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.

If you have purchased the excursion package, you can look forward to a city tour now.

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 (part of the excursion package)

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.

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.

Many people find having a guide on their first hikes in the Greenlandic hills mountains reassuring.

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.

Today, you have several options at sea.

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.

Today we sail north towards the Eqi Glacier.

Sailing to Eqi Glacier

Once in the second boat, we head north again on our boat trip to the calving glacier Eqi Glacier. The glacier flows into the fjord 80 kilometers north of Ilulissat, and by boat, it is possible to get relatively close to the glacier’s edge and watch it calve large chunks of ice from a safe distance. Our ice-safe ship lies before the glacier for about two hours, waiting for calving. Lunch is served here.

The length of the boat trip to and from Eqi Glacier can vary between two and five hours each way, depending on the type of boat used that day. The stay at Eqi Glacier lasts approximately 1-2 hours. At 2 pm, the ship docks at Port Victor, the ‘port’ of Glacier Lodge Eqi. Camp guides will welcome you and show you to your cabins. You will be given the necessary practical information and then have the day on your own.

Staying at Glacier Lodge Eqi

Glacier Lodge Eqi is a small, beautifully situated cabin village overlooking the active glacier. All cabins have a magnificent view of the calving Eqi Glacier. The cabins are cozily decorated in log cabin style. Your stay at Glacier Lodge Eqi includes breakfast, lunch, and dinner in Café Victor. At the café, it is also possible to buy drinks such as beer, sodas, wine, various spirits, and some sweets.

Today, you can enjoy your stay at Glacier Lodge Eqi – relax and socialize with others visiting Eqi.

You can also go on an exciting UTV excursion.

UTV Ice Expedition (optional extra)

On this day trip, we follow the tracks of polar explorer Paul-Émile Victor up to the windswept ice sheet. Paul-Émile Victor was a French scientist who, in the late 1940s and early 1950s, conducted numerous expeditions to the ice sheet from Eqi. Today, we can still clearly see the tracks of the tracked vehicles that carried the expeditions’ equipment up to the ice. It is these tracks that we follow on this tour.

The drive starts at Glacier Lodge Eqi, and about 2½ hours later, we arrive at the “Dead Bridge” – an impressive glacier on the ice cap. We enjoy a sandwich and walk on foot up the moraine by the ice. It’s a steep hike, but at the top, the endless ice landscape opens up to us. We walk onto the ice for a while before returning to Glacier Lodge Eqi. The walk and lunch lasts approximately 2 hours.

The walk up to the ice sheet is sometimes very steep; here we have to pull the UTV up with a winch. The uneven terrain means that we will not be driving fast. The most important thing is that safety is in order and that all guests have a good experience.

If you have neck or back problems, you cannot participate in this tour due to the rough terrain. All guests must be at least 12 years old.

Today starts with breakfast, and then it’s time to go hiking again. We check out of the cabins before hiking to the moraine so that the staff can prepare the cabins for the next group arriving in the afternoon.

Hike to the Moraine at the Edge of the Ice Sheet

From the cabins, we hike around the small lagoon at the southern end of the glacier. There are often large flocks of geese in the lagoon during the breeding season. The hike continues up to the moraine, where we can look down into the huge cracks in the glacier just a few meters away. From here, we also get an overview of the front of the glacier, and we will see the impressive calving wings.

The boat sails back to Ilulissat at approximately 2:15 pm. The trip back to Ilulissat follows the same route as coming here, and coffee, tea, and cake will be served along the way.

We will be picked up and driven to Hotel Arctic, where we will stay for the last evening. You are on your own to choose where you want to eat. There are many restaurants in Ilulissat, and at Hotel Arctic, there are two really good ones, one of which you have already tried. Both restaurants have excellent views, and the food is made from the finest Greenlandic ingredients. You’ll also find more restaurants in town.

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.