Ice, Northern Lights and Dogsledding in Greenland

We fly with Air Greenland from Copenhagen to Kangerlussuaq. Ahead awaits a 4,5-hour flight and an 8-day winter adventure. Your guide from the local tour office welcomes you upon arrival and assists you with the check-in at Polar Lodge. Polar Lodge is located just a stone’s throw from the airport and offers relaxed accommodation with kitchen facilities, common room and a souvenir shop.

From the lodge, there is a direct view of both airport and maybe a little hare hiding in the gray-brown rocks. The crackling sound in the snow echoes in the silence and automatically makes you forget about everyday life.

At the following information meeting, the guide will give you practical advice about the area and the optional excursions. It is now time to experience Kangerlussuaq at your own pace and get ideas to what tomorrow should offer.

Greenland Ice Sheet Point 660 (included)
Powerful four-wheel driven vehicles will take us through an incredibly beautiful landscape, through mountains, plains, and semi-desert valleys. Near the Ice Cap, we will drive through the fantastic moraine landscape. At the end of the road, we walk to the Ice Cap and onto the vast ice sheet. We spend time exploring this world of ice before returning to our vehicles. There are good chances of spotting reindeer, musk oxen and, depending on the season, many species of birds and flowers.

Overnight in Kangerlussuaq

A day full of adventure awaits for you!

2-hour Dog sledding trip (included)
The dog sled is one of the strongest icons of Greenland. An Inuit tradition, dating back thousands of years! You will not find many other means of transportation, which has survived for so long without any changes. The basic principle is still the same as in the Viking age; some dogs tied to a simple wooden construction. The experience cannot be explained – you have to try it. The dog sled driver and his dogs take you across the thick ice on the fjord to give you a truly Greenlandic experience. Don’t miss this great ride!

Northern lights tour (included January - March)
On evenings with a clear sky, the beautiful northern lights (also known as Aurora Borealis) are likely to appear. On this excursion, we head out into the landscape where artificial light does not prevent us from seeing the spectacular northern lights.Afterward, the guide will tell us more about the phenomenon of northern lights and the myths it has created throughout time. Also, our guide shows us how to ‘make’ northern lights while preparing the incredibly tasty Greenlandic coffee for us to enjoy.

Tundra and wildlife tour (included in April)
Kangerlussuaq is surrounded by incredibly beautiful nature and is home to the massive musk ox. We will drive through the stunning tundra landscape in our 4WD truck, and the guide will tell us about the wildlife found in this area. Maybe we’ll get the chance to spot musk oxen and learn more about these incredible creatures. The musk ox lives wildly in the area around Kangerlussuaq. Whether we can come close to the animals, or simply look at them from a distance, is not predictable. But the guide always brings binoculars, so there is a very good chance of seeing these amazing animals and other wildlife in the area. Don’t miss this exciting opportunity to explore the stunning nature and wildlife around Kangerlussuaq.

Overnight in Kangerlussuaq (B)

We now head towards Ilulissat. It is a beautiful 45-minute flight giving you a perfect chance of really enjoying the beautiful icy landscape, the desolate expanse and grandeur. During the approach to Ilulissat, the town seemingly pops up in the middle of nowhere. The colored houses vie for attention among the snow-covered peaks and you can look forward to the next few days full of ice, winter, and dogsleds – combined with cultural highlights from a very traditional Greenlandic town. We check in at the beautifully situated Hotel Arctic, and at the following information meeting, we get to hear more about the town and the many excursions available.

Guided Tour of Ilulissat (included)
Ilulissat was founded in 1741 and, today, it is the third largest town in Greenland with more than 4,500 inhabitants. The guide will tell you about the history of the town, and you will experience the town’s many exciting facets. Seeing and especially hearing some of the many thousands of sled dogs is unavoidable. Most of them live on the outskirts of the town in large dog spaces – unchained puppies play under supervision by their mother, while the rest of the pack cannot wait to take you on a sled trip. We will visit the fishermen at the harbor and the hunters at their trading post “Brættet.” We will show you the church and the birthplace of the famous Polar explorer Knud Rasmussen.

Welcome dinner in the evening.

Overnight in Ilulissat (B, D)

Disko Bay is one of Greenland’s most popular tourist destinations. First and foremost because of the ice, but also because of its beauty, its many cultural attractions and the interaction between the traditional lifestyle and modern urban life. 

Sailing among iceberg (included)
Almost every visitor to Ilulissat chooses to go on this boat trip among the icebergs at least once. Every day, more than 40 million ton of ice flow out into the fjord. The floating icebergs are gigantic, sometimes measuring more than 100 meters wide and long – and with a height of more than 100 meters above the water surface as well. These giants gather at the end of the fjord, providing you with a great opportunity to cruise among them. You should not miss out on this exceptional experience when visiting Ilulissat.

Overnight in Ilulissat (B)

Hike to the Sermermiut Settlement (included)
Beautiful iceberg vistas provide the setting for the old settlement of Sermermiut 1.5 kilometers south of Ilulissat. For 4,000 years, different Inuit cultures lived in the settlement. Hear the story about life of the indigenous people and their traditions before the Europeans arrived in Greenland. See the ruins and touch the permafrost with your own hands. On this hike, we will pass “Kællingekløften” where you can enjoy the magnificent view of the Ice Fjord, before heading back again.

Igloo Lodge (optional)
On days 5-6, you can experience a real igloo where you will spend the night and, from here, go on some unique excursions.

Our subsidiary in Ilulissat, World of Greenland, has been very successful with their summer lodges at the Eqi Glacier and in the settlement of Ilimanaq. Now, they also offer winter lodges in the shape of igloos. You will be taken on a snowmobile through the wonderful winter landscape where we hope to see northern lights dance in the sky in the evening.

Here, at the foot of the mountains, you will spend the night in an igloo (with the possibility of staying in a heated cabin, if you prefer). Igloo Lodge consists of five spacious igloos, each of which accommodates two people. Reindeer pelts and warm winter sleeping bags are covering the beds. There are also candles on the bedside table, which means that the temperature is around the freezing point inside the igloo. It is a stark contrast to the estimated minus 20 degrees Celsius outside. The wooden cabin by the lodge is where we will eat our meals. In the wooden cabin, there is also an outhouse type restroom.

While staying at the Igloo Lodge, you are going on a snowshoe trip where we head to a vantage point, overlooking the Ice Fjord. The trip to Igloo Lodge itself is also exciting. You are driven on snowmobiles for about an hour into the Ilulissat hinterland with amazing views along the way. You will be met at the cabin with coffee and lunch. Afterward, you will go on the excursion mentioned above, have afternoon coffee with cake, dinner, and evening coffee followed by a look outside to see if the northern lights are out. Then you can retire to your igloo, and, in the morning, breakfast is served and, finally, there’s the snowmobile trip back to civilization.

Overnight in Ilulissat (B)
Overnight in Igloo (B, L, D) - optional

Spend the day exploring Ilulissat on your own. If you like, you can visit one of the traditional arts and crafts workshops to look for souvenirs made from seal or tooth and bone.

There are also many hikes to go on. You can, for example, walk along the road to the airport, where you pass a typical, Greenlandic cemetery. There are also opportunities for tours in the mountains, but it can be a little difficult to walk here because the snow can be deep. You can also rent snowshoes.

Overnight in Ilulissat (B)

Spend the last day in Ilulissat experiencing the atmosphere and life in the town. Step back in time and learn about the rich history at the museum that originally was Knud Rasmussen’s place of birth. Fishermen and hunters at the open market give you an idea of the many exciting Greenlandic food products – it does not get any fresher than this.

Once your eyes have feasted on the fresh catch of the day, your tummy will probably rumble!  At the restaurants in Ilulissat, you can try local specialties such as Greenlandic sushi, deep-fried “ammassats” (small fish), whale and seal, and the cafés offer freshly-baked cakes. All your senses will get a work-out on this trip!

And you will never get tired of looking out across the Ice Fjord.

Overnight in Ilulissat

Offering one final view of the Ice Fjord and the captivating icebergs, the flight will take you back to Kangerlussuaq and onwards to Copenhagen where you will arrive in the evening. (B)