Greenland
President Trump’s desire to purchase Greenland, a semiautonomous Danish territory, unleashed jokes and diplomatic strains — and piqued interest in this little-visited island (which counted fewer than 50,000 guests during the first half of 2019). In 2020, new sustainably focused expedition cruises, some with onboard naturalists and conservationists, are making it easier than ever to explore the least densely populated territory on earth. Witness the tremendous glacier feeding into the Ilulissat Icefjord, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, from the MS Fridtjof Nansen, a new hybrid electric-powered ship from Hurtigruten’s cruise fleet, based out of Norway, that reduces carbon emissions by 20 percent. Set course for Northeast Greenland National Park, with its glacial lagoons and shaggy-haired musk oxen, on Lindblad Expeditions’ new ship, the National Geographic Endurance, which won't have any single-use plastic bottles, cups, straws or stirrers on board. And trek on the Greenland Ice Sheet with the famed mountaineer Alex Pancoe off Abercrombie & Kent’s new Ultimate Iceland & Greenland Cruise on Le Boréal, which features an onboard wastewater treatment system. With that mile-thick ice sheet melting fast, and two new international airports slated to open in 2023, the time to explore an untrammeled, intact Greenland is now.
If you’re hankering for a destination that’s off most travelers’ radar, look no farther than Greenland. Though it’s the world’s largest island, it sees fewer than 100,000 visitors each year — which means you’ll often feel like you’ve got the country’s remarkable landscapes all to yourself.
You can get a brief taste of Nansen’s journey with World of Greenland – Arctic Circle, which offers the chance for travelers to camp for a night directly on the ice cap in a tent with a warm sleeping bag. (A toilet tent nearby offers basic facilities.) During the day, you’ll hike along the ice to see glacial rivers, lakes and waterfalls. If you’re not up for camping overnight, day trips from Kangerlussuaq are also available.
Culturally, the unique blend of Inuit and Danish blood has produced a Greenlandic society all of its own. This sometimes discordant mix of ancient and modern combines hunting and dogsledding with Carlsberg and kaffemiks. Sensitive visitors with a passionate but unaggressive interest in local ideas will find a fascinatingly rich culture beneath the thick facade of Greenlandic taciturnity.
The most ideal way to reach Greenland is by Air. Greenland has 2 major airports that can be reached either from Denmark or Iceland. The best way to travel to the country is to take a flight to Copenhagen and hop on to a connecting Air Greenland or Air Iceland flight to Greenland. Most of the major airlines have a direct flight to the capital of Denmark from India. The next option is to get on a cruise to Greenland from Iceland, Canada or Europe.
A popular activity in Greenland is to explore the dreamy ice blue waters of the Petermann Glacier. During the summer months, the Petermann Glacier is subjected to some thawing by the sunshine which has led to the formation of the crystal blue waters of the river. Undoubtedly, one of the best places to visit in Greenland is the Blue River that forms a valley in the Northern Hemisphere.
A unique feature about the river is that it is susceptible to the change in the flow of its course every year. There are many kayaking tours available in the months of August and September in the Blue River that allows one to explore the icebergs and to revel in the serenity of the untouched surroundings.
Wondering what to do in Greenland for a relaxing day? One might be surprised to know that Greenland has a few hot springs that are open for tourists to take a dip in. One such popular hot spring is the Uunartoq. The easiest way to reach the hot spring is to take a boat from Ilulissat. The temperature of the water is around 37℃ that makes it a perfect date to have with a loved one on a lovely day of summer.
When it comes to food the crowberry is a tasty little vegan-friendly berry is the taste of late summer in the Arctic. Try it as marmelade or cheesecake garnish at kaffemik, or throw it back one shot at a time as an after-dinner snaps.
If you really want to live a day as a local, in late August take a walk just outside town to pick your own crowberries. The ground is covered in the plant and you can eat the dark berries right from the vine. Just be sure you have a small plastic bag in your rucksack to take some home.
Souvenir tip: small bottles of crowberry snaps are often sold in Albatros Arctic Circle’s souvenir shop in Kangerlussuaq as well as in the Kræmmerhuset gift shop in Ilulissat.
Next.. One of life’s simplest pleasures is prying off a wild stalk of Angelica celery-like plant and dunking it into a carafe of water like a straw. So refreshing! Restaurant chefs do it up a little fancier by dicing and pickling it and adding it to dishes for an inventive and puckering pop.
Souvenir tip: Anori Art in Nuuk sells pocket-size packets of angelica-infused sea salt as well as gentle and mild soaps infused with the greenery. And if your trip home is not terribly long, you can even buy it frozen in the grocery store. Just wrap it in newspaper to make sure it stays cold.
Historically hunters traversed the sea and land to discover the best places to procure their provisions and often named settlements and landforms after their unique characteristics and the bounty to be had therein. For example, the southwestern settlement of Kapisillit translates to ‘the place with salmon’ and Ammassalik Island, in southeastern Greenland, is known as ‘the place with capelin.’
Many of the multi-day tours from Greenland Adventures offer food whilst on tour, so there will be ample opportunity to try the variety of cuisine on offer and experience what makes Greenlandic cuisine so special. For a great overview of Greenland in general, check out the Highlights of Greenland tour or Colorful Nuuk for the best culinary highlights. We are certain that your eyes and mouth will be tantalilsed: be a culinary pioneer!
Ready to experience the amazing Greenlandic gastronomy up close and personal? Enjoy a unique mix of outdoor adventure and urban culinary and cultural delights on Greenland Adventure’s Colorful Nuuk tour.
From Greenland Adventures by Icelandic Mountain Guides, offering a great selection of Greenland tours, from day tours to multi-day adventure tours all the way up to epic expeditions. Visit Greenland and bring out your inner pioneer! Hope this helped !!!
