Reviewed on 21 Sep. 2021
Reviewed on 14 Sep. 2019
Reviewed on 4 Oct. 2021
Fjords, glaciers, the northern lights, the midnight sun, dog sledding and whale watching make visiting this very large island a unique experience.
Much of Greenland is whiter than it is green, but the country offers much more than just snow sports. Visit natural features along the green shoreline. Travel inland for snow activities on the icecap covering 85 percent of the country. Explore museums telling the history of the pioneering people of this fascinating country.
Near Ilulissat is a unique UNESCO world heritage site. View the Ilulissat Icefjord from a plane, boat or hiking overlook to watch and listen to giant icebergs calving from the fast-moving Sermeq Kujalleq glacier into Disko Bay.
Hike some of the challenging 100-mile (160-kilometre) Arctic Circle Trail from Kangerlussuaq to Sisimiut to see Greenland’s wildlife: reindeer, muskox, fox, snow hare, ptarmigan and other birds. Summer whale watching is very popular. Look for fin whale, humpbacks, minke whale and a dozen other species in the waters near the capital, Nuuk.
Greenland’s most famous animal is the dog, present on the island for 5,000 years, not as a pet but as a working animal pulling dogsleds over the icecap. Bundle in warm clothing and join a musher behind a team of sled dogs on the east coast or near far northern towns. For modern transportation and fun, take a snowmobile tour of the region.
Use your own power to move over the snow and ice with ski touring in Maniitsoq. Some of the best trips are ship-based, with different daily outings from a floating hotel in the Eternity Fjord. Kulusuk offers a base for cross country skiing and heliskiing.
Many of Greenland’s towns have museums highlighting local history of the native Inuits, early Nordic visitors and lasting Danish settlers. Interact with descendants across the country and visit the Greenland National Museum and Archives in Nuuk.
You’ll have plenty of daylight to explore Greenland during summer’s midnight sun. Uummannaq experiences these very long days from April to August, with shorter periods farther south. Alternatively visit Greenland between September and April to see the shimmering beauty of the northern lights.