Greenland had been on my radar for quite some time, but it just never seemed to work with my schedule. I had just returned from the Antarctic and figured a trip to the Arctic with my mother would complement my recent travels. After blowing my savings on several “over my budget” trips last year, I needed to watch my spending. I figured I would start doing just that after this trip.
Greenland is not a budget destination. Remember the saying, “Iceland is green and Greenland is ice”? The only way to get from place to place in Greenland is to fly or take a boat. Boat transportation is out of the question during the winter months. And, flying to and within Greenland is very expensive – several hundred dollars for a quick flight, type of expensive. My trip had to be short and simple. Famous for its icebergs, Ilulissat promised the exact experience that I was looking for. Well, in theory.
To get to Ilulissat, you basically have two options – fly Air Iceland Connect from Reykjavik directly to Ilulissat or fly Air Greenland from Copenhagen to Ilulissat via Kangerlussuaq. During winter, Air Iceland Connect operates flights twice a week on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Coming from the United States, Iceland was the obvious choice [see post: Iceland Stopover].
Day 1
We departed Reykjavik Airport and arrived at Ilulissat Airport approximately four hours later that Saturday afternoon. Approaching Ilulissat, our eyes were glued to the window. From snow-covered mountains to icebergs along the shoreline, Greenland’s landscape sure is captivating.
We arrived at Ilulissat Airport and were immediately transferred to the Hotel Icefiord.
After a brief informational meeting, we threw on several layers of clothing and headed out to explore the remote Arctic town. It was cold – well below freezing. We had a walk to Sermermiut Settlement scheduled for that afternoon.
Winter in Ilulissat meant limited activities. After contacting the main tour operators, I ended up booking five activities for our two half and two full days in Ilulissat. Prior to arriving in Greenland, I booked the “Hike to Sermermiut by Ilulissat Icefjord” excursion through Greenland Travel, which was operated by World of Greenland.
Connected by a wooden walkway, this UNESCO World Heritage site is located in front of the famous icebergs, one and a half kilometers (a little less than a mile) south of Ilulissat. According to World of Greenland, for 4,000 years, different Inuit cultures lived in the settlement. The last settler to live in Sermermiut was in 1850. Since then, the settlers moved to Jakobshavn, which is now the town of Ilulissat. Although the views from the old settlement Sermermiut were quite incredible, my mother and I were both disappointed with this hiking tour.
Per the description, we expected to visit an old settlement. Like an actual settlement – turf hut ruins and all. To our surprise, there was nothing left behind from the ancient settlement but the land itself.
Following the hike, we decided to walk over to the Hotel Arctic for dinner before returning to our hotel for the night.
Day 2
I wanted to maximize our time in Greenland and fill our itinerary with unique activities. PGI Greenland’s “Snowmobile by Night” activity immediately caught my attention. I figured, what better way to kill two birds with one stone – take my mom snowmobiling and see the Northern Lights. Unfortunately, the activity was fully booked for the entire duration of our trip and there was no other company that offered such activity. Looking back, I am so grateful that I was not able to book this activity.
Day 2 was our first full day in Greenland. I settled for booking the three hour “Snowmobile Excursion” through World of Greenland for that morning. I wanted my mother to experience the thrill of driving a snowmobile. Although she did not care, I was rather frustrated to learn that the group of six people participating in the activity had to share three snowmobiles. At the end of the day, this also turned out to be a saving grace.
Given the less than ideal conditions, snowmobiling during the day was quite a challenge; I could not imagine snowmobiling in the dark. The three hour route took us up and over mountains and across frozen lakes. Even though I rented winter boots and dressed in several layers of clothing, I was freezing. The temperature stayed in double digits below zero. An hour into the activity, I could not feel my legs. I could only feel the excruciating pain of them freezing in place. Overcast and lowlight conditions made it difficult to keep the snowmobile on course. With each turn, my hands squeezed the handlebar harder. Maneuvering through narrow passages, I could not see in front of me let alone tell what I was riding over. Cursing and ignoring my mother’s screams that were muffled by her full face helmet, I swerved to avoid what I thought was a rock and launched us right off the side of a hill, forcing the snowmobile into a wall of snow. It took four people to pull the snowmobile out of the hole it ended in.
With adrenaline rushing through the veins, I mounted the snowmobile and continued down the route, while my mother held on for dear life. About halfway, we reached a viewpoint. Poor visibility took away from the breathtaking views of the Ilulissat Icefjiord.
We decided to ditch the tea and coffee for some “play time” on the machines. Covered by clouds, the landscape turned into an eerie abyss. Mother Nature was not on our side. I convinced my mother to take the snowmobile for a ride while I attempted to resuscitate my frozen legs back to life.
On the way back, my confidence started to build. I slowly regained feeling in my hands as I loosened the grip on the handlebar. Before I could get too comfortable, I launched us off another hill. Although I was able to get us back on course without any help, the guide was not too happy with me. At this point, I was not exactly a happy camper either. And, neither was my mother; her face lit up when the activity finished.
Returning back to the town center, we had the rest of the afternoon to explore the colorful coastal town. Activities in winter are limited. Ilulissat is a very small town. We headed to one of the only restaurants in the town to warm up, before walking over the main harbor to see the boats frozen in place.
Prior to arriving in Greenland, I also booked the “North Lights Safari” excursion through Greenland Travel, which was also operated by World of Greenland for that night. This excursion was supposed to take us away from the blinding lights of the town to the darkest area in Ilulissat to get the best view of the North Lights. The Northern Lights were one of the main reasons for our trip to Greenland. Unfortunately, due to overcast this excursion was canceled and rescheduled for the following night.
Day 3
Day 3 was our second full day in Greenland. Prior to arriving in Greenland, I booked the two hour “Dog Sledding in Ilulissat” excursion through Greenland Travel, which was again operated by World of Greenland, for that morning. Aside from seeing the Northern Lights, the other reason for our trip to Greenland was to go dogsledding. The dog sled is one of the strongest icons of Greenland. Per World of Greenland, it is an Inuit tradition dating 2,000 years back in time. You will not find many other means of transportation, which has survived for so long without any changes. With almost as many sled dogs as inhabitants, Ilulissat is the biggest dog sled district in Greenland – what better place to check off another bucket list item?
The tour included use of arctic boots and sealskin jackets and trousers. Seals are crucial to life in the Arctic. Sealskin is used to make an array of clothing, while seal meat is used to feed sled dogs and people. And, I must say, the sealskin clothing was the warmest I have ever rented.
The two hour took us out of the town center, across frozen lakes, through a valley, and past the airport.
It sure was an experience. I did, however, feel bad for the dogs. Those poor creatures had to drag my mother and me up several hills, which I cannot imagine was easy.
We only had an hour to spare before our iceberg sightseeing boat trip, a highlight of any trip to Ilulissat. Prior to arriving in Greenland, I also booked the two hour “Sailing at Ilulissat Icefjord” excursion through Greenland Travel, which was also operated by World of Greenland for that afternoon. Ilulissat is famous for its gigantic icebergs, so I wanted to see them from every angle. Unfortunately, due to adverse weather conditions, our boat trip was canceled.
We had the rest of the day to ourselves. After lunch, we decided to walk towards the bay to get a better view of the icebergs.
The view from the grounds of the Zion’s Church was spectacular; I can only imagine how that view would be magnified from a boat up close.
After taking the long way back to our hotel, we learned that our rescheduled Northern Lights Safari excursion was also canceled for later that night.
Day 4
Flight delays. Cancelations. Missed flights. I have experienced it all – or so I thought. Getting rebooked onto the next flight has an entirely different meaning in Greenland. In winter, there are only two flights a week between Reykjavik, Iceland and Ilulissat, Greenland, serviced by one airline: Air Iceland Connect – one on Tuesday and one on Saturday.
Ready to leave Greenland, we walked down to check out of the hotel and head to the airport for our afternoon flight back to Iceland. The receptionist immediately advised us to make ourselves comfortable in the lobby as our flight was showing to be delayed. I did not think much of it. Lounging around, sorting through pictures, I overheard the other guests talking about a flight cancelation. I flew off my seat and jetted towards them. Our flight was canceled.
We were told that we would receive new information the following morning. The problem was, we were booked to fly home to Chicago from Reykjavik that same day. Not only would we miss our flight home, but we also had nonrefundable hotel reservations and tickets to the Blue Lagoon. I spent the rest of the day canceling the missed reservations. Oh well. At this point, there was nothing that we could do but make the best out of the situation. Air Iceland Connect moved us, and everyone else on the canceled flight, to a different hotel (Hotel Arctic) on the other side of town [see post: Stranded in Greenland].
