Travel Tips

A well-known guidebook says that when you've seen everything, only Ilulissat Kangerlua remains. Maybe the photos can give you an idea of the place.
Now, I have definitely not seen everything, but a friend of mine researching Arctic nature and cultures wanted to go to the northern settlements of Greenland's west coast, and asked me to come along. We knew it would be an expensive travel, so we tried to live cheaply while there.
To get to Greenland you will have to fly either charter or scheduled airlines from Copenhagen, Denmark or Reykjavik, Iceland. To reach Ilulissat in the north, you fly first to Soendre Stroemfjord (Kangerlussuaq) and change for the Dash8-flights of Greenlandair north to Ilulissat (45 min). This short internal flight can be just as costly as the flight to Greenland itself. On the way to Ilulissat you fly over a fantastic landscape with the ice cap to your right and the fjords and lakes to your left. From Ilulissat airport you can take a cab (about DKR 100) or walk into this city of 4000 souls, Greenland's third largest community.

Ilulissat has all the conveniences you will need, so you do not need to bring anything special except appropriate clothing. There is a liberal youth hostel system in Greenland, so also in Ilulissat, where you can cater for yourself. Otherwise, there are hotels, cafeterias and restaurants (in the hotels). We found at least two main supermarkets and the "Br?dtet" the local meat and fish market, so self-catering is no problem. Everything is within walking distance. Local Greenland buffet meals including local specialites are advertised.

That's why people come here, the fantastic Icefjord emptying in the Disko Bay in walking distance from the town. 10% of the icebergs in the North Atlantic come from the iceflow here that drains the central part of the Greenland icecap. It is a wonderous, fragile and violent scenery all at the same time. Huge icebergs drift down the fjord and get stranded at the fjord's mounth until the pressure from behind push them over. You can see this from the barren shoreline or from sightseeing boats. Just do not go out by yourself in a kayak... We spent two days just walking along the fjord, looking at the shifting dramatic scenery, and some of the Inuitic cultural remains along the shore.
Apart from the Kangerlua there are easy mountain terrain and beautiful scenery to enjoy - we did day walks into the mountians east and north of town, and had a boat take us to Rode Bay further north in Disko Bay for a day's walk back to Ilulissat. More adventurous walks, deeper into the mountains, could be done with a tent. We enjoyed a couple of good splash-outs in a local restaurants, and also went out by boat with the local wildlife management authorities to see the ice bergs for a few hours. We had (only) 8 very active days there, with mostly good weather. Ilulissat Kangerlua matches anything I have seen of natural wonders elsewhere in the world - go and see for yourself!

With an organised sightseeing tour, with fishermen/-women or in a private rented boat with a local guide you can get close up to the scenery on the Iceberg bank - where the icebergs strand at 150 meters depth. This is not only the sight of ice cathedrals, the Sydney Opera in ice, ice caves and massive ice sheets, it is also the place of a fantastic fishery after Greenland halibut. Also minke whales, seals, sea birds and several other species of fish congregate here to take advantage of the nutrients and oxygen brought by the gigantic ice masses.

Helicopter sightseeing is offered out of Ilulissat, they take in the Isfjeldbanken (see photo), the Icefjord and go all the way into the glacier front.

The best fishing is experienced near the icebergs stranded on the Isfjeldbanke. Dangerous job, fishing here. The locals talk with awe about tipping icebergs.