Preview the natural wonders of Greenland on this virtual tour
Photo courtesy of Matthew Littlewood – Visit Greenland
Nuuk, Capital of Greenland
Nuuk, Greenland’s capital and largest metropolis, is house to round 18,000 folks. While you’re on the town, make sure you go to the Greenland National Museum, find out about Greenlandic independence at the parliament constructing and discover Inuit artwork at the Nuuk Art Museum.
Photo courtesy of Aningaaq R Carlsen – Visit Greenland
Greenlandic structure
One of the first issues many guests discover upon arrival in Greenland is the array of shiny colours of the native structure. When Hans Egede arrived in Greenland in 1721, he introduced with him a brand new colonial type of constructing utilizing wooden from Scandinavia.
Buildings had been initially painted primarily based on use – yellow for hospitals, blue for fish factories, pink for industrial homes and black for police stations. These days, buildings are nonetheless painted in shiny colours, however homeowners don’t all the time persist with a colour coding system.
Photo courtesy of Paul Zizka – Visit Greenland
Greenland Ice Sheet
More than 99 % of the freshwater on the planet may be present in the two ice sheets masking Greenland and Antarctica. The Greenland Ice Sheet covers some 79 % of the floor of Greenland – an space 14 occasions the measurement of England. At its thickest level, the ice is 10,500 ft deep.
Photo courtesy of Lydia Schrandt
Ilulissat
Ilulissat is the iceberg capital of Greenland and a preferred base for exploring the ice sheet. You can usually hear the roar of icebergs breaking from the glacial face whereas strolling via city. A brief hike brings guests to the edge of the Ilulissat Glacier (also referred to as the Jakobshavn Glacier).
Photo courtesy of Lydia Schrandt
Ilulissat Icefjord
A spotlight of a keep in Ilulissat is the likelihood to get out on the water and discover the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Ilulissat Icefjord. On Greenland’s west coast, the ice cap reaches the sea in what’s one of the world’s fastest-moving and most lively glaciers. It calves ice greater than another glacier exterior Antarctica.
Photo courtesy of Aningaaq R Carlsen – Visit Greenland
Paamiut
The coast of Greenland is dotted with fairly harbor cities, like Paamiut in the southwest. Visitors to this group can usually spot white-tailed eagles hovering above city. In winter, it’s a favourite vacation spot for backcountry snow sports activities.
Photo courtesy of Aningaaq R Carlsen – Visit Greenland
Leif Eriksson
A millennia in the past, Eric the Red and his group of Norsemen sailed into the bay the place the trendy city of Qassiarsuk is positioned. Many years later, his son Leif Eriksson would set sail into uncharted waters, reaching the shores of North America nearly 500 years earlier than Columbus. A statue of the explorer stands watch over the city of Qassiarsuk in Southern Greenland.
Photo courtesy of Mads Pihl – Visit Greenland
American historical past
The city of Narsarsuaq – inhabitants 160 – was based as an American airbase in 1941. During World War II, the United States took over the protection of Greenland from Denmark, establishing two giant air bases. Twice, as soon as after the conflict and once more in 2019, the U.S. authorities provided to purchase Greenland. Both gives had been rejected by the Danish authorities.
Photo courtesy of Mads Pihl – Visit Greenland
A sea of ice
One of the finest methods to expertise the natural magnificence of Greenland is from the water. Excursions alongside the coast usually take guests via seas of towering icebergs, like the one pictured right here.
Photo courtesy of Aningaaq R Carlsen – Visit Greenland
An agricultural heritage
Inuit and Norse cultures have created a singular farming society at the southern edge of the Greenland Ice Cap. This area, a UNESCO World Heritage web site often known as Kujataa Greenland, stays an essential agricultural area the place sheep farms and ice-filled fjords sit facet by facet.
Photo courtesy of Aningaaq R Carlsen – Visit Greenland
Innerulaalik Sheep Farm
At Innerulaalik Sheep Farm, guests can expertise firsthand what life is like at one of these farms close to the Arctic Circle. The property contains two sheep barns, a workshop and a guesthouse. Guests can discover the property on an Icelandic horseback trip.
Photo courtesy of Aningaaq R Carlsen – Visit Greenland
Hiking in Greenland
Hiking in Greenland usually means traversing distant landscapes, even if you happen to’re simply exterior the capital metropolis. Hiking choices right here vary from comparatively straightforward walks on well-trodden terrain to multi-day treks into the Greenlandic backcountry. Among the most well-known treks is the Arctic Circle Trail, which runs for 99 miles between Kangerlussuaq and Sisimiut.
Photo courtesy of Aningaaq R Carlsen – Visit Greenland
Local artwork
Qaqortoq, the largest city in South Greenland, is thought for its artwork, thanks largely to the efforts of Greenlandic artist Aka Høegh. In the Nineties, Høegh created an artwork set up comprising some 40 sculptures round the metropolis. Many of them had been carved straight into the rock faces, like this piece depicting migrating whales.
Photo courtesy of Aningaaq R Carlsen – Visit Greenland
Watersports
When you assume of the icy waters of Greenland, watersports may not be the first issues that come to thoughts. But these waters appeal to fanatics from round the globe who come to kayak, stand-up paddleboard and even scuba dive. Since water temperatures fluctuate little all through the 12 months – they keep simply above freezing – it’s potential to dive year-round.
Photo courtesy of Mads Pihl – Visit Greenland
The Southern Fjords
The southernmost fjords in Greenland characteristic granite spires, rock faces and picturesque villages, like the tiny city of Aappilattoq. The group of round 100 residents sits alongside Prince Christian Sound, thought of amongst the most gorgeous fjord programs on earth.
Photo courtesy of Mads Pihl – Visit Greenland
Arctic Winter Games
Every two years, athletes from round Greenland meet in the capital to compete in the Arctic Winter Games. Traditional Inuit video games, often known as the Arctic sports activities, make up a bulk of the competitors. Events embrace excessive kicking, arm wrestling and head pulling (pictured).
Photo courtesy of Mads Pihl – Visit Greenland
Tjodhilde’s Church
Erik the Red was the first European to step foot in Greenland. His spouse Tjodhilde helped set up the first Christian church on the North American continent and ultimately transformed her then-pagan husband. Visitors can see recreations of Tjodhilde’s Church and Erik the Red’s longhouse, constructed from turf and timber, close to the city of Qassiarsuk.
Photo courtesy of Mads Pihl – Visit Greenland
Kayaking
The kayak originated in the Arctic area and was delivered to Greenland by the first immigrants some 4,000 years in the past. It rapidly grew to become an essential searching software and stays a cultural image. Children usually study to kayak at a younger age, and skilled kayakers can carry out some fairly spectacular rolls.
Photo courtesy of Mads Pihl – Visit Greenland
Dog sledding
While kayaks are a preferred mode of transportation on the water, on land, it’s the canine sled that has helped Greenlanders traverse the snowy panorama for hundreds of years. These days, it’s additionally a preferred leisure exercise for each locals and vacationers. Greenlandic sled canine are bred underneath strict rules. If a canine is taken out of the space, it’s not permitted to return.
Photo courtesy of Mads Pihl – Visit Greenland
The Greenlandic Tupilak
The Tupilak, a determine carved from tooth, bone or stone, was initially used as a talisman to guard the proprietor towards assault or enact revenge towards an enemy. The time period ‘tupilak’ refers to the soul or spirit of an ancestor.
The carved determine, imbued with a spirit, was tossed to sea in order that it might search out and kill an enemy. If that enemy was stronger in witchcraft, he might all the time ship the tupilak again to kill its creator. These days, sculptors create the figures as works of artwork.
Photo courtesy of Lydia Schrandt
Sisimiut
The city of Sisimiut lies north of the Arctic Circle and is the second largest city in Greenland with 5,600 folks. It’s a preferred cease for cruise ships plying the western shores of Greenland, and it’s additionally a base for backcountry journey, from fly fishing for Arctic char to cross-country snowboarding.
Photo courtesy of Paul Zizka – Visit Greenland
Northern lights
The northern lights are seen in Greenland from September to April. The Space Weather Prediction Center gives forecasts for the lights, up to date each half-hour. While you’ll be able to see them in lots of locations all through Greenland, the group of Kangerlussuaq is the hottest, thanks largely to its 300 clear nights a 12 months.
Photo courtesy of Mads Pihl – Visit Greenland
Uunartoq scorching springs
For reduction from the chill of Arctic air in Greenland, head south to the nation’s solely heated out of doors spa. From the warming waters of Uunartoq scorching springs, you’ll have a view of icebergs and mountain peaks. The warmth that warms the spring isn’t really volcanic however is brought on by soil layers rubbing towards one another.
