Greenland Highlights: Nuuk and Ilulissat

Today’s excursion package tour is a Northern Lights tour starting at 8:00 p.m. It’s a good idea to get some dinner before you leave. Nuuk offers many places to eat, so look around, ask your guide, or visit the hotel reception.

Northern Lights Boat Tour (included)

You’ll get a completely different experience of the Northern Lights when you see them from a boat. It’s a phenomenon that has always been fascinating, also to us people in the Arctic.

We set sail from Nuuk and head towards Akia, also known as the Northland. Here, we have a great view of the Nuuk skyline without the distracting light around us. From here, we head further into the Nuuk fjord, where the boat produces the only artificial light. We stop the boat several times, turn off the engine, and enjoy the night sky and, not least, the silence (often broken by various oohs and aahs as the Northern Lights dance above us).

The Northern Lights are a natural phenomenon, so it’s hard to predict if they’ll appear. We have to take our chances when the sky is clear and dark enough. Therefore, there is no guarantee that the Northern Lights will appear—it’s nature that controls life up here.

• Breakfast
• Hotel Soma 3*

Today we continue our exploration to Ilulissat. It is a beautiful 45-minute flight, giving you the perfect chance to really enjoy the beautiful icy landscape, the desolate expanse, and grandeur of the Arctic. During the approach to Ilulissat, the town seemingly pops up in the middle of nowhere. The coloured houses vie for attention among the snow-covered peaks and as the aircraft lands, you can look forward to the next few days full of ice, autumn colours, and sled dog – combined with cultural highlights from a very traditional, Greenlandic town.

Information meeting upon arrival

You will be picked up at the airport and driven to your hotel. Here you will meet a guide from our local tour office, who will arrange an info meeting to tell you about the town, the area and places to eat. You can book excursions at the meeting, or you can confirm the excursions you have already booked from home.

Guided tour of the town (included)

The first excursion is a guided tour of the town. You will learn about the town’s history and experience the town’s many exciting areas. Ilulissat was founded in 1741 and, today, it is the third largest town in Greenland with more than 4,500 inhabitants. Seeing and especially hearing some of the many thousands of sled dogs living here is unavoidable. Unless out on a trip, most of the dogs are kept outside the town in large dog areas.

Visit the sled dogs (included)

No matter where you are in Ilulissat, you can’t help but see and hear some of the many sled dogs that live here. Today, you’ll go on an excursion where a local dog owner invites you to the feeding of a bucket of dogs, where you can see and hear the many dogs barking in unison. The dog owner will demonstrate the sled, harnesses, whip and talk about life as a sled dog.

At night, you will have a lovely welcome dinner in the hotel’s amazing restaurant (drinks not included).

• Breakfast / Dinner
• Hotel Arctic 4*

Disko Bay is one of Greenland’s most popular tourist destinations, first and foremost because of the ice but also because of the beauty of the place, the many cultural attractions, and the interplay between the traditional way of life and modern city life. Don’t miss visiting the sewing shop where they make souvenirs in sealskin or the shops with handicrafts such as teeth and bones.

Sailing on the Icefjord (included)

Almost all visitors to Ilulissat choose to try this boat trip between icebergs at least once—more than 40 million tons of ice flow from the Ilulissat Ice Bridge into the Icefjord daily. The result is enormous icebergs that can be several hundred meters long and extend up to 100 meters above sea level. These giants are stranded at the mouth of the Icefjord, and here we have the opportunity to sail among them. An incredible nature experience you should not miss out on when you visit Ilulissat.

Northern Lights Safari (included)

In the evening, join us on an atmospheric evening excursion and experience one of nature’s most spectacular phenomena – the Northern Lights! On clear, polar nights, we have the opportunity to see the dancing green waves light up the sky above Ilulissat.

We drive out to a place away from the city lights where we enjoy the view of the starry sky and listen to stories about the Northern Lights, old legends, and Arctic myths.

The tour is only conducted in clear weather. We will cancel the same day if clouds cover the sky and find a new date. We will refund the full amount if you can’t join us on another day. Even if the weather is clear, the Northern Lights can be unpredictable.

• Breakfast
• Hotel Arctic 4*

Another day filled with exciting activities around Icefjord.

Hike to the abandoned settlement of Sermermiut (included)

Ilulissat’s beautiful icebergs form the backdrop to the ancient settlement of Sermermiut, one and a half kilometers south of the city. For 4,000 years, the various Inuit cultures lived at the settlement, and today, you can still see many remains that testify to their presence. Hear the story of Greenlandic life and customs before the arrival of Europeans. Depending on when you arrive, you can see ruins and kitchen midden and feel the permafrost with your own hands.

Icefjord Center (included)

The Icefjord Center is a beautiful building that opened in the summer of 2021 and was designed by Dorthe Mandrup. It houses exciting exhibitions about the Icefjord area and the Arctic.

• Breakfast
• Hotel Arctic 4*

Visit the Charming Settlement of Ilimanaq (included)

Go on an unforgettable day trip to the beautiful and authentic settlement of Ilimanaq, located south of Ilulissat Icefjord. The tour starts with an atmospheric sail across the mouth of the fjord, where we enjoy the sight of the majestic icebergs drifting out into Disko Bay.

Upon arrival, you will explore the small settlement, where the guide will tell you about the history of Ilimanaq – from before colonization to the present day. You’ll get a unique insight into everyday life in a Greenlandic village where old traditions and modern lifestyles meet.

During the visit, we’ll be invited into the home of a local family, where we’ll enjoy a light lunch and a hot cup of coffee or tea. There is time to experience Greenlandic hospitality and hear about life in the Arctic directly from the people who live here.

After an eventful day, we sail back to Ilulissat, enjoying the spectacular scenery along the coast.

• Breakfast / Coffee with a local family
• Hotel Arctic 4*

On your last day in Ilulissat, you are free to explore on your own and experience the town's atmosphere. Learn about Knud Rasmussen at the local museum, visit the open market where fishermen and hunters offer fresh produce, visit local cafes that offer fresh-baked cakes, and try Greenlandic sushi at the local restaurants. And enjoy the breathtaking views of the Ice Fjord.

• Breakfast
• Hotel Arctic 4*