Greenland travel: Ilulissat

Your Greenland travel starts actually in Iceland. Departure from the airport in Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland. You fly over the North Atlantic and the Greenland icecap. With its 1.7 million km2, it is 3 times the size of France! Landing in Ilulissat, Greenland after a three hour flight you have arrived on the west coast of Greenland and you´ll agree we are sure, in another world! Transfer to your hotel and settle into your room. You now have free time in the afternoon to explore the city and landscapes of the extraordinary Ice-fjord. If you are keen to get things underway you have time for your first tour, in the afternoon or evening, you will be amazed by the stunning icebergs of Disko Bay and it´s immense Ice-fjord which is classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

n this day of your Greenland trip you head north. Boarding the ferry boat at the Ilulissat harbour early in the morning you will then sail through Disko bays wondrous maze of icebergs on a calm glass-like sea for approximately 70 km until you reach the Eqi Glacier – Eqip Sermia. Either from the deck of the ferry or the comfort of its warm passenger cabin, you will find yourself captivated by icebergs of impressive and varying size and shape that Greenland´s nature creates in Disko bay. During this Eqi boat tour, you will also see the barren hills, mountains and small fjords of West Greenland as you pass through Ataa sound giving you a true appreciation of the beauty of this sanctuary called Disko Bay. It´s now time for the one of the most beautiful sites during your Greenland travel, the glacier “EqipSermia”. Located at the end of a cove in Disko Bay, the ferry takes you for an up-close look at the Eqi glacier before the engine stops and the absolute silence is sporadically interrupted by the sound of thunder as calving ice collapses into the sea. Following this unique and unforgettable experience, you will disembark on the shore opposite the Eqi glacier at Port Victor. You are now at the site where the famous French explorer, Paul Emile Victor embarked upon on several expeditions to the Greenland Icecap as well as the site of the preserved hut he used as a Base camp. Glacier Lodge Eqi is where you will spend the night surrounded by the extraordinary wonders of Disko Bay. Isolation and contentment will describe the way you´ll feel as you dine at Café Victor overlooking the Eqip Sermia glacier and savouring the exquisite delights of surely one of the best restaurants in Greenland! Before dinner, settle into your cosy cottage and bask in West Greenland´s surreal environment.
Several hiking opportunities are possible in this stage of your Greenland trip, specifically in and around Port Victor and the Eqi glacier.

During the morning of the third day of your Greenland travel, you can simply enjoy the view from the terrace of your cottage or spend a few hours hiking up to the moraine of the Eqi glacier. As you approach the top, you´ll discover spectacular views of the glacier tongue that is suddenly only a few hundred feet away and stretches to the horizon in the direction of the icecap. On the way back, you may encounter the curious arctic fox before boarding the ferry back to Ilulissat where you will arrive just in time for dinner. Transfer from Ilulissat Harbour to your hotel and settle into next two night’s accommodation.

This day in Ilulissat is for your enjoyment. Be it hiking along the Ilulissat Ice fjord World Heritage site with it´s gigantic cathedral like icebergs that drift glacially down the fjord towards Disko Bay or taking an Ilulissat Ice Fjord boat tour that gets you even closer to observe these marvels of nature. Explore a new world as you venture into the midst of these floating cities of Ice remembering to keep a lookout for seals and if you are lucky, whales. Ilulissat Ice Fjord boat tours are available in the morning and afternoon as well as the evening where you are able to experience the icebergs as they lay in the light of the midnight sun!
Other Disko Bay boat tours are also possible at this stage of your Greenland travel such as sailing to Ilimanaq village across the Ice fjord or even to Qqaatsut (Rodebay) just north of Ilulissat. In these Inuit communities, you will have the privilege to observe their traditional Greenlandic hunter gatherer lifestyle. And last but by no means least; why not take a Disko Bay flightand fly over the Ilulissat Ice Fjord and the Sermeq Kujalleq (Jakobshavnglacier) which constantly calves ice!
While the combined coastline of Greenland is slightly longer than the circumference of the Earth (44,000 km), the glacier tongue (up to 10 kmwide at some points) alone produces no less than 10 % of all the icebergs around Greenland! Finally, do not forget to visit the excellent Ilulissat museum dedicated to the great Danish explorer Knud Rasmussen which is situated at the home he was born in.

Enjoy a free morning in Ilulissat for the last day of your Greenland trip. Utilise these last hours to fill up your memory cards as well as your memory (if possible) with the images of the awe-inspiring vistas that the city offers; The Ilulissat Ice Fjord, Disko Island and Disko Bay withit´s countless icebergs. Transfer to the Ilulissat airport and depart in the early afternoon on the flight to Reykjavik.