Northern Greenland is about the midnight sun, dog sleds, northern lights, icebergs, and Inuit culture. Here you will find a cornucopia of Arctic experiences with giant icebergs, some of the world’s fastest-moving glaciers, and the impressive Ilulissat Ice Fjord, which is honored with a place on UNESCO’s World Heritage list.
This is also where you’ll find Disco Bay, Ilulissat, and the Eqi Glacier. North Greenland is very popular with visitors.
Icebergs and gigantic glaciers in North Greenland
North Greenland’s “capital” is the town of Ilulissat with approximately 5,500 inhabitants. Ilulissat is situated in the Disko Bay, a few kilometers north of the world famous Ilulissat Ice Fjord with gigantic icebergs floating from the most ice-producing glacier in the Northern Hemisphere. The many offers of Ilulissat and surroundings are very often what visitors want to experience when they visit Greenland, and it is by far the most popular destination in Greenland.
Ilulissat and the Disko Bay, offer all the famous adventures of Greenland: Icebergs, Inuit culture, whales, settlement living, midnight sun, northern lights, dogsledding, high class camps, etc.
What you will not find is alpine mountains (East Greenland), Viking heritage (South Greenland), and urban, modern, arctic living (Nuuk area).
The Ilulissat Ice Fjord
The Ilulissat Ice Fjord is an incredible sight and you owe yourself the opportunity to experience the Ice Fjord in all possible ways.
Being a UNESCO world heritage site has made a lot of people to come to visit. They hike to the former Inuit settlement of Sermermiut, experience the Woman’s Ravine and take a look at the ice from land.
The boat trip to the estuary where people experience the massive icebergs at close range is the most popular excursion in Greenland. Many tend to repeat their day trip in the evening where the midnight sun gives the ice a stunning golden hue.
Dogsledding in Ilulissat
Ilulissat is home to a large number of sled dogs and the dogsled culture is highly cherished here. The many local fishermen use dogsleds when they go out on the Icefjord and load their sleds with large Greenland halibut. A sled is a useful tool as it has been for more than a thousand years.
It is possible to go on dogsled rides when the fishermen are not out on the fjord. The rides can be short, lasting just a few hours, or you may want to embark on longer rides lasting several days, allowing you to experience life as it has been lived for centuries. With some degree of modern comfort, of course.
