Going to Greenland
Jun 9th, 2006, 09:15 AM
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Going to Greenland
We are going to Greenland in August. This is long time dream of ours. Unfortunately, we cannot find a lot of good advise on these forums. Is there anyone out there that can contribute useful information?
Jun 9th, 2006, 10:01 AM
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I wonder why you chose Greenland. While in the service, I was stationed there for nine months. No roads, no trees, nothing but rocks and low bushes filled with clouds of mosquitoes in summer and freezing darkness the rest of the year. Fishing in the fjord was only so-so, using bait or lures. Otherwise, nothing to do day after day after day. Just our duties, waiting for mail planes, or drinking when off-duty. Watching the same movies night after night. We were forbidden to have any contact with the Inuit, the native people, lest we transmit any viruses. Scenically, it was like living among the Alps only flooded or frozen.
Jun 9th, 2006, 12:11 PM
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I've been to Kulusuk on the East coast on a day trip from Iceland. We visited a small native community. I loved it. I slao dream of taking a boat on the West coast, but I doubt that I ever will.
What are your plans?
What are your plans?
Jun 9th, 2006, 01:53 PM
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I spent three days in the Eastern part of Greenland, but quite a few years back. One of the things that I'm sure hasn't changed, though, is...bugs! The guide on the hikes wore a mosquito netting hat and we were all envious.
The icebergs were gorgeous and I really enjoyed a boat trip to a small village about two hours away from Kulusuk. It's definitely not for committed vegans, though; lots o' hunting and skins pegged out to dry.
I'll be happy to help if I can, but, as I said, it was quite some time ago (1996?) and it was the east coast; will you be there, out of Iceland (and boy, can I give you some recommnedations for Iceland!) or going directly to the west?
The icebergs were gorgeous and I really enjoyed a boat trip to a small village about two hours away from Kulusuk. It's definitely not for committed vegans, though; lots o' hunting and skins pegged out to dry.
I'll be happy to help if I can, but, as I said, it was quite some time ago (1996?) and it was the east coast; will you be there, out of Iceland (and boy, can I give you some recommnedations for Iceland!) or going directly to the west?
Jun 9th, 2006, 09:06 PM
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USNR,
You'll be surprised. These are exactly the reasons we are curious about Greenland: the remoteness, the fact that there are no roads, the native people. We would, however, be glad to travel without the mosquitos... Once you've been all over Europe, the Americas (north and south) like we have, those remote places seem to catch our interest. 2 years ago we went to Northern Norway and Finland (Finmark). We were almost alone for 2 weeks and drove all over the area. It was amazing!
Amy,
We were already 4 times in Iceland. We really toured Iceland extensively almost everywhere around and in the island. Last time on Jan 2006 in a massive snow storm. I agree with you, it is fantastic! So this time we will skip Iceland and go to Greenland via Denmark.
Jed,
right now we plan to visit a small portion of west-south Greenland: We plan to fly to Kangerlussuaq, change plans to Nuuk. Stay in Nuuk for 3 nights, fly to Sismiut and stay 2 nights, take a boat to Ilulissat, stay there for 4 nights, fly back to Kangerlussuaq for 2 nights and fly back to Copenhagen.
I will for sure post my impressions, the good as well as the bad, upon returnng (towards the end of August). I just want to add, that the fact that we are quite old, will of course affect the way we plan to travel. we cannot, unfortunately, be as adventurous as we would love to be. Age has some disadvantages after all...
Anyone out there that visited the places I mentioned???
You'll be surprised. These are exactly the reasons we are curious about Greenland: the remoteness, the fact that there are no roads, the native people. We would, however, be glad to travel without the mosquitos... Once you've been all over Europe, the Americas (north and south) like we have, those remote places seem to catch our interest. 2 years ago we went to Northern Norway and Finland (Finmark). We were almost alone for 2 weeks and drove all over the area. It was amazing!
Amy,
We were already 4 times in Iceland. We really toured Iceland extensively almost everywhere around and in the island. Last time on Jan 2006 in a massive snow storm. I agree with you, it is fantastic! So this time we will skip Iceland and go to Greenland via Denmark.
Jed,
right now we plan to visit a small portion of west-south Greenland: We plan to fly to Kangerlussuaq, change plans to Nuuk. Stay in Nuuk for 3 nights, fly to Sismiut and stay 2 nights, take a boat to Ilulissat, stay there for 4 nights, fly back to Kangerlussuaq for 2 nights and fly back to Copenhagen.
I will for sure post my impressions, the good as well as the bad, upon returnng (towards the end of August). I just want to add, that the fact that we are quite old, will of course affect the way we plan to travel. we cannot, unfortunately, be as adventurous as we would love to be. Age has some disadvantages after all...
Anyone out there that visited the places I mentioned???
Jun 10th, 2006, 06:42 AM
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This is a trip I've wanted to take for a long time. I did some preliminary research. One sight that interested me were the Viking ruins in SW Greenland. As I recall, you can hire a boat from Narsarsuaq for an all day excursion to a Viking Cathedral established in the twelfth century. Looking forward to reading your trip report!
Jun 10th, 2006, 10:24 AM
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I am very jealous. We went to Iceland last May and considering tacking on a trip to Greenland. It didn't work out for that trip. But I did research some options. I found a great travel company in Greenland who set up an itinerary for me. They can arrange dogsledding, sailing, accomodations with a hunter, snowmobiling, kayak rentals, tours...They were extremely helpful, and when we finally make it to Greenland. I'll definitely use them for planning.
Nanu Travel
http://www.nanu-travel.com/Forside.asp?PageID=2
Nanu Travel
http://www.nanu-travel.com/Forside.asp?PageID=2
Jun 10th, 2006, 02:35 PM
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Hi eri,
Last year, in honor of a 'big' birthday, my husband gave me a voucher for a dinner anywhere in the world (and the trip to get there). I pondered and pondered where to go - the first idea was to go to one of the continents I had never been to (Asia or Africa). Other ideas were to go to the five smallest countries of Europe, each for one course of the meal. Since the trip ended up having to be after mid December (after fall semester ended and after the dog recovered from summer surgery), one might guess that I would go to someplace warmer than New England (where we live). No way!
We had been to Iceland for the summer solstice and experienced daylight for the entire two week vacation. I wanted to do the opposite and experience the dark and the Aurora Borealis. What better location than Greenland! I started investigating the options and quickly realized that we should leave after Jan. 1 – to avoid the Xmas holidays.
So we left for Copenhagen on January 3d. There are only two ways to get to Greenland and neither is from the US. You can go from Iceland or from Copenhagen. We opted to go via Denmark. And just in case there was bad weather or travel delays we decided to stay in Copenhagen for two nights before and after Greenland.
Then it was off to Greenland, via Air Greenland. The airbus was packed. Four hours later we glimpsed Greenland as we landed at Kangerlussuaq Int’l Airport. The town is a former US Air Force Base (Sonder Sonstrum) and has about 500 residents. The landscape was so interesting – rocky, snowy, no signs of habitation outside town. But there was some light (not the dark we were anticipating). The thermometer at the airport registered -25C. Since there was no jetway we walked into the airport. I would mention at this time that we had brought parkas and boots (and more clothing) that could withstand -40F temperatures. It was cold but there wasn’t more than a dusting of snow.
We waited about an hour for our Dash 8 flight to Ilulissat, further north. The plane stopped at two other villages before Illulisat and we had to get off and walk to the little terminals each time. Cargo was piled in the front of the plane where the first rows of seats are normally. We got to Illulisat at 2:45pm and the light was fading fast.
By the time we got to the Arctic Hotel it was completely dark. The Arctic Hotel was a very nice hotel (after all royalty has stayed there and it was the location for some summit meetings). The tour guide met us at the hotel and outlined the possible options for the next day. Then a nice dinner at the hotel and rested (we had shifted backfour time zones, after doing six zones to Copenhagen). We could see the Aurora Borealis all night from the window in our room. It was mostly white shimmering lights. We probably could have seen it better if we went outside away from the lights of the hotel, but it was too cold.
We did dogsledding the next day for 3 hours. I was dressed for the cold, but by the end of the trip I was colder than I have ever been. The temperature was about -35C. My husband and I each had a sled and Innuit driver – we just sat on the sled (we could jump off and run to get warm). The ride was wild, up and down rocky hills, through narrow paths, around corners. The daylight (faint) came as we were riding, but no sun. The camera batteries kept freezing, but my husband did get some fantastic pictures of the landscape and the dogs. It was so exciting! Then we had lunch at the local café – curry soup with shrimp and a platter with two kinds of halibut.
After lunch we took a walking tour (yes we were back out in the extreme cold) around Illulisat. The tour guide was a Dane who liked Greenland so much he stayed there. We saw the harbor (frozen), the large food storage buildings (they bring in most of the winter food by ship during the summer), the church, the Karl Rasmussen Museum. Ilullisat has a population of about 4500 people and about 3500 dogs. It’s the second largest town, only the capital Nuuk has more people. We had dinner at the hotel – it was too cold to go back into the village. We watched a little tv (on one of the two stations). Again, we saw the Aurora all night from our room. And heard dogs howling.
Next day, back to the airport for a flight back to Kangerlussuaq, where we were staying for two days.
Then we went on a muskox/raindeer safari. Kangerlussuaq actually had roads outside the town (leftover from the Air Force days) and we went all around. Saw some muskox from a distance and then some reindeer. The glacial valley was beautiful – the Ice Cap melts into the river flowing through Kangerlussuaq. Ate dinner at the cafeteria because it was handy. (there were some other eateries but they were again too far in the cold, and the taxis didn’t run in the evening). We were signed up for the Northern Lights tour but it was cancelled due to the cloudy conditions. Kangerlussuaq is known for the Northern Lights and there is a scientific research station devoted to their study in town.
Next day, took a tour with three other tourists to the Ice Cap. We followed a road that Volkswagen financed so they could drive cars on the Ice Cap for advertising purposes. We actually saw the sun when we were on top of a hill. The scenery was breathtaking and the temperature was quite cold. The Ice Cap was amazing – the ice was beautiful, the loneliness incredible. We couldn’t go too far on the ice, but they do actually have tours that cross it later in the spring. The Northern Lights tour was again cancelled that evening, but at least we got to see them in Illulisat.
The next day we flew back to Copenhagen and stayed for another two nights.
Then the last night we had THE MEAL. I had thought that I could have the birthday dinner in Greenland, but there really wasn’t more than hotel food there in the winter, so the dinner ended up being in Copenhagen. I had read through books while in the Greenland cafeteria and decided upon a restaurant called Peder Oxe. It was a very lovely restaurant, on a quaint square. My husband told our waitress that we had come all the way from Connecticut to eat there. After that the waitress and manager couldn’t have been nicer – they gave us wine and desserts and took our pictures (constantly). The food was great but most of all it was a wonderful ending to a memorable trip!
Have a great time in Greenland! I can't wait to go back -- next time it'll be in the summer!!
Last year, in honor of a 'big' birthday, my husband gave me a voucher for a dinner anywhere in the world (and the trip to get there). I pondered and pondered where to go - the first idea was to go to one of the continents I had never been to (Asia or Africa). Other ideas were to go to the five smallest countries of Europe, each for one course of the meal. Since the trip ended up having to be after mid December (after fall semester ended and after the dog recovered from summer surgery), one might guess that I would go to someplace warmer than New England (where we live). No way!
We had been to Iceland for the summer solstice and experienced daylight for the entire two week vacation. I wanted to do the opposite and experience the dark and the Aurora Borealis. What better location than Greenland! I started investigating the options and quickly realized that we should leave after Jan. 1 – to avoid the Xmas holidays.
So we left for Copenhagen on January 3d. There are only two ways to get to Greenland and neither is from the US. You can go from Iceland or from Copenhagen. We opted to go via Denmark. And just in case there was bad weather or travel delays we decided to stay in Copenhagen for two nights before and after Greenland.
Then it was off to Greenland, via Air Greenland. The airbus was packed. Four hours later we glimpsed Greenland as we landed at Kangerlussuaq Int’l Airport. The town is a former US Air Force Base (Sonder Sonstrum) and has about 500 residents. The landscape was so interesting – rocky, snowy, no signs of habitation outside town. But there was some light (not the dark we were anticipating). The thermometer at the airport registered -25C. Since there was no jetway we walked into the airport. I would mention at this time that we had brought parkas and boots (and more clothing) that could withstand -40F temperatures. It was cold but there wasn’t more than a dusting of snow.
We waited about an hour for our Dash 8 flight to Ilulissat, further north. The plane stopped at two other villages before Illulisat and we had to get off and walk to the little terminals each time. Cargo was piled in the front of the plane where the first rows of seats are normally. We got to Illulisat at 2:45pm and the light was fading fast.
By the time we got to the Arctic Hotel it was completely dark. The Arctic Hotel was a very nice hotel (after all royalty has stayed there and it was the location for some summit meetings). The tour guide met us at the hotel and outlined the possible options for the next day. Then a nice dinner at the hotel and rested (we had shifted backfour time zones, after doing six zones to Copenhagen). We could see the Aurora Borealis all night from the window in our room. It was mostly white shimmering lights. We probably could have seen it better if we went outside away from the lights of the hotel, but it was too cold.
We did dogsledding the next day for 3 hours. I was dressed for the cold, but by the end of the trip I was colder than I have ever been. The temperature was about -35C. My husband and I each had a sled and Innuit driver – we just sat on the sled (we could jump off and run to get warm). The ride was wild, up and down rocky hills, through narrow paths, around corners. The daylight (faint) came as we were riding, but no sun. The camera batteries kept freezing, but my husband did get some fantastic pictures of the landscape and the dogs. It was so exciting! Then we had lunch at the local café – curry soup with shrimp and a platter with two kinds of halibut.
After lunch we took a walking tour (yes we were back out in the extreme cold) around Illulisat. The tour guide was a Dane who liked Greenland so much he stayed there. We saw the harbor (frozen), the large food storage buildings (they bring in most of the winter food by ship during the summer), the church, the Karl Rasmussen Museum. Ilullisat has a population of about 4500 people and about 3500 dogs. It’s the second largest town, only the capital Nuuk has more people. We had dinner at the hotel – it was too cold to go back into the village. We watched a little tv (on one of the two stations). Again, we saw the Aurora all night from our room. And heard dogs howling.
Next day, back to the airport for a flight back to Kangerlussuaq, where we were staying for two days.
Then we went on a muskox/raindeer safari. Kangerlussuaq actually had roads outside the town (leftover from the Air Force days) and we went all around. Saw some muskox from a distance and then some reindeer. The glacial valley was beautiful – the Ice Cap melts into the river flowing through Kangerlussuaq. Ate dinner at the cafeteria because it was handy. (there were some other eateries but they were again too far in the cold, and the taxis didn’t run in the evening). We were signed up for the Northern Lights tour but it was cancelled due to the cloudy conditions. Kangerlussuaq is known for the Northern Lights and there is a scientific research station devoted to their study in town.
Next day, took a tour with three other tourists to the Ice Cap. We followed a road that Volkswagen financed so they could drive cars on the Ice Cap for advertising purposes. We actually saw the sun when we were on top of a hill. The scenery was breathtaking and the temperature was quite cold. The Ice Cap was amazing – the ice was beautiful, the loneliness incredible. We couldn’t go too far on the ice, but they do actually have tours that cross it later in the spring. The Northern Lights tour was again cancelled that evening, but at least we got to see them in Illulisat.
The next day we flew back to Copenhagen and stayed for another two nights.
Then the last night we had THE MEAL. I had thought that I could have the birthday dinner in Greenland, but there really wasn’t more than hotel food there in the winter, so the dinner ended up being in Copenhagen. I had read through books while in the Greenland cafeteria and decided upon a restaurant called Peder Oxe. It was a very lovely restaurant, on a quaint square. My husband told our waitress that we had come all the way from Connecticut to eat there. After that the waitress and manager couldn’t have been nicer – they gave us wine and desserts and took our pictures (constantly). The food was great but most of all it was a wonderful ending to a memorable trip!
Have a great time in Greenland! I can't wait to go back -- next time it'll be in the summer!!
