Top 5 Travel Destinations Part 1: Greenland
- amylowe
- Feb 28, 2020
- 4 min read
Greenland made the Lonely Planet Top 10 travel destinations in 2016, but I fell in love with the country long before that. Over the eight years between my first and third visit I noticed an increase in the number of tourists visiting this beautiful, remote country. Instragram has been a great tourism marketing tool, and a few of the photographers and arctic adventurers I follow are definitely highlighting Greenland's unique landscapes.
I first visited in the summers of 2008 and 2010 for vacation work whilst I was at university. When I arrived in 2008, myself and my two work colleagues were the only non-Europeans on the flight. It was quite an interesting flight from Copenhagen to Narsarsuaq. Most of the people on the flight knew each other and were returning home for the summer, so they were all out of their seats chatting and catching up.
I recall noticing as we descended that we were flying lower than many of the snow covered mountains, as we continued lower and lower I still couldn't see anything but ice below as we approached the runway from a glacial valley. The far side of the runway was the icy fjord water.
The scenery is amazing as you fly over south eastern Greenland, with mountain ridges just peaking above the snow, and massive glaciers carving huge valleys and shedding many icebergs into the fjords. From high above it's difficult to appreciate just how massive some of these icebergs are. The beautiful fjords and extensive glacial valleys are a reminder of the power of water and ice at shaping a landscape.
For me, the enchantment of Greenland is how majestic the landscape is. If you ever need to be reminded that humans are a tiny blip in the history of our planet, then Greenland is where to go. Amazing, old geological features which have been protected from surface chemical weathering thanks to the ice cap, are cut by glaciers providing amazing exposure. Add to that a climate which doesn't facilitate growth of vegetation much larger than shrubs, you can easily witness millions of years of geology in one hillside.
I think I can safely say that you don't have to be a geologist to appreciate the beauty of Greenland. Landscapes aside, there is something for most nature enthusiasts in Greenland. The south and the areas surrounding the ice cap aren't covered by ice all year round, and in summer are nice and green. There are many small, cute flowering plants and berries which come out in the summer. When I was in Greenland in 2016 we collected blueberries used to make a blueberry cheesecake, and we also collected muscles off the beach and cooked them for a fresh lunch.
The fauna of Greenland is of interest to many. Whales swim through the fjords as part of their migrations, many coming from the Caribbean, and some spend most of the year in the area. (I did have some great photos of whales taken from a helicopter by a colleague in 2010, but I have lost the files). Sailing through the fjords is very popular and a great way to relax, and if you encounter some whales it would make the experience even more special. More information on whale species in Greenland can found on the Visit Greenland website.
Seals are around but harder to spot as locals still hunt them (seal is a traditional meal for the local people which is still eaten regularly today - in fact while I was working there some friends offered to take me hunting). There have been numerous times I have spotted arctic foxes, including the video below of some adorable pups waiting for their mother to return to the den. Reindeer are also relatively easy to see as they are farmed in the area. There are also many seabirds including relatives of puffins. I can't list all the interesting animals without also mentioning that the mosquitoes are insane in summer, and I also recall the flies being rather annoying.
The three times I have been to Greenland I have stayed in the same town in the south west called Narsaq (hopefully I'll make my way further north this summer).
The third time I visited was for a holiday with a tour company Tasermiut. I again flew into Narsarsuaq, this time from Iceland, and the passengers on the plane were all tourists! Many of the other tourists were visiting for sailing trips or learning about the extensive viking history and traditional Inuit lifestyles - not all trips to Greenland have to be physically demanding!
The "holiday" in Greenland included two weeks of kayaking the southern fjords, with Narsaq as the start/finish. Apart from weather information and a food re-supply mid way through (at the camp with the reindeer antlers in the photo above) we were self sufficient, carrying all our camping and cooking equipment, food, clothes etc. It was absolutely amazing, I'm just going the let the photos speak for themselves.
Active/adventure trips in Greenland are also my personal favourite way to explore because you can really immerse yourself in the scenery, soak up the experience, and the peace and quiet is just so relaxing. It's also so wild and remote, you really can disconnect from the stresses of everyday life and a break from technology is always refreshing. You also meet people from different countries and cultures, and language is no barrier to making great friends and having a good old laugh as we found out!
We completed the tour in early July. These trips are best done in summer when the weather is warmer and days are longer (I was still cold, but it can get deceptively hot when the sun is out). As the amount of "night" time darkness increases in August, it is possible to see the northern lights.
There are plenty of other activities I'd like to try in Greenland, lots of activities for climbers, training for polar expeditions, northern lights viewing. It's expensive, but you won't regret it, and experiences like these are priceless!
Hopefully I've sparked your interest in visiting some time soon!
Thanks for reading! Perhaps I'll be able to update after my next adventure near Disko Bay
Amy xx
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