We fly with Air Greenland from Copenhagen to Nuuk. Ahead of us is a 4,5-hour flight and an 8-day adventure.

After you check in and unpack in your room at Hotel Hans Egede Express, the guide will hold an welcome meeting. After the meeting, it’s time to get to know Nuuk at your own pace and get ideas for what to do today.

Nuuk has only 19,500 inhabitants, but you’ll experience a vibrant “big city” as it is a government city with many cultural and educational institutions. Nuuk is growing constantly and is now about 10 kilometers from end to end. You’ll find concerts, theater, museums, and exhibitions. Sports are central to many, so you can go hiking, skiing, sailing, running, strength training, yoga, and even swimming.

You can read more about Nuuk here.

Sightseeing in Nuuk

The city tour, a unique part of your excursion package, includes a visit to the Greenland National Museum. Here, you’ll have the privilege of seeing finds from all time periods and civilizations in Greenland. After about 30 minutes at the museum, we continue around the area called Kolonihavnen. This is where most of the original houses from the 17th and 18th centuries still stand. On the way we pass Hans Egede’s house, the sculpture of the Mother of the Sea and the controversial statue of Hans Egede at the Greenland Cathedral.

We then head to ‘Kalaaliaraq,’ the traditional market where locally caught fish, seals, and reindeer are sold. Now, we head towards Greenland’s government buildings and then the Greenland’s Cultural Center Katuaq, where our tour ends. You’re now as central as you can be, with great shopping opportunities. And many other exciting things to do.

If you’ve purchased the excursion package, there’s also a boat trip on Nuuk Fjord.

Fjord Adventure (optional)

You’ll soon experience Greenland from the sea. It’s a wonderful boat trip, and we’ll have plenty of time to enjoy the views of some of the most beautiful mountains in the Nuuk Fjord.

We sail out of Nuuk and into the large fjord system, the second largest in the world. The mountains in the Nuuk Fjord are beautiful and rugged, many towering above the sea. On our way into the fjord, we sail past the city of Nuuk itself, and from the water, you get a sense of how big Nuuk really is.

We may also pass some beautiful icebergs. In the Nuuk area, they are not as big as in Disko Bay, but they are still beautiful and impressive.

After enjoying a cup of coffee or tea, we sail on, and, who knows, we might be lucky enough to see some wildlife. Out here in the fjord, we’re also closer to Sermitsiaq, the beautiful mountain that is one of Nuuk’s most famous landmarks.

There are plenty of things to do in Nuuk. There are many opportunities for hiking, for instance.

If you’ve purchased the excursion package, there’s also another boat trip on Nuuk Fjord.

Fish and Dish (part of the excursion package)

At 3:30 PM, we depart from Nuuk on a boat trip to the lovely Qooqqut Nuan’ Restaurant. However, this is no ordinary restaurant visit.

We sail through the vast fjord system behind Nuuk, the second-largest fjord system in the world. In the Qooqqut Fjord, we stop the engine and try to catch our lunch. Today, there will be no complaints that the fish is not fresh!

Qooqqut lies in a wonderful valley in the Qooqqut Fjord. The mountains surrounding the valley are up to 2,000 meters high. One of Nuuk’s most respected chefs moves here in the summer and serves the most amazing dishes. For lunch, we get to eat our own freshly caught fish.

As something rather unique in Greenland, trees are scattered beautifully in the area behind the restaurant. Consider taking a small hike for a good photo opportunity while the chef is at work with your fish.

After dinner, we return to the boat and return to Nuuk, where we arrive around 9:00 PM.

Your journey continues to Ilulissat and the Icefjord by plane. The fact that Ilulissat means icebergs in Greenlandic is undeniably linked to the beautiful Icefjord and the number of icebergs floating around at their own pace.

Arrival and accommodation

Upon arrival in Ilulissat, you will be transferred to Hotel Arctic, with the most beautiful views of Disko Bay.

Approximately one hour after check-in at the hotel, you can attend an information meeting where a guide will tell you a little about the town and the many excursion options. After this, you’ll be prepared for a fantastic stay in this amazing area.

Suggestions for excursions and activities with a guide or on your own

You will find our subsidiary, Arctic Excursions, in the hotel lobby in Ilulissat. They offer many excursions that will give you an impression of the town’s ideal mix of authentic culture in a modern, thriving society – and its strong connection to fascinating nature. Please ask your guide if you have any questions about excursions and activities.

Cultural-historical town tour of Ilulissat 

On our cultural-historical city walk, we go a step deeper than if you walk alone with a map in your hand. Here you can start your experiences by gaining a deeper understanding of Greenland’s culture and history, giving all your other experiences in Greenland more perspective.

Ilulissat was founded as a trading post in 1741, and today, it is Greenland’s third-largest town, with over 4,500 inhabitants. On the walking tour, your guide will tell you about the history of the place, Greenlandic culture, and modern life 300 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle. Along the way, we pass the harbor, meet the vendors at the local food market, and pass Knud Rasmussen’s birthplace and the old wooden Zion Church.

In the evening, a lovely welcome dinner is served in the hotel restaurant (drinks not included).

As mentioned, Ilulissat is the Greenlandic word for icebergs. The town is beautifully situated at the mouth of the long and world-famous Ilulissat Icefjord, which was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2004. The ice is stunning; you can experience it from water, land, and air.

Hike to the former Sermermiut settlement at the Icefjord (included in excursion package)

The beautiful icebergs of the Ilulissat Icefjord form the backdrop for the ancient settlement of Sermermiut, one and a half kilometers south of the town. For 4,000 years, the different Inuit cultures lived at the settlement, and today you can still see many remains that testify to their presence.

You’ll hear the story of Greenlanders’ life and customs before the arrival of Europeans, see ruins and old kitchen middens, and feel the permafrost with your hands. On the short hike, we turn around at the viewpoint at Kællingekløften, which was made famous in the Danish TV show Borgen.

At night you get to see the icebergs from the sea.

Sailing among Icebergs (included in excursion package)

The rays of the midnight sun give the icebergs a unique color that some people return to Ilulissat to experience again and again. Almost every visitor to Ilulissat chooses to try this iceberg cruise at least once. More than 40 million tons of ice flow daily from the Ilulissat Glacier into the Icefjord.

The result is enormous icebergs that can be hundreds of meters on each side and extend up to 70 meters above sea level. These giants are stranded at the mouth of the Icefjord, and here you have the opportunity to sail among them. Bring warm clothes for the trip or rent a sealskin suit because even in summer, it’s cold out here on the water between the icebergs.

Whale Safari (included in excursion package)

It is a great experience to get close to large animals like whales. There are 15 species of whale in Greenland. During the summer it is normally the humpback, the common minke whale and the fin whale, we see. The whales swim the entire Disko Bay during the summer; sometimes close to the town, sometimes in the ice fjord or up north by the island, Arveprinsens Ejland.

We are in constant radio contact with the fishermen and the hunters about the whales and their whereabouts. The humpback, with its characteristic fin, is the one we see most often. Today you also have the opportunity to try kayaking in the country that invented the kayaks.

Kayak Experience in Ilulissat (optional)

Inuit have kayaked in Greenland waters for more than a thousand years, and you can do it too. As the kayak glides silently through the water, you see the huge icebergs rising around you. The midnight sun gives the ice a unique hue. In cloudy weather, the beautiful blue colors of the icebergs will be very clear. With a little luck, we may even meet whales. All tours take place in stable double kayaks, and a boat follows close by. The excursion takes about 3½-4 hours, and we will be at sea for at least two of those hours. This excursion is not included in any of the Excursion Package but can be booked separately.

In the morning, there is an early departure from Ilimanaq. Enjoy your last day in Ilulissat: shopping, lounging in a cafe, and enjoying the magnificent views. You can also choose to take a boat trip to Eqi Glacier.

Day trip to Eqi Glacier (optional excursion)

We set out in the morning from Ilulissat. The Eqi Glacier flows into the fjord 80 kilometers north of Ilulissat. By boat, getting relatively close to the glacier’s edge and watching it calve large chunks of ice from a safe distance is possible. Our ice-safe ship lies in the water near the glacier for about two hours, waiting for the ice to calve. A good lunch is also served here.

The length of the trip to and from Eqi Glacier can vary between two and five hours each way, depending on the type of boat used that day. At 2:00 PM, the ship arrives at Port Victor, the ‘port’ of Glacier Lodge Eqi, where some passengers disembark and others board. Then it’s time to go back to Ilulissat.

There are plenty of opportunities for unique experiences at Ilulissat. Some of our guests think they’ve experienced enough on the seventh day and enjoy relaxing with the views and tranquility.

If you have purchased the excursion package, you will sail to Oqaatsut today.

Boat trip with lunch at Restaurant H8 in the settlement of Oqaatsut (optional extra)

Today, you take a day trip to the quiet and undisturbed settlement of Oqaatsut, located in beautiful surroundings 20 kilometers north of Ilulissat.

To get there, we sail from Ilulissat on a 30-minute boat trip among the large icebergs of the Ilulissat Icefjord, which also drifts around north of the town, although the Icefjord lies south of Ilulissat. When we arrive in Oqaatsut, the guide will take you on a tour of the settlement, where you’ll see the village church, school and the small fish factory. You’ll learn about life in a small settlement, a small community and Oqaatsut’s history as a former Dutch whaling village (hence its other name, Rodebay).

The settlement tour ends at Restaurant H8 Explorer, where we serve lunch made from local ingredients. After lunch, there are plenty of opportunities for hiking in the area. If, on the other hand, you want to sit and enjoy the silence in the magical, unforgettable surroundings, there are plenty of opportunities to do so before the boat returns to Ilulissat.

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

We guarantee you that you will go home with a baggage full of memories that will stay with you longer than any other holiday you have been on – at least that is what other travelers tell us.