Exclusive Activities & Attractions in Greenland
Greenland is a place like no other with sights and attractions you won’t find anywhere else.
Nuuk Water Taxi
Attractions
Get to know the cities and settlements of Greenland.
Aningaaq Rosing Carlsen, Visit Greenland
Ilulissat Sightseeing
Ilulissat is the third-largest community in Greenland and is known as the place where modern life meets a traditional lifestyle. Surrounded by stunning nature, this is the home of the Ice Fjord, an UNESCO World Heritage Site. Giant icebergs are a regular sight here, floating in the Fjord. Walking around town gives you a taste of how people in Greenland live. En route, you will experience the museum to deepen your understanding of Greenland and its people.
Ilulissat - Rodebay
Oqaatsut, the hunter’s settlement formerly known as Rodebay, is an Inuit settlement that sits on a small peninsula at the base of a mountain. With only 29 inhabitants in 2020, the isolated village depends on fishing and hunting. There may be a different choice of town but there will be the same small local settlement experience.
Mads Pihl, Visit Greenland
Elia Locardi, Visit Greenland
Nuuk Sightseeing
Nuuk is Greenland’s vibrant capital city in an area with a large fjord system known for waterfalls, humpback whales and icebergs. The city is the largest in Greenland, with a population of 18,000. On this tour, you will see first-hand how outspread Nuuk is and how traditional style meets modern and global influences. Learn about Nuuk’s history, traditional customs, Inuit culture and how they take shape today. Walk through the colonial harbor, where you can find houses built over 300 years ago.
Nuuk is also home to the National Museum which was established in the mid-1960s as one of the first museums in the country. It houses historical artifacts, handcrafts, ruins, covering all periods and civilizations in Greenland. The museum has seven permanent exhibitions showing the timeline of Greenlandic history and culture. Travel back over 4,500 years and get a close look at the first Arctic Stone Age cultures and meet the ancestors of today’s Greenlanders. One of the collections at the museum is of the Thule Culture – New People in Greenland. This collection includes mummies from the 15th century from Qilakitsoq in northwest Greenland.
Activities
There is no shortage of fun and interesting things to do on the world’s largest island.
Mads Pihl - Visit Greenland
Ilulissat - Home visit
Visit a Greenlandic family in their home for local “kaffemik.” This is an opportunity to meet members of the local Inuit community, learn about local life “at the edge of the ice cap” and discover how similar or different their culture and way of living are to your own.
Ilulissat - Eqi Glacier
A full-day boat tour to the glacier Eqi, 80 km north of Ilulissat. Sailing along the coastline gives you a taste of the western landscape of Greenland, with views of tiny settlements, waterfalls, and icebergs in incredible shapes and colors. Eqi is the most calving glacier in the northern hemisphere and you will get to experience it up and close while waiting for an iceberg to break away and into the ocean.
Paul Zizka , Visit Greenland
Thrainn Kolbeinsson, Visit Greenland
Ilulissat - Kayaking
Kayaking in Ilulissat is one of a kind experience. It feels strange knowing that in the distance are giant icebergs; some are as tall as the tallest buildings in the world and can turn and roll in the ocean, so a safe distance is kept.
Ilulissat - Dog Yard
For a long time, the only mode of transportation in Greenland was by dog sled. Today we do it mostly for fun, both humans and dogs. For a working dog, this is the highlight of their day. After getting instructions on how to handle the dogs and equipment, we head on an adventure. Feel the power of the dogs pulling you on the snow and enjoy the magnificent scenery.
David Trood, Visit Greenland
Norris Niman, Visit Greenland
Ilulissat - Flightseeing
Head out and hop on a plane. It is time to experience your surroundings from another viewpoint; the air! Fly over the icecap and see a herd of the musk ox run, the many rivers in between the glaciers, and the midnight sun, bathing over this magical landscape.
Ice Fjord and the ice cap are known for their size. The fissures in the glacier are huge, and the experience of flying over the cap itself and then down along the Ice Fjord, where you start seeing the ice breaking off the glacier, is hard to imagine. Slowly the iceberg begins moving out of the fjord. You feel so small in relation to this massive natural wonder.
The Ilulissat Icefjord runs west 40 km (25 mi) from the Greenland ice sheet to Disko Bay just south of Ilulissat town. At its eastern end is the Jakobshavn Isbrae glacier, the most productive glacier in the Northern Hemisphere. The glacier flows at a rate of 20–35 m (66–115 ft) per day, resulting in around 20 billion tonnes of icebergs calving off and passing out of the fjord yearly.
Icebergs breaking from the glacier are often so large —up to a kilometer (3,300 ft) in height— that they are too tall to float down the fjord and lie stuck on the bottom of its shallower areas, sometimes for years, until they are broken up by the force of the glacier and icebergs further up the fjord.
Historically, the ice cap was relatively deserted as Greenlanders opted instead to stay on sea ice with access to fertile waters below. Now, thanks to aircraft, boats, and, most importantly, wanderlust, the Greenland Ice Sheet has become a sought-after spot for travelers searching for Arctic adventures.
Kangerlussuaq - Musk Ox Safari
Kangerlussuaq is much more than a runway, it is the gateway to Greenland. Kangerlussuaq is, among other things, a city with easy access to nature which is immediately obvious the moment you step off the plane.
Musk oxen roam freely in the habitat around Kangerlussuaq so there is a high chance you catch a glimpse of one or more of these incredible creatures. Musk oxen are large and impressive animals that can be aggressive but it is exciting to see them with your own eyes. On this excursion you will learn about the tundra’s vegetations and might also see other wildlife.
Kangerlussuaq occupies an alluvial flatland on the far end of the 190 km long Kangerlussuaq Fjord. Highlands such as Tarajornitsut bound Kangerlussuaq from the north and south.
Dan B. Kristensen, Visit Greenland
Raven Eye Photography, Visit Greenland
Kangerlussuaq - Ice Cap
Contrary to its name, Greenland is covered in what is called the Greenland Ice Sheet, a coast-to-coast ice cap that has almost single-handedly formed the world’s perceptions of this large northern country. For the many populations who have lived in Greenland throughout the millennia, it has defined their entire way of life.
Nuuk - Kaffemik
What better way to end the day than to be invited to a private home to visit a local family? Enjoy the opportunity to hear stories and tells about life on the island. Home-baked pastries and traditional food will give you an even better sense of this beautiful nation.
Mads Pihl, Visit Greenland
Klaus Eskildsen, Visit Greenland
Nuuk - Kayaking
Kayaking in Nuuk gives you a new perspective on the natural landscape and wildlife of Greenland. Head north and see the colorful houses of Myggdalen and waterfalls coming off the Sermitsiaq Glacier. Witness the icebergs firsthand and in close proximity, but not too close. For safety reasons, there is a limit on how close you can get. If you are lucky, you might even spot some whales and a few seals.
Nuuk - Sailing
This excursion takes us into the Icefiord north of Nuuk, where most of the icebergs in and around the Nuuk fjord originate. It’s a majestic display of icebergs in all sorts of shapes and shades of blue. Luckily for us there are still quite a few of them here.
North of the abandoned settlement of Qoornoq, we’ll find a spot among the ice to enjoy the view whilst listening to the hisses and crackles from the ice as bubbles of air are released as they slowly melt.
Next we sail to the abandoned settlement Qooqqut and a small restaurant owned and run by the locally renowned chef, Mads Bek and his wife. Together they have created a little piece of heaven in a rugged landscape, with a grand view.
Nuuk Water Taxi
Rebecca Gustafsson, Visit Greenland
Nuuk - Beer Tasting
It is time to go on an fun educational journey of craft beer exploration in the heart of Nuuk. It is a fun event for everyone, whether you are a seasoned beer enthusiast or just beginning your journey into the world of craft brew, this is a delightful experience for all. You will get the chance to savor a curated selection of locally brewed beers and learn from the local brewmaster and brewers, who will share insights into the brewing techniques and ingredients that make each beer special. Some local snacks will be enjoyed during the tasting as well.
Nuuk - Golfing
Nuuk has a modern cliffside 9-hole golf course. Take the opportunity to play golf near the Arctic Circle surrounded by mountains. Though the course is modern, you need to be ready to carry your own golf bag and be able to walk over uneven terrain.
Peter Lindstrom, Visit Greenland
Luke Stackpoole - Visit Greenland
Qaqortoq - Boat to Icecap
In Greenlandic, Sermersuaq means icecap. Over 80% of Greenland is covered with ice sheets, and due to climate change, it is now more than ever in danger of disappearing. It has become the focus of a great deal of attention worldwide. Sail right up to the edge of the icebergs in the permissible area and walk on land near the village of Qalerallit Sermia.
Qaqortoq - Hvalsey Ruins
Less than one hour from Qaqortoq is one of the best-preserved Norse ruins in Greenland. Sail past the island of Hvalsey or Whale Island, into the fjord Whale Island Valley or as it was called in ancient Norse, Hvalseyfjörður. You will come upon the church ruins in a quiet and peaceful setting. The church was a central gathering place for the Norse community and played a vital role in their religious and social lives. Hvalsey Church is a symbol of resilience, cultural heritage, and historical intrigue. Learn about their life here during their 500 years in the Middle Ages and why they just disappeared!
Aningaaq R. Carlsen, Visit Greenland
Aningaaq Rosing Carlsen, Visit Greenland
Qaqortoq - Farm Visit
You will be visiting Kujataa, by feet, with a site guide, which is a sub-arctic farming landscape in the southern region of Greenland. It is the first known example of agriculture in the Arctic, and the oldest evidence of the Old Norse culture spreading outside Europe. The unique juxtaposition of farming and hunting for marine mammals that occurred in the region from the 10th through 15th centuries and from the 18th century to today headlined the region’s inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2017.
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