. We travel in 4×4 vehicles through a stunning and varied terrain. As we approach the Ice Sheet, we pass Russell Glacier and an amazing moraine landscape. At the end of the road, you’ll find the Ice Sheet itself, a truly unique experience.
We will spend some time in this vast white world before returning to our vehicles. It is quite something to feel the extreme cold and let your eyes wander across the seemingly infinite ice surface. The trip offers great opportunities for spotting reindeer and musk oxen.
Northern lights in Kangerlussuaq (optional)
On evenings with a clear sky, we often get to witness the beautiful northern lights (also known as Aurora Borealis). On this excursion, we head out into an area where artificial light does not prevent us from seeing nature’s spectacular light show.
The guide will tell us more about the phenomenon of northern lights and the many myths it has created throughout the ages. The guide will also show you how to ‘make’ northern lights while preparing the incredibly tasty Greenlandic coffee for you to enjoy.
Free time in Kangerlussuaq or you can join an excursion to Russell Glacier (optional)
Today is free at leisure or, if you have purchased the excursion package, you will be going on a trip to experience the impressive Russell Glacier.
The Russell Glacier (optional)
Driving partially off-road, we take the fascinating route to the spectacular Russell Glacier through the Arctic tundra landscape. The glacier is an impressive sight with its vertical ice walls rising as high as 60 meters. We get close enough for some great photo and video opportunities. The surroundings are truly stunning, and chances are good for spotting wild musk oxen and perhaps even ptarmigans and Arctic hare.
Flight to Sisimiut – info meeting and sightseeing (optional)
The trip continues to the coastal town of Sisimiut, situated approximately half an hour’s flight west of Kangerlussuaq. The hotel bus picks you up at the airport, and take you to 4-star Hotel Sisimiut, which will be your comfortable base for the next five nights. Check-in is followed by an information meeting with the local guide. At the meeting, the guide will tell you about the town, the area, places to eat and go, and you can confirm the excursions you booked from home. It is also possible to book excursions at the meeting.
If you have purchased the excursion package, the information meeting will be followed by a cultural-historical bus tour of the town, giving give you an impression of the town and what life is like north of the Polar Circle.
Sightseeing by bus (optional)
The trip starts at the old heliport, which was one of the only gateways to Sisimiut until 1998. Today, the landing site is used as a dog kennel and the building is a club house for the local youth. Our tour through town will stop at the local market which is full of freshly caught fish and game. We pass the town hall on the way to inspect the original hunting and fishing houses which are still standing today. We continue to the town’s highest vantage point to take in the impressive view towards the south. Finally, we visit the old town in the center where original buildings from colonial times in the 1700s are now home to the city’s museum.
Day in Sisimiut. You may wish to go on a dog sled ride (optional)
Today is yours to enjoy Sisimiut. With nature on your doorstep and culture and shops in town there are plenty of entertainment opportunities, however Hotel Sisimiut also offers a range of excursions – and outdoor hot tubs!
If you have purchased our excursion package in advance, you will be enjoying a short dog sled ride today.
Two-hour dog sled ride (optional)
Dog sledding is a truly authentic activity in Greenland. For thousands of years, the hunter and his dogs have lived and worked together in this harsh, yet stunning part of the world. The sled dog is, therefore, an important part of Greenlandic culture and used to be the only means of transportation when the landscape is frozen and covered in snow. This is where you will experience complete peace, with only the occasional interruption by the sled driver shouting orders to his dogs.
You will be sitting still on the sled while taking in the scenery, so make sure you are dressed in warm clothes. The sled trip will take you to the foot of Niujarfik, a natural stop before the steep climb northeast of Sisimiut. There will be a short break before the return journey – the perfect time to take photos while the sled driver untangles the leads. The price does not include rental of polar clothing and boots, and you will be two persons on each sled.
This sled trip gives you a taste of dog sledding. If you think you can handle more of the winter life in the company of dogs, the hotel can organize a longer trip for you. You can organize this during your stay in Sisimiut.
Explore Sisimiut on your own
Today is at your disposal. You can participate in excursions from the hotel, or you can take a walk on your own in the second largest town in Greenland.
Day at leisure. You may wish to join a winter safari (optional)
On your last day in wonderful Sisimiut, you can go on a snowmobile winter safari.
Winter safari (optional)
Enjoy the stunning mountain landscape surrounding Sisimiut. On this sightseeing tour, you will be sitting comfortably in a snowmobile sled, taking in nature’s grandeur from the valley to the mountain top. The tour takes you through the vast snow-covered mountain scenery and the Kangerluarsuk Tulleq fjord. There will be plenty of photo opportunities along the way. A packed lunch will be enjoyed on the hill with the Davis Strait as a backdrop.
Flight from Sisimiut to Kangerlussuaq and further on to Copenhagen
Your Greenland adventure has come to an end – for now, at least. You will head back to Denmark, where it will be early evening by the time you arrive in Copenhagen.
