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Work and Travel in Greenland

Help us grow. share what you know about getting work in greenland for travellers., volunteer and paid work opportunities in greenland for travellers.

Greenland is one of the most alluring places in the world to work and travel in. Work in Greenland and you’ll gain access to the world’s largest non-continental island and a country with some of the most spectacular scenery in the world. But the changing seasons and the climate will limit what working travellers in Greenland can do with their time, volunteer wise. It should be said that Greenland does have extremely limited transport options, and the remoteness of the region means many working travellers decide to prepare volunteer opportunities in advance with specific organisations. That’s not to say it’s impossible to find work and travel opportunities in Greenland by yourself, though. But it’s highly recommended that you already have a host ready before making the trip. There are only a few types of work that are possible for volunteers in Greenland, and extra ones if you have specific skills in scientific and conservation areas. This guide is going to discuss what options are available to you, and how the seasons will impact your volunteering opportunities.

VOLUNTEER WORK VISA / PERMIT REQUIREMENTS FOR GREENLAND

Greenland is an autonomous territory, but its foreign policy and defensive policy remain under the control of Denmark. Despite this, a lot of people believe that their Schengen visas are still valid for Greenland. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark is responsible for Greenland’s entry policy, but Schengen visas are not valid here. You need to specifically make it clear you will enter Greenland when you receive your Schengen visa, and you will receive a slightly different stamp. You should also bear in mind that if you intend on volunteering in the mountains, and national parks this requires a separate permit. All nationalities, including European, Russian, American, and Australian nationalities, require a work permit. Unfortunately, you have to go through the same process as you would to obtain a visa for paid work. This requires a written application to be sent to the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration. Take note that if you happen to come from a Nordic country, such as Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Sweden, and Finland, you have the right to work and live in Greenland automatically. We recommend that you apply for your work visa before you travel to Greenland, since applications tend to be processed in Denmark anyway. It will make the process faster and you’ll be able to avoid disappointment if your application is declined.

SEASONAL BACKPACKER SKILLS NEEDED IN GREENLAND

Spring work.

Spring in Greenland is extremely short, lasting only a month. There is no telling in advance whether you’re likely going to experience harsh wintery weather or relatively calm summery weather. This is where much of the ice recedes, but temperatures will remain frigid. Due to the shortness of the season, there is no specific work to be found in Greenland. You can easily find housekeeping opportunities around the country, but you may well be outside the few cities the territory has. Working travellers volunteering in Greenland can find themselves doing anything from painting to the basics of keeping the house clean. It all depends whether you want to work in an urban or rural area.

SUMMER JOBS

If you want to work in Greenland the summer is by far the best time to begin your journey. Lasting from the middle of June to the middle of September, temperatures are still likely not what you’re used to, but summer in Greenland develops a host of opportunities for work and travel. Since this is one of two main tourist seasons, the museums of East Greenland are always searching for volunteer help. With low funds for restoration and renovation, if you can supply any DIY skills, a position like this would be perfect for you. You will be able to not only put your skills to good use, but you’ll also discover the intricacies of building and maintaining an arctic house. Do you have any guiding skills? The receding of large snow drifts mean that you can enjoy guiding groups around the winding fjord networks and along the coasts, where you can show them floating sea ice in the Atlantic Ocean. The reindeer farms operate all throughout the year in South Greenland, but the summer months are where farmers prefer to take on volunteers. If you have a passion for animals and you love spending time outdoors, a position like this could suit you. You’ll take part in the various functions of the farm, including herding, mending fences, and slaughtering. These farms tend to be remote and you may be required to take a helicopter to get to where you need to be.

Working travellers in Greenland should take autumn as the opportunity to begin applying for English teaching jobs. This is the traditional hiring period and Greenland is one territory that has a significant lack of English skills. Children tend to focus on Greenlandic and Danish, due to Denmark being their parent power. English teaching skills from working travellers in Greenland are highly coveted. Take note that if you intend on volunteering in Greenland in the winter months, now is the time to fly to Greenland. Many flights from both Iceland and Denmark to the capital Nuuk are cut off due to bad weather. They will only fly to East Greenland.

Winter lasts from November until April. This is the second biggest tourist season, so if you have experience with guiding in extreme conditions you can find work in the tourism industry. Most roles for non-skilled working travellers in Greenland are either filled up or aren’t capable of being carried out because of the harsh winter conditions. Winter is perhaps the worst season for volunteering in Greenland.

ATTITUDE TO FOREIGNERS WORKING OR VOLUNTEERING IN GREENLAND

85% of Greenlandic people are Inuit, and thus share a lot in common with their Canadian cousins. They tend to be warm and welcoming towards backpackers in Greenland. Due to low unemployment, Greenlandic people have little hostility towards foreigners in volunteer roles. Most of them will likely be wondering why you’re there in the first place!

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• Edited on Aug 4 2017 by Artem

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Home » Articles » How To Find a Job in Greenland as a Foreigner

How To Find a Job in Greenland as a Foreigner

Greenland Harp Seal

Greenland is a freezing cold but interesting country that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. The official language is Kalaallisut although Danish is widely spoken.

Below is a selection of resources for searching for employment opportunities as a foreigner in Greenland.

General Job Search Engines and Classifieds

With the sites below, you can expect to get a 0.5 to 1.0% response rate (people who will respond back to you to whom you sent your application/CV.) Nevertheless, I encourage you to give these sites a try as you never know what you will come up with or what connections you can make from a simple e-mail or application.

• Sermitsiaq :  The main job website in the country.
• Norden :  This website is the official website of the Nordic Council and the Nordic Council of Ministers. These are the official vehicles for Nordic cooperation, which involves Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland. Definitely check out norden.org as it has some excellent job search resources.
• Career Jet : I’m sure you’ve heard of Career Jet. They have job search options for Greenland.

Other Websites and Blogs

• Denmark Foreigner Portal :  Work permit information for Greenland.

Overseas and Expat Job Portals

• Go Abroad : I’ve always been a fan of GoAbroad. In fact, on the visa information portion of my website, you will find where I have linked to their global embassies directory. They have a good job portal too.
• Linkedin : Last but not least, this huge professional social network is a resource for building contacts in the field and location of your interest.

There you have it. The best places to find jobs in Greenland as a foreigner. For information on visas for Greenland, be sure to check out my Greenland visa page.

East Greenland mountain range

Further Reading

How to Answer the 150 Most Common Job Interview Questions: Get sample answers to the most frequently asked job interview questions.

Worldwide Jobs Guide: Be sure to check out my posts on how to find jobs in any country in the world.

Worldwide Apartments Guide: If you are interested in renting an apartment in this country, take a look at my articles on how to find an apartment in various countries around the world.

Worldwide Dating Guide: Also, check out my posts on the best online dating sites in 60+ countries around the world.

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HireMe.gl is a service that helps employees find relevant job opportunities and employers find qualified applicants in the Greenlandic labor market. As a job placement service in Greenland, we offer a variety of services to help both local and foreign workers as well as Greenlandic employers find the perfect match. We have a large selection of vacancies from various industries and career opportunities in Greenland, such as fishing, tourism, oil and gas, mining and the public sector. Our platform is easy to use and gives you access to job postings from a number of different Greenlandic employers. You can also upload your CV and we can match you with relevant job opportunities based on your experience and skills. Especially for foreigners who want to work in Greenland, it can be difficult to navigate the Greenlandic labor market. HireMe.gl is here to help you get in touch with relevant employers and understand the requirements to work in Greenland. We also offer advice and guidance on housing and other practical matters in Greenland. For Greenlandic employers, we offer a number of services to help find the right applicants for the vacant positions. We can help formulate job postings, or help sort applications to find the most qualified applicants.

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Work and residence permits in Greenland

Nordic citizens may freely settle and work in Greenland. However, certain occupations require special permission, even if you are a citizen of a Nordic country. Citizens from countries outside the Nordic region must have a work and residence permit in order to live and work in Greenland. Greenland is part of the Danish commonwealth, and enjoys a high degree of autonomy. However, the area of immigration has not been transferred to the government of Greenland, and so it is Denmark that decides who can enter and work in Greenland.

More information about work and residence permits in Greenland is available at:

The police in Greenland may provide guidance on the Immigration Act and the visa rules. The Danish Immigration Service can provide guidance on residence and work permits for third-country nationals, as well as on spouse and family reunification and unlimited residence.

The municipalities of Greenland can provide guidance on municipal permits.

Contact information for the Greenlandic municipalities: (in Danish)

If you are a citizen of a Nordic country, you can freely travel to Greenland to live and work there. However, a municipal permit is required if you wish to work in certain occupations (see next section).

If a company wishes to hire a foreigner within one of the following professional groups, the company must have a municipal permit on the basis of Parliamentary Act no. 27 of 30 October 1992 on the regulation of the labour supply in Greenland. This also applies to Danish citizens who have not been born or raised in Greenland, and to other Nordic citizens:

• Craftsman trades
• Social educators
• Social workers
• Positions that require advanced maritime education
• Unskilled workers

The company that wishes to hire a person must first try to recruit Greenlandic labour. The company must then contact the municipality, who will try to source the labour elsewhere in Greenland.

If this does not succeed, the company must have written permission from the municipality to bring in an employee from elsewhere. The permission can only apply to one position at one specific workplace.

If the municipality does not respond within 14 days to the company's application for a municipal permit, the company is automatically entitled to bring in an external employee.

Non-Nordic EU citizens and citizens of other countries around the world do not have free access to Greenland – they are so-called “third-country nationals”.

Work and residence permit

If you are a citizen of a third country, then in addition to a possible municipal permit, you must also have a Danish work and residence permit, and possibly a visa to Greenland. You must apply to the Danish Immigration Service for a work and residence permit. It is free of charge to apply for a work and residence permit.

Your employer can assist you with the application. Only you will be notified of the decision.

The application procedure takes around three months, and if the answer is positive, you can be hired. You may not begin to work until you have obtained your work and residence permit.

A work and residence permit takes the form of a letter or an identity card (a plastic card similar to a credit card). You must have the permit on you at all times. A work permit always applies to a specific job in a particular company, and for no longer than a year. If you wish to change your job or workplace, you must apply for a new permit before you can start work at the new job.

Residence of less than three months

If you are a third-country citizen, you may work in Greenland, for a short period of no more than three months if you are covered by the “fitter rule”. This applies if you:

• Are working as a specialist in a mining project which has a licence number
• Are installing or repairing a piece of technical equipment, a machine or an IT system
• Are an artist, scientist or public speaker
• Are employed as an actor, camera operator or film director on a film production
• Are a company representative or sales person on a business trip
• Are employed by a foreigner who is in Greenland on a visit

If you are covered by the “fitter rule”, you do not need to have a municipal permit or work and residence permit in order to work in Greenland.

If you are the spouse of a Danish or Nordic citizen, and you yourself are a citizen of a third country, then in order to live or work in Greenland you must apply for spouse or family reunification, or a work and residence permit in Greenland, and you may also need a municipal permit. This applies regardless of how long you have lived in Denmark, unless you have a special connection with Greenland, i.e. you have lived permanently in Greenland for seven out of the past ten years, or are married to, or can document at least one year of cohabitation with, a resident Greenlander.

If you have received spouse or family reunification in Greenland, you may work freely in Greenland.

If you have been granted non-time-limited residence (a permanent residence permit) in Greenland, you may work freely in Greenland.

You can apply for spouse and family reunification at:

If you wish to extend your work and residence permit, you must apply to the Danish Immigration Service. Your application must be submitted to the the Danish Immigration Service before your original work permit expires, so that you can continue to work while waiting for a response.

To appeal a decision as a citizen or company

Both citizens and companies have the right to appeal the decisions they receive, and the municipal employee is obliged to guide them on how to do so.

If you wish to appeal a decision taken by the municipality concerning a municipal permit, you should contact the Ministry of Industry, Labour and Trade in the Government of Greenland.

If you wish to appeal a decision taken by the Danish Immigration Service, you should contact the Ministry of Justice in Denmark.

Please fill in our contact form if you have any questions or if you have encountered an obstacle in another Nordic country.

NB! If you have questions regarding the processing of a specific case or application, or other personal matters, please contact the relevant authority directly.

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Jobs in Air Greenland

Air Greenland is an active and vibrant organization, and we see new faces in the corridors every month, when people from all parts of society get positions at all levels of the company.

Since our inception in 1960, our goal has been to cover as many positions as possible with local people so that experience is kept in our community. With locally based people in all ranks, we ensure a strength and competence for the entire Greenlandic community, even if people choose to leave our company.

We offer jobs in administrative and practical positions in a company where customer satisfaction and employee well-being are weighted on an equal footing.

If you have questions about the position, possibly regarding the workplace or physical conditions, you are very welcome to contact the HR department by phone 343434.

We encourage anyone who is interested and qualified to apply for a vacant position regardless of personal circumstances such as age, gender, sexual orientation, race, nationality, religious beliefs, ethnic affiliation, etc.

In order to view job listings, all cookies must be accepted (This is to comply with GDPR). Read our privacy policy for job applicants when applying for a job in Air Greenland here (only danish)

Read here about the current job postings.

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Exploring Job Opportunities: Discover How Easy it is to Get a Job in Greenland

Is it easy to get job in Greenland?

Greenland, a stunning island located in the North Atlantic Ocean, is a place full of natural wonders that attract numerous visitors every year. Known for its majestic glaciers, unique wildlife, and the infamous Northern Lights, this place is like no other on earth. The island is technically part of the Kingdom of Denmark but enjoys a large amount of autonomy. With a population of just over 56,000 people, finding employment on the island may appear difficult, but it’s not impossible. Let’s dive deeper into the job market of this beautiful island and answer the question at hand: Is it easy to get job in Greenland?

• 1 Job Opportunities in Greenland
• 2 The Process of Finding a Job in Greenland
• 3 Life in Greenland
• 4 Conclusion

Job Opportunities in Greenland

Given its small population, the job market in Greenland can be somewhat limited, heavily dependent on a few sectors such as fishing, mining, and tourism-related activities. It’s no surprise that their primary industry is fishing, which accounts for 90% of its exports.

Another significant industry is mining, with some of the largest deposits of ruby and pink sapphire in the world. Additionally, there is an excellent market for jobs related to research and educational programs in the island, with the University of Greenland providing degrees in various disciplines.

Due to its unique geography and climate, it may not come as a surprise, but many tour companies and hotels have been established to cater to the increasing number of tourists visiting the country year-round.

The Process of Finding a Job in Greenland

While it’s possible to find a job in Greenland, there are a few hurdles you will need to overcome. Firstly Greenland’s official language is Greenlandic, while other languages such as Danish, which is also an official language, and English are spoken. Knowledge of at least one of the official languages is of utmost importance.

Another important factor to consider while looking for a job in Greenland is the visa. Citizens of some countries, such as Denmark, can work freely in Greenland without obtaining work permits. However, citizens of other countries, such as non-EU countries, must obtain a work permit. Working in Greenland without the proper documentation may lead to deportation or other legal consequences.

Networking is also an essential part of finding a job in Greenland. Due to the small community, often jobs advertised here have already been offered to someone through networking. The best way to get started would be to look at the official Greenlandic job portal for open positions.

Life in Greenland

Greenland is one of the most remote locations, not just in Europe but worldwide. If you get a job here, you should be aware that you’re far from home. The climate is harsh, with long, dark, cold winters, and bright summers with 24-hour sunlight. The cost of living is somewhat higher than most countries, with a limited range of goods available in the markets. However, the island offers a unique cultural experience and breathtaking natural landscapes.

Greenland is an extraordinary place, and while the job market may be constricted, there are opportunities for people with the right set of skills. Finding work in Greenland is possible, but not easy. You need to have the necessary language skills, appropriate work permit, and network within the community. It’s a remote location and can be an acquired taste, but if you love nature and are looking for a unique experience in an untamed and wild land, working in Greenland might be right for you.

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WeXpats Jobs supports those who want to challenge working abroad and makes a world where each and every person can build their ideal career a reality. We compile a list of jobs from Greenland and support 15 different languages. You can search from a vast variety of jobs in the language you're most comfortable with.

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First-timer’s guide to Greenland

Oct 10, 2023 • 6 min read

First time visiting Greenland? You're going to need a boat-load of tips to get your started © Aningaaq R Carlsen / Visit Greenland

Greenland , the world’s largest island, is a country of wild extremes: uninhabitable wilderness at its core, and delightfully warm and charming people living in harmony with it. Climbers come to scale its spectacular sheer rock faces, scientists come to see what the melting ice can tell us of the planet’s future and many visitors come away with a whole new perspective on life.

There’s no question that the must-see attraction for everyone who visits Greenland is ‘big nature,’ from the black peaks that undulate on the horizon, to the great gray-blue ice sheet in the center of the island and the icebergs scattered in the sea around it. Muskox , arctic fox and polar bears roam around, and the northern lights dance in the sky above.

Inhabited since 2,500 BCE, with Viking colonies in the south from the 10th century, Greenland has developed a unique culture and set of beliefs based on its people’s strong relationship with the mountains, ice and sea that surrounds them. It’s impossible not to come away feeling awestruck by what nature can create.

When should I go to Greenland?

Greenland is a huge island with vast seasonal and geographical variations, and its weather can be unstable and unpredictable all year round. Be sure to take out travel insurance in the event of flight cancellations, and keep plans as loose as possible as schedules can change suddenly.

For snow, dog sledding and the northern lights, the best time to visit is from late September to May.

If you are keen to do adventure sports like hiking, climbing or kayaking, the Greenlandic summer is more suitable. This period, from May to September, promises more hours of daylight.

Where should I go in Greenland ?

Getting around Greenland is complicated (see below). The best advice is to choose one region to explore, or two at most, and spend a week there. This allows you to see the key natural sights and animals without feeling rushed, meet local people (who can be reticent), and have the flexibility to adapt if plans change due to bad weather.

As an example, you could choose to stay in the Ilulissat ice fjord region, where there are options for hiking, whale watching, exploring Disko Bay and perhaps the ice cap over the course of a week. If you want to follow the Arctic Circle Trail , again, that’s a one-to-two-week trip. Factor in that you’ll likely need to fly via Denmark or Iceland, potentially adding a night to the trip in either direction. And as mentioned, there may be unexpected events due to the weather.

Is it easy to get in and around Greenland?

In early 2025, an extension to Nuuk airport will allow larger planes to land in Greenland, making it easier to reach from international destinations. Until the new runways open, flights to Greenland go via Reykjavik and Copenhagen into the country’s international airports, Nuuk, Kangerslussuaq and Ilulissat. Kulusuk and Narsarsuaq are also entry points from Reykjavik. 

Greenland is large and largely without roads. To travel between towns, Air Greenland flies to those with runways and runs helicopters to others. From April to December, the Arctic Umiaq Line runs coastal ferries from Qaqortoq in the south to Ilulissat in the north, with stops along the way. The full journey takes 4.5 days. Other ferries and coastal boats run up the west coast and across South Greenland in summer.

Within towns there are buses, taxis and cars, and you can also walk. It is advisable to book far in advance to secure a place (and for the best rates), and to have clear transport plans when you arrive in Greenland.

Top things to do in Greenland

Be awed by nature and humbled by culture. For the nature part, take a boat from Ilulissat, Nuuk or Qaqortoq and spend a day cruising the ice fjords, marveling at immense blue, white and gray icebergs and encountering all kinds of sea life from humpback whales to dolphins. Hike in the mountains surrounding the small town of Narsarsuaq and admire the ice sheet – you can even camp overnight on it at Camp Ice Cap near Kangerlussuaq.

Then immerse yourself in local culture and discover how people in Greenland really live. Experience the warmth of community and the power of history in a kaffemik, a local coffee morning, in Nuuk or Qaqortoq, or book into a wilderness camp and try Greenlandic glamping, with a side of fishing and foraging, for a true back-to-nature immersion in the country’s outdoors-driven lifestyle.

My favorite thing to do in Greenland

Nature watching in Greenland is off-the-chart amazing. You could spend all day cruising between icebergs and comparing their shapes and colors – and then there’s the wildlife. To see a sliver of a whale's back slip out of the water while you’re on a boat on the way to another town is sensational. The day I saw a polar bear climb a remote coastal cliff and disappear over a ridge remains one of the most memorable days of my life. These sights are framed by seas studded with icebergs, clear blue skies, uninhabited land and dark, jagged mountains, creating the most powerful punch of natural drama I’ve ever seen.

How much money do I need?

Greenland is not a cheap destination, but you can do it on a budget. Flight deals can be found outside the main summer season – a tip is to sign up to Air Greenland’s newsletter. As a general guide, a bed in a youth hostel in Nuuk will cost from around £100 per night, while a hotel will be around £200 per night. Luxury wilderness experiences typically cost at least £250 per night.

In terms of domestic transport, it is typically cheaper to take a boat rather than fly or take a helicopter. Booking in advance can also save money, but what you save in money you lose in time.

Greenland’s food is expensive – expect to spend around £25 for an evening meal in a restaurant – because so much of it has to be flown in. Save money by eating as locally as much as possible and cutting back on greens. A locally brewed beer might cost around £8 for a pint, while a coffee costs around £6. Bring a reusable water bottle as all Greenlandic water is drinkable.

Bring lots of layers, no matter the season

As mentioned, Greenland’s weather is highly changeable all year round, so pack with that in mind. Bring woolen layers, hiking boots, gloves, sunscreen, sunglasses and a snood at the very least. Hiking in jeans and city-style trainers is not recommended.

The northern lights can be seen throughout the year

Typically, northern lights season in Greenland runs from September until April, but check with the region you plan to visit to be sure. It’s possible to see the lights all year round, depending on where in Greenland you are, but you need a dark, cloudless night. The midnight sun takes over from June to July in the Arctic Circle region and April to August in more northerly locations, and then you will experience barely any darkness.

Greenlandic is the official language

Greenlanders speak Greenlandic; Danish is also used and many people, particularly in major hubs, speak English.

Staying safe in Greenland

Weather is one of the key risks in the country, so stay aware of the forecast, carry a GPS with you and know how to use a map. Tell someone where you are going before you set off. Wildlife risks can include polar bears and rabid arctic foxes. Calving icebergs can cause tsunamis and be fatal for those on boats. Travel insurance that covers all the activities you might do in Greenland is a must.

Etiquette notes

Note that the word Eskimo is considered an inappropriate term; Inuit is preferred.

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The Ultimate Travel Guide to Greenland

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Published: 11/08/2020

Reading time: 34 minutes

Greenland. A vast, relatively unknown country that is almost completely covered by the world’s second-largest icefield. Now making “top 10” travel lists around the world – how do you get there? What’s the best time to go? What is there to do? And what exactly is there to eat?  Read on to discover everything you need to know to plan your bucket list trip, with this Ultimate Travel Guide to Greenland.

Why Greenland

In recent years, Greenland has started to emerge as the arctic destination. Its pristine nature where you can drink the water directly from any stream is completely different but equally spectacular as anything in Iceland or Norway, and the tourist crowds have not yet arrived on its shores.

Add in that it is very safe for visitors. It is one of the few places in the world where traditional and modern cultures exist side-by-side. It offers an authentic but accessible adventure into the unknown, and it is easy to explain its growing popularity.

Traveling to Greenland is relatively simple, but you should be aware that options are limited. You can:

• Join an organized cruise
• Fly from either Denmark or Iceland (there are no flights from North America or elsewhere in Europe at this stage)

Flights are operated by Air Greenland (Greenland’s national carrier) and Air Iceland Connect , with available routes determined by where you are flying from, where you are flying to, and the season. You should check the websites of both airlines to find your best option.

• More information on booking your flights to Greenland

You should also note that the weight limit for luggage on all flights to Greenland is only 20kg. This is because all but one aircraft (the Airbus that flies between Copenhagen and Kangerlussuaq) is small and has limited capacity, or is a helicopter.  Luggage is usually weighed, and excess luggage is expensive, so best to stay under this limit if at all possible (top tip: wear any of your heavy/bulky clothes).

The other thing to be aware of is that it is fairly common for flights (domestic and international) to be delayed or even canceled to the next day due to the arctic weather. For this reason, we strongly encourage you to take out travel insurance and give yourself at least 1 day (or more) of buffer in either Iceland or Denmark before your next international flight.

Greenland Tourist Visas

For the most up-to-date information on tourist visa requirements for Greenland, it is best to go straight to the source – Danish immigration. We recommend you read the rules carefully and contact them if you have any specific questions.

• Greenland Tourist Visa information from Danish immigration

Residents of many countries do not require a visa for Greenland (the list is on their website) but keep in mind that you need to pass through Denmark or Iceland to get here. So you also need to comply with the relevant visa requirements for those two countries.

Note: Greenland is not part of the EU or the Schengen agreement, so a Schengen Visa/Exemption is not sufficient for entry to Greenland.

Currency and costs

The Danish Krone (DKK) is the currency used in Greenland. Although the larger towns in Greenland do have ATMs, it is a very good idea to convert some money in your home country (or Iceland/Denmark) and bring some cash with you. Once you arrive in Greenland, the only place to change money is at the bank, and they often have limited hours for this type of transaction.

Each of the major towns has at least one ATM, and many larger businesses accept Visa, Mastercard, and Dankort. Eurocard, Diners, and American Express can also be used in some places. In the settlements, you may be able to withdraw money from the Pilersuisoq (the local supermarket) and pay for goods there with a credit card, but it is best to bring cash to cover your needs.

Costs / What to Budget

You are probably already aware that Greenland is not cheap to visit – a characteristic it shares with other Arctic destinations. This is perhaps not too surprising given its isolation and inability to produce most things for itself, leading to the situation where almost everything must be flown or shipped in.

While it is entirely possible to plan a more budget trip to Greenland, it is never going to be cheap. Here are some approximate prices you can expect to pay once you arrive:

If you plan to visit more than one area during your stay, you will also have the expense of domestic transportation. Given that there are no roads connecting towns in Greenland, your only options are to fly or catch the Sarfaq Ittuk Ferry (only operates between Ilulissat and Qaqortoq on the West Coast). Both of which can be very expensive.  For this reason, in our How to Travel to Greenland on a Budget article, we recommend limiting your travels to one or two areas, or planning a circuit route through the country.

• Search for domestic flights in Greenland
• Check out our How to Travel to Greenland on a Budget article

Communication

Greenland has modern communication facilities, but don’t expect them to work in the same way as back home.

Greenland has 3 time zones and observes daylight saving time. Most of the country operates on West Greenland Time: UTC-2 (Summer) / UTC-3 (Winter), with two exceptions:

• Thule Air Base (North Greenland): UTC-3 (Summer) / UTC-4 (Winter)
• Ittoqqortoormiit (East Greenland): UTC+0 (Summer) / UTC-1 (Winter)

Note: other towns and settlements in North and East Greenland all operate on West Greenland Time.

Electric Voltage

Greenland uses the Standard European Plug (230 V) with 2 prongs for its electrical outlets.

Internet and telephony

Greenland does have a mobile phone network, and does have the internet. However, both are limited and expensive so you might want to consider going “unplugged” while you are visiting.

If you do need access to a mobile phone or mobile internet, your best bet is to look at the offers from TelePost for tourists . Keep in mind that the mobile network is limited to a small region around each town or settlement, so if you are planning to go into the backcountry, you will lose signal very quickly. For independent trips that spend a lot of time in the wilderness – we recommend you bring a personal locator beacon at the very least.

• The country code for Greenland is +299

Wi-Fi access is available to buy in an ever-increasing number of cafes, restaurants, and accommodations around the country. Some now even offer it free of charge to guests – but this is not guaranteed. It will likely be slower than you are used to (particularly in East Greenland and in settlements). You must also be prepared for there to be no internet at all.  Although Greenland is getting a second under-sea cable to ensure its connection to the rest of the world, fishing trawlers have been known to dredge up the existing cable, leaving whole regions of Greenland with no internet.

In case of an emergency

In the USA – we all know you dial 911.  But what is the emergency services number in Greenland?

No matter where you are or what your emergency is, you should call 112. This is the National Emergency Call Center which will either put you through immediately or contact the local authority (fire, ambulance, police) on your behalf.

For non-emergencies, Isaaffik is the best one-stop-shop for phone numbers for government and other services. Search or select the “Type” from the Infrastructure tab for whatever you need to obtain a list of relevant phone numbers.

The official language of Greenland is Kalaallisut (West Greenlandic). However, most Greenlanders also speak Danish as a second language (thanks to their being part of the Danish Realm). And many also speak excellent English as a third language. You will have few problems getting around and being understood in Greenland!

Kalaallisut is actually a part of the Eskimo-Aleut family that is also spoken across arctic Canada and Alaska, and bears no resemblance to either Danish or English. If you’d like to learn a few words to break the ice while you are visiting, read our article and watch our 6-minute introduction to your first words in Greenlandic.

To help you read signs or labels in the supermarket (these are all written in Danish as well as Greenlandic), we recommend downloading the Google Translate App and the Danish dictionary to your phone before you come to Greenland.

• Discover all the useful apps and tools to help with your trip to Greenland

Greenland has a modern healthcare system but with very limited capacity. You should take this into consideration if you have an ongoing medical condition that may require treatment, and you should bring all required medications with you – including enough for a few extra days.

Vaccinations

Greenland is relatively disease-free. Beyond the regular vaccinations recommended for life and travel, no specific vaccinations are required.

Medical assistance

The main hospital is located in Nuuk and any major medical emergencies will be flown there for treatment as a first step. The patient then may be flown to Denmark, depending on the severity of the condition. Smaller hospitals can be found in Sisimiut, Ilulissat, Aasiaat and Qaqortoq, while 11 other health centers (which handle uncomplicated births, minor surgery, common treatments and mental health services) service other parts of Greenland.

If you become acutely ill or injured, call these numbers (depending on where you are located). The second column gives the number to call during opening hours, the third column for calls after 4:00pm.

Dental assistance

There are dental clinics in each of the main towns in Greenland. Details can be found at peqqik.gl – the Nation’s Health Portal – but information is only in Danish. To get Google to translate it for you – right-click on a blank bit of the webpage and select “Translate to …..” from the options.

Travel Insurance

Although visitors from Nordic countries and Europe are provided inexpensive/free medical coverage while in Greenland ( read more extensive information at the Nordic Cooperation ), we recommend that all visitors to Greenland take out travel insurance. This will ensure you are covered not only for medical emergencies, but also for travel delays and repatriation if required (dependent on the exact insurance purchased).

Greenland is a vast country. The largest island in the world is the size of Western Europe or roughly ⅓ the size of the USA or Australia.

And although roughly 80% of it is covered in ice (it has the world’s second-largest icefield behind Antarctica), the 20% that is ice-free is very diverse.

North-east Greenland

The world’s largest national park occupies the entire North-east of the world’s largest island. There are no permanent residents, and access is restricted to essential personnel from the Danish Armed Forces, the elite Sirius Patrol, a few hunters and whalers from Ittoqqortoormiit, and those with special permission granted by the Ministry of Nature and Environment.Photo:

East Greenland

Remote jagged peaks characterize the little-populated East coast of Greenland. Nature dominates in this isolated region and there are only 7 towns/settlements in the entire area. Tasiilaq is the largest town and the hub for East Greenland, and while the settlements of Kulusuk, Tiniteqilaaq, Kuummiut, Isortoq, and Sermiligaaq are relatively nearby, the town of Ittoqqortoormiit is located 800km further North.

East Greenland is perfect for those who are willing to forego some creature comforts to experience an (in some ways) less-developed part of Greenland. It is also easily accessible as a day trip (or vacation) from Iceland .

Summer activities: boat tours to glaciers and ice fjords, ice caving, ice diving, hiking, kayaking, whale watching, fishing, settlement visits

Winter activities: dog sledding, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, skiing, heli-skiing, ice-fishing, northern lights, settlement visits

It is also a mecca for serious adventurers, with challenging climbing and mountaineering opportunities, and unparalleled long-distance hiking, kayaking and skiing.

• Read the Ultimate Travel Guide to Tasiilaq
• Search all East Greenland Tours

South Greenland

There are two distinct geographical regions in South Greenland.

The area around Nanortalik and the Tasermiut Fjord is similar to the geography of East Greenland and renowned for its enormous climbing walls.

The area that encompasses the other towns and settlements is much gentler – consisting of green (in the Summer), rolling hills that are home to most of Greenland’s sheep farms. There is a reason why this was the preferred area for the Vikings (Norse) to settle. This extensive region now forms one of the 3 UNESCO World Heritage Listed sites in Greenland.

Qaqortoq is the main city of South Greenland with Narsarsuaq (with its international airport), Narsaq, and Nanortalik the other major towns. There are also 10 small settlements, with Igaliku and Qassiarsuk the most commonly visited – due to their well-preserved ruins.

Summer activities: boat tours to glaciers and ice fjords, hiking, kayaking, whale watching, fishing, horse riding, sheep farm stays, settlement visits

Winter activities: snowshoeing, skiing, northern lights, settlement visits

• Read the Ultimate Travel Guide to Qaqortoq
• Search all South Greenland Tours

West Greenland

West Greenland stretches along a large area and includes many different types of geography. Encompassing the world’s second-largest fjord system, low-lying islands, 2000m tall mountains that drop straight into the ocean, and everything in between – it offers a highly varied geography to explore.

Home to Nuuk – Greenland’s capital city – the area also contains the town of Paamiut as well as many smaller settlements – both abandoned and still functioning. Despite this, it remains rich in wildlife and bird life and boasts the largest population of Sea Eagles (Nattoralik) in Greenland.

Summer activities: boat tours, hiking, kayaking and stand-up paddle boarding, whale watching, fishing, settlement visits

• Read the Ultimate Travel Guide to Nuuk
• Search all West Greenland Tours

Arctic Circle Region

As the name suggests, the Arctic Circle Region is defined by its location around the latitude of the Arctic Circle. It stretches from the inland ice to the ocean and a large part of it forms the Aasivissuit – Nipisat. Inuit Hunting Ground between Ice and Sea UNESCO World Heritage site. The towns of Kangerlussuaq (Greenland’s only “inland” town), Sisimiut , and Maniitsoq , are contained within it, as well as several smaller settlements.

The geography of the region perfectly reflects the retreat of the glaciers. Around Kangerlussuaq, the landscape is characterized by rolling Arctic tundra, while the coastal areas (particularly around Maniitsoq) feature impressive mountains that have had much more time to be carved by erosion.

Summer activities: hiking on the inland ice, hiking (including the long-distance Arctic Circle Trail and to the Russell Glacier), wildlife (musk-ox and reindeer) spotting, boat tours, whale watching, kayaking, fishing, settlement visits

Winter activities: dog sledding, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, skiing, northern lights, settlement visits

• Read the Ultimate Travel Guide to Sisimiut
• Read the Ultimate Travel Guide to Maniitsoq
• Or read what to see and do in Kangerlussuaq
• Search all Arctic Circle Region Tours

Disko Bay Area

Disko Bay is the largest Bay in Greenland and the area most visited by tourists. This is largely due to the UNESCO World Heritage Listed Ilulissat Icefjord where massive icebergs become trapped on an underwater moraine and visitors are guaranteed to see plenty of big ice.

While Ilulissat is the most important city as far as tourism goes, Aasiaat is actually the logistics hub and center for education for all of North Greenland. In addition, Disko Island itself is a fascinating destination with a geology completely different to anywhere else in Greenland.

Qeqertarsuaq is its main town and the base for excursions on the island which offers incredible hiking opportunities and summer dog sledding on the Lyngmark Glacier.

Summer activities: hiking, boat tours to glaciers and in the Icefjord, kayaking, fishing, whale watching, settlement visits, dog sledding near Qeqertarsuaq

• Read the Ultimate Travel Guide to Ilulissat
• Read the Ultimate Travel Guide to Aasiaat
• Search all Disko Bay Tours

North Greenland

The vast, sparsely populated north-west of Greenland is as spectacularly beautiful as it is remote. Enormous icebergs, the midnight sun/polar darkness, and a subsistence way of life dominate the few small towns and settlements that are dotted along this enormous coastline.

Uummannaq is the largest town, with Upernavik and Qaanaq the other major settlements. It is also home to the Thule Air Base – the northernmost military base for the US in the world.

Summer activities: hiking, boat tours to glaciers, fishing, settlement visits, midnight sun

Winter activities: dog sledding, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, skiing, northern lights, settlement visits, polar darkness

• Read the Ultimate Travel Guide to Uummannaq
• Search all North Greenland Tours

Weather and climate in Greenland

Weather in Greenland can be unpredictable, and it has even been known to snow in July! The trick is to be prepared for almost anything, and be flexible. Weather also has a tendency to mess with a tightly scheduled program, so give yourself some buffer!

Temperatures

The landmass of Greenland stretches from further South than Iceland to almost the North Pole. And although 80% of the country is permanently frozen under an icecap, contrary to popular belief, the coastal regions do emerge from under the snow during Summer.

As you might imagine, temperatures in Greenland vary significantly from North to South. In Qaanaaq, the northernmost town, average temperatures range from -25C to +5C, while in Qaqortoq (the southernmost city), the range is -5.5C to +7.2C. Greenland can get significantly hotter (for example, the past few Summers have delivered temperatures of up to 20C), and significantly colder (-40C and below) – especially if you factor in wind chill.

The best way to find out what the temperature is likely to be during your visit is to read the appropriate Ultimate Travel Guide to the city/town you are visiting or search for your destination at the Norwegian Meteorological Institute’s website.

What clothing to pack

The good news is that even though Greenland’s winter temperatures seem positively frigid, the air is so dry that it often does not feel as cold as you might think. Make sure you bring the correct clothing , and you will be fine. Remember: sunscreen and sunglasses are very important, no matter what season you are visiting. The arctic sun can be brutal, even in Winter, and “snow blindness” is a real but temporary condition.

The Midnight Sun and Polar Darkness

A large portion of Greenland lies north of the Arctic Circle. At these latitudes, the Sun never sets during summer (a phenomenon known as the “Midnight Sun”) and never rises during Winter (a time of “polar darkness”). Both are fascinating adventures, and the further north you go, the more extreme the experience.

For destinations south of the Arctic Circle, the Sun does disappear below/rise above the horizon, but not by very much. In the middle of Summer, the southern latitudes of Greenland enjoy a perpetual twilight, while in the middle of Winter, you have to be fast to take advantage of the few hours of sunlight per day.

Destinations in Greenland

In recent years, Greenland has featured in many of the “Top 10” lists published by travel magazines and has been growing in popularity as a tourist destination. Often – it is the same few places that are showcased, but there are many, many other destinations in Greenland that offer equally beautiful nature and are interesting in their own right.

Most Popular

Nuuk (West Greenland) – the capital city and center for government, business, health, and education. Often overlooked by tourists, those that do decide to spend some time here discover a fascinating cultural scene and an incredibly beautiful back-country that encompasses the second-largest fjord system in the world and an icefjord that often sends icebergs sailing past the city.

• Ultimate Travel Guide to Nuuk
• Nature Lovers Guide to Nuuk
• Culture Lovers Guide to Nuuk

Ilulissat (Disko Bay Region) – no matter what time of year you visit, you are guaranteed to see large numbers of enormous icebergs near this city. For this reason, it is the most popular tourist destination in Greenland. Located right on the edge of the UNESCO World Heritage Listed Ilulissat Icefjord, it is also a great place to go whale watching during the Summer.

• Read our Ultimate Travel Guide to Ilulissat

Kangerlussuaq (Arctic Circle Region) – functioning as Greenland’s primary international airport, most people visit this small town as part of their transit from Denmark to elsewhere in Greenland (or vice versa). The highlights are the impressive Russell Glacier and easy access to the Greenland Ice sheet at Point 660, but it also serves as the start- or end-point of the 160km-long Arctic Circle Trail (Greenland’s most famous long-distance hiking trail).

Kulusuk/Tasiilaq (East Greenland) – gateway to the spectacular remoteness and towering mountains of the East coast. This is a mecca for heli-skiers, hard-core adventurers, and mountaineers, but there is also plenty of hiking, sailing, whale watching, and dog sledding opportunities for more normal human beings. It is easily accessible for those wishing to add an extension to their trip to Iceland .

• Read our Ultimate Travel Guide to Tasiilaq

Up and Coming

Sisimiut (Arctic Circle Region) – Greenland’s second-largest city has an enormous back-country that offers a wide range of hiking and trekking opportunities – including the 160km Arctic Circle Trail to Kangerlussuaq. In the Winter, this turns into a paradise for cross-country skiing (including the world’s toughest ski race – the Arctic Circle Race), snowmobiling, and dog-sledding, making it one of the best places for outdoor adventurers in Greenland.

• Read our Ultimate Travel Guide to Sisimiut
• Read our guide to the Best Hiking Trails around Sisimiut

Uummannaq (North Greenland) – the town that clings to the slopes of the heart-shaped mountain will definitely capture your own heart if you make the trip. The Uummannaq fjord is spectacularly beautiful with icebergs as large as, or even bigger than those in Ilulissat. These cathedrals of ice become trapped during the Winter as the sea freezes over and becomes an enormous highway for dog sleds, snowmobiles, and even cars!

• Read our Ultimate Travel Guide to Uummannaq

Qaqortoq (South Greenland) – nestled in the greenest part of the country, South Greenland’s largest town is the perfect base for those looking for a milder climate and the opportunity to explore the Viking (Norse) ruins of Greenland. There are still plenty of icebergs and glaciers to discover, wonderful hiking opportunities, Greenland’s only hot spring, and you can even go horse riding or stay at a sheep farm!

• Read our Ultimate Travel Guide to Qaqortoq

At Guide to Greenland, we work with tour operators all over Greenland with the idea to open all of Greenland to all of the world.  Our aim is to help in developing a sustainable tourism industry here by enabling small tour companies to operate in “undiscovered” parts of Greenland to help take the pressure off those already popular destinations.

Transportation in Greenland

Greenland is the world’s largest island, and one of the most sparsely populated countries on Earth. In an area the size of Western Europe or ⅓ the size of the USA or Australia, there are only 13 cities and towns with populations greater than 1000 people, and about 60 settlements with smaller numbers of people.

Add in obstacles such as the enormous ice cap that covers 80% of the land, deep fjords, rugged mountains, and glaciers, it should not come as a surprise that there are no roads connecting any of the towns or settlements. Traveling around Greenland will be very different from traveling around your own country, and likely to be much more expensive.

Traveling within towns

If you are a keen walker – no town in Greenland (no, not even Nuuk) is so big that you can’t get around on foot. There may or may not be footpaths, and these may or may not be paved, but one thing is guaranteed – there will be plenty of stairs to give you a good workout!

In the settlements – walking is really your only option. In towns, you may be able to hire a bicycle, and there are usually at least a handful of taxis available, though these tend to be expensive and quite difficult to get hold of during peak times. It is also possible to rent a car in a few cities (though keep in mind that the road stops at the outskirts of town), and only Nuuk, Sisimiut, Maniitsoq, Kangerlussuaq, and Qaqortoq have a regular bus service.

For more information about how to get around each of the major towns, read the relevant Ultimate Travel Guide.

Traveling between towns and settlements

Each town generally has a handful of settlements that it services. While flying is an option all year round (usually in a helicopter), during Summer these trips can often be made with a boat and, during Winter, with either dog sled (for areas North of the Arctic Circle and East Greenland) or snowmobile. Many tour operators offer trips to these smaller settlements – details can be found either in the relevant Ultimate Travel Guide or by applying the “settlement visit” filter to tours on Guide to Greenland

Traveling between towns

The distances between many of the towns in Greenland are such that the only way to get from one place to the next is by plane, helicopter or, in a handful of areas, by boat.

• Check for your domestic helicopter or flight with Air Greenland
• Check for a Disko Line boat transfer in South Greenland
• Check for a Disko Line boat transfer in West Greenland
• Check for a Disko Line boat transfer in Disko Bay
• Check for the weekly Sarfaq Ittuk Coastal Ferry (between Ilulissat in the North and Qaqortoq in the South)

It is important to note that not all routes have daily departures (particularly in Winter). You will need to study the timetables to determine the best way to make everything fit together.

It is also important to keep in mind that unpredictable weather conditions may result in a delay of a day or more – so please build some contingency time into your itinerary.

Unfortunately, there is no such thing as a guaranteed “quick trip to the next town” in Greenland!

Accommodation in Greenland

We hate to disappoint you, but Greenlanders do not live in igloos.

They also no longer live in summer tent camps nor turf houses, though it is still possible to see what turf houses were like in many of the larger towns at the museums. Greenlanders now generally live in brightly colored wooden houses or large apartment buildings.

Accommodation for visitors to Greenland varies widely. The larger towns have 3- or 4-star hotels with conference facilities, as well as a range of other accommodation options. Airbnb is taking off around the country, and there are apartments, B&Bs, hostels, and other unique accommodation possibilities depending on where you are traveling.

For more information, have a look at our Accommodation in Greenland page and read the accommodation section in the relevant Ultimate Travel Guide.

Food and drinks in Greenland

The traditional diet of the Inuit from whom modern-day Greenlanders descended consisted mostly of meat and fat. This makes sense given the limited plant life in Greenland, their lives as hunters and fishermen, and their need for calories to keep them warm and vitamins to keep them healthy.

Have you ever wondered how the Inuit managed to avoid scurvy while living in a place where there were no fruit or vegetables? After all – this was one of the biggest scourges for the European explorers for many years. It turns out that the skin of the whale (a very important part of the arctic diet) contains a huge amount of Vitamin C.

Things have moved on from those times, and although Greenlanders still enjoy whale, seal, fish, reindeer and muskox – they can also choose from a wide range of fresh and processed foods that are primarily imported from or through Denmark.

Local foods

As a visitor, we highly encourage you to try as much of the traditional food as possible. While it may initially feel “wrong” to eat whale or seal, consider that these animals are hunted under a quota system in Greenland and the meat has not had to travel halfway around the world to get to you. It is much more environmentally friendly than ordering chicken or a salad!

Many of the larger towns have restaurants and cafes that offer fusion dishes made from the traditional meats, or you could try your hand at cooking it yourself by purchasing the raw ingredients from the local market or catching your own on a fishing trip .

But one of the best ways of trying a wide selection of foods that, admittedly, can be an acquired taste is to eat at a Traditional Greenlandic Buffet. Unfortunately, these are not found everywhere, but during the Summer in Ilulissat and every weekend in Sisimiut – the hotels offer these all-you-can-eat smorgasbords for a very reasonable price.

• Find more information on where to eat in each major town in the Restaurants and Cafes section of the relevant Ultimate Travel Guide

Another way to experience traditional Greenlandic food as well as a mountain of (very non-traditional) cakes is at a Kaffemik . Literally meaning “with a coffee”, Greenlanders host kaffemiks to celebrate absolutely anything.  It is basically a Greenlandic party.

The interesting thing about a kaffemik for a visitor is that although they are often scheduled as an event of several hours, each guest only stays a short period of time. This is because Greenlandic houses tend to be small, and Greenlanders know almost everyone in their community. Therefore, to allow everyone to be part of the celebration, each person arrives at a time that is convenient for them, gives their congratulations (and often a small gift), eats what they would like of the food, and then leaves again – allowing others space to sit at the table.

Being invited by a local to a kaffemik is definitely the best way to experience one (Greenlanders are very inviting and generous people), but you can also book a kaffemik experience as part of your travels.

Buying food – supermarkets and markets

One of the biggest surprises for many visitors coming to Greenland for the first time are the supermarkets.

The larger towns in most of Greenland all boast one or more Pisiffik and/or Brugseni supermarkets where you can find a bakery as well as a wide selection of packaged meat, fruit and vegetables, dairy, and general grocery items. These supermarkets are very similar to what you find in your own country – just with a more limited selection of products and higher prices.

The smaller towns and the settlements also generally have a supermarket. The community Pilersuisoq stocks a much more limited range of basic items (including all of the above) and are fascinating places to explore as they also feature everything else that a community could possibly need (think hunting rifles, fishing nets, reindeer antlers, etc.). After all, they are the only store in town!

While you will have to do most of your food shopping at the supermarket, it may be possible to buy your meat and seafood at the local market. This is where the hunters bring whatever they have just caught and offer it for sale. It will really help if you know some of the terms for animals in Danish or Greenlandic, and know your numbers in Danish if you plan to visit.

Advice for Vegetarians and Vegans

While Greenland is not the easiest place for vegetarians and vegans to travel, it is possible. It will be easiest if you stick with the larger towns and shop for yourself, though many of the restaurants in destinations that receive a lot of tourists do have one or two options on the menu for those who don’t eat meat.

Even if you plan to prepare all your own meals, you can expect this to be much more expensive than in pretty much every other country you’ve ever visited. Fresh fruit and vegetables are some of the most expensive items in Greenland, so check out the freezers to see what you can buy frozen as well.

Food Allergies

Given that meat, potato and rice tend to be the core ingredients of most meals, if you suffer from common food allergies, you should still be able to find something to eat in Greenland. If you don’t speak Danish, we recommend that you download Google Translate and the Danish dictionary to your phone before you arrive and use it to write down the types of food that you are allergic to.  Danish should be sufficient in most cases, and it will make it easy to explain to others what you need to avoid.

It will also help if you decide to cook for yourself. Ingredients are usually listed in Danish on items in the supermarket, so you can do a translation on the fly while you are shopping, rather than taking your chances.

Given the limited health services in Greenland, we strongly recommend that you bring with you any medication that must be administered if you do have a reaction to something you ate.

Drinking Water

Greenland is one of the few places in the world where you can drink the water from anywhere. It is 100% safe no matter whether you have filled your glass from a tap, or have filled your water bottle directed from a stream in the backcountry.  No filter required.

Shopping and Souvenirs

As a country with a tiny population and where almost everything must be shipped in, you can imagine that Greenland is not exactly a shopper’s paradise. There is one enclosed mall and one pedestrian mall in the whole country – both in the capital, Nuuk. Most large towns have one or two supermarkets that also operate as department stores, and a handful of boutiques – but that is pretty much it.

That being said, Greenland does have a lot to offer in the way of souvenirs. The most popular items are:

Tupilaks – these are fantastic “creatures” typically carved from reindeer antler, musk-ox horn, or narwhal tooth. The original tupilaks were used by Inuit shamans as powerful artefacts and very different to what you see today. And although modern tupilaks don’t hold any mysticism, they are stunning works of art from master carvers. You can buy them in any souvenir shop, or visit the carvers at the local Artisan workshop if there is one in town.

Sealskin products – the Inuit used to make many of their clothes from sealskin. It is warm, water- and wind-proof and offers the best protection from the arctic climate. These days, sealskin is still used to make fashion clothing and other products in Greenland, with Great Greenland the largest producer. Sealskin products can be found in any souvenir shop.

Musk-ox wool products – Musk-ox wool is the warmest wool in the world and lighter than you can imagine. It comes with a hefty price tag (due to the difficulty in harvesting it) but is a beautiful and cozy investment. Qiviut (Nuuk and Sisimiut) is the place for items made from musk ox wool and their products are sold in many parts of Greenland.

It is important to note with all souvenir shopping, that there are restrictions on what can be taken out of Greenland. To avoid issues, it is safest to buy things made from reindeer antler, musk-ox wool, seal or lamb. Please have a look at the current list of restrictions before you purchase.

• More specific information on where to shop for souvenirs and other items can be found in the relevant Ultimate Travel Guides

If you forgot – or haven’t got a chance to buy your souvenirs in Greenland, discover a selection of Greenlandic Accessories, Clothes, Souvenirs, Cards & Posters, Books, and Home decor in  The Greenland Store   where you can find everything from Greenland online! 

Entertainment

Options for entertainment and nightlife really depend on the size of the town you are in. 

Nuuk, Sisimiut and Ilulissat each host a Cultural Center which features a cinema (movies mostly in native language with subtitles, unless for children), exhibition space, and often schedules live music and other performances.

In other towns (as well as Nuuk, Sisimiut and Ilulissat), there is usually a pub and perhaps a nightclub that offers entertainment and nightlife. Look on the bus shelters and notice boards (usually found outside the supermarket) for upcoming events, or ask a local what is happening when and where.

• More specific information on entertainment and nightlife can be found in the relevant Ultimate Travel Guides

What to do in Greenland

Greenland has two distinct seasons that offer very different experiences of the Arctic.

Summer Activities

Summers in Greenland are relatively short but beautiful. The warmer weather and long days offer plenty of opportunities for outdoor excursions – but make sure you bring a head net and insect repellent to ward off the arctic mosquitoes and flies.

• Explore all of our Day Tours in Summer
• Find your Summer Vacation Package to Greenland
• Read everything you wanted to know about Greenland mosquitoes
• Learn what you should pack for a Summer holiday in Greenland

When : June – end-Sept, though the start/end of the season will depend on the snow/ice conditions that year Where : everywhere in Greenland Tours : Hiking tours in Greenland

Greenland’s stunning back country provides innumerable options for hikers. The terrain varies depending on where in the country you are (see the Geography section), and the presence of marked trails is limited at the moment to Nuuk, Sisimiut, Ilulissat, South Greenland, Uummannaq, and the long-distance Arctic Circle Trail.

A few important notes about hiking in Greenland:

• The marked trails are literally narrow tracks at best, and often just dots painted on rocks to show the way across unspoiled terrain. If you are not an experienced hiker, we recommend that you go with a Guide so that they can take care of navigation and first aid, and also explain more about the area itself, including the flora and fauna.
• If you are hiking in East Greenland, Tasermiut Fjord or North Greenland, there is the real possibility of encountering a polar bear. In these regions, you should go with a Guide or carry a rifle with you if you know how to use it for defense against a Polar bear
• If you are hiking alone anywhere in Greenland, you should carry a personal locator beacon in case of an accident or emergency
• You are allowed to wild camp anywhere in Greenland, except within the boundaries of the Ilulissat Icefjord.

Kayaking / Stand-up Paddleboarding

When : June – mid-Sept, though the start/end of the season will depend on the snow/ice conditions that year Where : South Greenland, West Greenland, East Greenland, Arctic Circle Region, Disko Bay area Tours : Kayaking and SUP tours in Greenland

Greenland’s stunning fjords offer similar opportunities for kayakers as its back country does for hikers. The waterline view of an iceberg is an experience of a lifetime, and the silence of gliding past 1000m walls of granite that fall directly into the ocean is the perfect escape. Stand-up Paddle boarding is also gaining popularity in Greenland with unique opportunities to do so amongst the icebergs or with whales.

A few important notes about kayaking in Greenland:

• If you are kayaking in East Greenland, Tasermiut Fjord or North Greenland, there is the real possibility of encountering a polar bear. In these regions, you should go with a Guide or carry a rifle with you if you know how to use it for defense against a Polar bear
• If you are kayaking alone anywhere in Greenland, you should carry a personal locator beacon in case of an accident or emergency
• You are allowed to wild camp anywhere in Greenland, except within the boundaries of the Ilulissat Icefjord
• There are also limited opportunities for Winter kayaking and Stand-up Paddle boarding in Greenland

When : June – mid-Sept, though the exact timing of the arrival and departure of whales depends on your location and their migration Where : everywhere in Greenland Tours : Whale watching tours in Greenland

During the Summer months, whales love to come and play in the Arctic. Humpbacks are particularly common, but it is also possible to spot Minke and Fin whales in some areas. These gentle giants love the icebergs and their blows can be heard far and wide in the still arctic air. While boats keep a respectful distance, you may be lucky and have one of the curious creatures approach quite close to you.

Midnight Sun

When : mid-May – mid-June Where : anywhere North of the Arctic Circle Tours : Midnight Sun tours in Greenland

The longest day of the year – the Summer Solstice – falls on June 21 in the Northern hemisphere. On this date, the sun never sets below the horizon for locations on the Arctic Circle.

For locations north of the polar circle, this phenomenon (known as the Midnight Sun) extends for several weeks and months on either side of this date. And although the Sun always dips below the horizon for locations south of the polar circle, it still doesn’t actually get dark but simply descends into a twilight that lasts until the Sun rises once more an hour or two later.

Winter Activities in Greenland

Winters in Greenland are stunningly beautiful. Pristine white snow covers everything while the multi-colored Northern Lights dance above. Although the weather is cold and the days short, with the correct clothing and a keen sense of adventure, there is nothing quite like experiencing the Arctic during Winter.

• Explore all of our Day Tours in Winter
• Find your Winter Vacation Package to Greenland
• Learn what you should pack for a Winter holiday in Greenland

Dog Sledding

When : Dec – Apr, though the start/end of the season will depend on the snow/ice conditions that year Where : East Greenland, and destinations on or above the Arctic Circle Tours : Dog sledding tours in Greenland

Greenland is unique amongst Arctic nations for maintaining its traditional dog sledding culture. Sled dogs are still used for transportation and to hunt, and other breeds of dogs are not allowed North of the Arctic Circle nor in East Greenland so that the purity of the Greenlandic Sled Dog is preserved.

More and more, the hunters are now supplementing their income by introducing visitors to this ancient form of travel. You should not feel strange about going on a dog sledding adventure while in Greenland. Rather, take the opportunity to experience this very natural way of traveling through the Arctic landscape.

• Read our 7 key facts about the Greenlandic Sled Dog

Snowmobiling

When : Dec – Apr, though the start/end of the season will depend on the snow/ice conditions that year Where : everywhere in Greenland Tours : Snowmobiling tours in Greenland

To undertake longer winter trips faster, or for a bit of an adrenaline rush, snowmobiles are very common throughout Greenland. There are opportunities to learn how to ride your own snowmobile in certain areas, and many of the multi-day dog sledding tours are now supported by snowmobiles.

This modern form of winter transportation is, unfortunately, slowly overtaking the culture of dog sledding in Greenland. So, if you have the chance, make sure you sign up for a dogsled tour as well as a snowmobile tour to help preserve this traditional heritage.

Snowshoeing

When : Dec – Apr, though the start/end of the season will depend on the snow/ice conditions that year Where : everywhere in Greenland Tours : Snowshoeing tours in Greenland

The Winter equivalent to hiking, snowshoeing is the perfect way to get out into the backcountry and explore the snowy landscape. In many ways, snowshoeing is easier than hiking as you simply walk across the deep snow that has covered rocks, lakes, gullies and other obstacles you would normally have had to hike around.

When : Dec – Apr (Mar – Apr for heli-skiing), though the start/end of the season will depend on the snow/ice conditions that year Where : everywhere in Greenland. East Greenland and the Maniitsoq area in West Greenland are the key locations for heliskiing and ski touring

Greenland is a paradise for cross-country skiers, ski tourers, and heli-skiers seeking unspoiled runs and deep powdery snow. There are also several small downhilling opportunities, with the largest center in Nuuk.

All municipalities groom a certain number of cross-country trails each Winter, most of which begin from close to the center of town. You will find everyone from kids to Olympic skiers traveling these snowy, well-maintained highways near the population centers. In addition, the toughest ski race in the World – the Arctic Circle Race – is held in Sisimiut each year with competitors from all over the world coming to compete in the 3-day test of strength, stamina and technique.

Further afield, there are plenty of longer routes for ski tourers – some of which require skiers to pull pulks. The most dramatic of these is the Greenland Crossing, where skiers travel from the East Coast of Greenland to the West Coast across the inland ice.

Heli-skiing and ski touring is extremely popular around Tasiilaq in East Greenland and Maniitsoq in West Greenland, with first runs of up to 2000m heading straight down to end at the fjord. This is the ultimate skiing experience for those who are physically fit and excellent off-piste skiers.

Ice Fishing

When : Dec – Apr, though the start/end of the season will depend on the snow/ice conditions that year Where : primarily East Greenland and North Greenland Tours : Ice fishing tours in Greenland

When the sea freezes over in East and North Greenland, it is still possible to go fishing. Ice fishing is another of the ancient traditions of the Inuit who also relied on fish to feed themselves and their dogs throughout the winter months. The type of fish and the length of the line you use will depend on exactly where you go fishing. But Halibut, Redfish, Wolffish, Cod and Arctic Char are all possibilities, and lines can be up to 500m long with multiple hooks!

When : Sept – Apr, though this is dependent on the level of Solar activity Where : everywhere in Greenland, but North Greenland can be more difficult Tours : Northern Lights tours in Greenland

The Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) are one of the jewels of the Arctic Winter. Although they can be seen from many countries, Greenland’s dark skies and small population centers mean you don’t have to go far from your accommodation for an incredible view. In fact, you can see them from the center of downtown Nuuk! 

That being said, the best experience is always in the darkest locations and tour operators offer snowshoeing, snowmobiling, car and boat tours that will take you as far from the town lights as possible.

• Read our guide on how to experience the Northern Lights in Greenland

Polar Darkness

When : mid-Nov – mid-Jan Where : anywhere North of the Arctic Circle

The shortest day of the year – the Winter Solstice – falls on December 21 in the Northern hemisphere. On this date, the sun never rises above the horizon for locations on the Arctic Circle.

For locations north of the polar circle, this phenomenon (known as the Polar Darkness) extends for several weeks and months on either side of this date. And although the Sun always rises above the horizon for locations south of the polar circle, the days do not last long before the Sun sets once more an hour or so later.

All year Activities in Greenland

When : All year, though winter sailing is not possible in North or East Greenland Where : everywhere in Greenland Tours : Boat tours in Greenland

Sailing is a way of life in Greenland. More people own boats than own cars and the waterways constitute Greenland’s highways. If you come to Greenland, you must take at least one boat trip into the fjords. There are a wide variety of tours to choose from, and you can even charter a boat and create your own adventure.

When : All year, though winter fishing in North and East Greenland is Ice Fishing Where : everywhere in Greenland Tours : Fishing tours in Greenland

Greenland offers a diverse range of fishing experiences. From catching halibut on a long line, to pulling in cod or redfish from a boat, to fly-fishing for Arctic Char in pristine rivers, you are almost guaranteed to catch your dinner and you certainly won’t go hungry. Greenlanders love to fish and many places offer several tours that cater for all interest and experience levels.

Note: if you plan to fish on your own, you need to purchase a Greenlandic fishing license at the local post office before heading out.

Scenic flights

When : All year, though winter flights are limited to certain areas Where : Nuuk, Ilulissat, Kangerlussuaq, South Greenland Tours : Scenic Flights in Greenland

The ultimate way to see Greenland. Although you will hopefully get some good views from the window seat of your international or domestic flight, the best way to see key features and visit unique and remote areas is with a dedicated scenic flight. You can land on a glacier, visit Viking Ruins and soak in a hot spring on scenic flights in South Greenland, land on top of an iconic mountain or go heli-fishing in Nuuk, search for musk-ox from the air near Kangerlussuaq, and actually see the glacier that feeds the Ilulissat Icefjord on some of the different excursions available.

City Tour / Settlement Visit

When : All year Where : everywhere in Greenland Tours : City Tours and Settlement Visits in Greenland

The best way to get your bearings and discover all the secrets of your destination is to sign up for a guided City Tour. This will give you an overview of the history and special features of Greenland in general and the area you are visiting (remember, ask lots of questions), and set you up to get the most out of your visit.

We also recommend spending some time in one of Greenland’s many small settlements for a fascinating look into an important and, until recently, very common way of living in Greenland. Day trips to nearby settlements are offered from most towns, with the journey typically made by boat, dog sled or snowmobile (depending on the season).

Visit the Inland Ice

When : All year Where : easiest access is from Kangerlussuaq Tours : Icecap and glacier tours in Greenland

Although the inland ice dominates Greenland and is always just “over the rise”, it is notoriously difficult to access.

The easiest place to stand upon the world’s second-largest ice sheet is at Point 660 near Kangerlussuaq. From Greenland’s main international airport, there are almost daily tours that allow you to walk up onto the ice and view its vast expanse from ground level. For those that have more time, you can take a hike of several hours, or even camp overnight on the Greenland Ice Sheet from here.

In other parts of Greenland, direct access to the inland ice is blocked by the glaciers that spill down from it. Of course, these frozen rivers of ice are incredible experiences in themselves – and watching a large chunk calve off the face of the glacier is an incredible thing to witness. There are only a handful of scenic flights that offer you the chance to stand on the ice sheet if you are not in Kangerlussuaq.

Greenland is a remote, wild, largely unexplored but accessible destination that offers every Arctic experience. Book your trip or individual excursions in advance with Guide to Greenland and come visit us soon!

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Opslået 24. marts, 2023.

Trainee til Greenland Travel

Vi søger en trainee – skal det være dig?

Vores trainee-uddannelse er den første af sin slags i Grønland. Det er vi faktisk rigtig stolte af.  Vi har allerede haft en trainee, som snart afslutter sit forløb her hos os, og det er gået over al forventning både for hende og for os! Derfor søger vi en ny trainee, som har lyst til at lære alt om livet i et rejsebureau med fokus på Grønland.

Vi er ikke i tvivl: Grønland er både verdens smukkeste og bedste destination. Vi arbejder derfor målrettet på at vise landet frem og skubbe til en bæredygtig turismeudvikling.

Hos os får du et alsidigt og bredt forløb, som fører til en uddannelse som rejserådgiver, både indenfor erhverv og leisure. Uddannelsen giver nemlig et fint og alsidigt overblik og erfaring netop indenfor rejsebranchen.

Vi tilbyder dig en trainee-uddannelse på to år, som bl.a. indeholder

• 8 måneders oplæring i vores erhvervsafdeling i Nuuk.
• 1 år i København, hvor du er trainee i vores leisure-, økonomi- og marketing-afdelinger.
• en sommer i Ilulissat sammen med vores søsterselskab World of Greenland.
• en spændende uddannelse med en masse rejseaktivitet.
• mulighed for hjemmearbejdsdage og fleksible arbejdssteder.
• et arbejdsmiljø, hvor tonen er uformel, og hvor vi altid hjælper hinanden.
• attraktive personalegoder og en god trainee-løn.
• et godt arbejdsklima med en masse dedikerede og entusiastiske kolleger.

Af dig ønsker vi,

• at du har en grundlæggende uddannelse, såsom GUX eller Handelsskole.
• at du også har gennemført en af følgende uddannelser: Arctic Tourist Guide, Adventure Guide eller at du har en serviceøkonomuddannelse.
• du skal kunne flytte rundt, da din trainee-uddannelse finder sted i Nuuk, København og Ilulissat.
• du skal selv kunne sørge for bolig undervejs, men vi hjælper dig naturligvis med dette, så meget det er muligt.
• vi drømmer om, at du sprogligt kan begå dig på grønlandsk, dansk og engelsk. Kan du flere sprog, vil det være dejligt.
• at du kan og vil tage ansvar og er målrettet.
• at du er rejselysten og rejseglad.
• at du vil kunne trives med en bred kundekontaktflade.
• at du ønsker at være med til at gøre Grønland til et bæredygtigt turistmål.

Vi behandler ansøgningerne løbende.

Har ovenstående din interesse så send din motiverede ansøgning til HR-chef Tina Mogensen – mail [email protected]

Greenland Travel leverer rejseløsninger til erhvervskunder i Grønland og Danmark, og i vores erhvervsafdeling lærer du at benytte de vigtigste systemer i et rejsebureau. Desuden leverer vi pakkerejser og individuelle rejser til turister, som ønsker at opleve Grønland. Begge forretningsområder er i vækst.

Greenland Travel er en del af Air Greenland-koncernen.

Vi servicerer hele Grønland, både offentlige og private virksomheder. Vi er en sund og samfundsorienteret virksomhed med fokus på gode langvarige relationer til kunder og samarbejdspartnere.

Vi har ca. 45 dedikerede og kompetente medarbejdere fordelt på vores kontorer i København, Nuuk, Sisimiut og Ilulissat.

What’s it really like to travel to Greenland?

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Are you looking to travel to Greenland? Do I ever have the post for you! I recently traveled to Greenland as a solo female traveler to find out what life is like in this cold and unforgiving corner of the Arctic.

Greenland is not a common travel destination. Most of the time when you tell people you’re going to Greenland, they respond with, “You can go there?” But travelers have long known that travel to Greenland is not only possible, but incredible.

I found Greenland to be a stunning and challenging destination, with spectacular natural wonders and a haunting history, all set in one of the most remote corners of the globe.

In this post, I’m collecting all of the vital information I learned from my time in Greenland — because I want you to know the truth about what to expect in Greenland.

Let’s take a look at Greenland!

This post was published in October 2023.

Table of Contents

Yes, you can travel to Greenland. Yes, people live there.

A lot of people have the belief that Greenland is nothing but a sheet of ice. While the Greenland Ice Sheet covers the vast majority of the country, Greenland is inhabited along its green coastline.

Greenland has a population of about 56,000, of whom roughly 89% are Greenlandic Inuit (including mixed race Inuit). That makes Greenland one of the most sparsely populated places in the world.

Yes, Greenlandic people are Inuit — same as the Indigenous people in Alaska and northern Canada. But they haven’t been here for thousands of years. The Inuit migrated from North America to Greenland in the 14th century.

Most of the population is concentrated on the southern and central west coast — the most populated city is the capital, Nuuk, with a population of about 19,000.

Yes, you can fly to Greenland. Air Greenland is a real airline flying from Copenhagen, Denmark. Icelandair flies to Greenland from Reykjavík, Iceland.

However, while there are roads within Greenlandic cities and towns, there are no roads connecting these towns. The only way to get from town to town is by plane or by boat. Air Greenland has small planes connecting these cities; the various boat lines are much smaller than you’d guess.

Why should people travel to Greenland?

What drew me to Greenland was the chance to visit a remote, beautiful, cold part of the world. I’m drawn to what I call “the edges of the world” — not just the polar regions, but far-north or far-south places with cold weather and quirky residents, like Newfoundland , Tierra del Fuego , Iceland , and Shetland .

Antarctica is still the most meaningful place I’ve visited , and it shattered my ego with its beauty and starkness. Since that trip, I’ve been longing to experience the Arctic as well.

The major difference is that unlike Antarctica, the Arctic is inhabited, and I’ve been curious about the Inuit people who have made their lives here for centuries. How do they live their lives, in face of harsh living conditions, colonialism, cruelty, and being on the front lines of climate change?

I didn’t get to experience Inuit culture firsthand as much as I had hoped, but I learned a lot secondhand — and the natural environment was intimidatingly beautiful. There’s something about being in isolated pockets of the world that strangely gives me comfort.

Overall, I’d say that this trip paid off very nicely — though not as astoundingly as Antarctica did.

Best Things to Do in Greenland

So many of my favorite activities in Greenland were hikes — especially the times I went solo hiking. I absolutely loved getting up at 5:00 AM to hike on Disko Island, seeing the waterfalls and black sand beaches lit up with the perfect early light.

Ilulissat Icefjord, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is probably the most famous destination in all of Greenland. I absolutely loved taking a sunset cruise among the icebergs, and admiring the glacier lagoon while hiking near Sermermiut on the mainland.

Visiting the Greenland Ice Cap was another big highlight. It’s something you’ve seen on maps since you were a kid — and here you are, actually walking on it!

One thing that really surprised me was how few opportunities there were to explore Indigenous culture in Greenland. That’s something I really wanted to explore. (Much more on that below.)

For me, my favorite “cultural” activity was visiting Greenlandic grocery stores, local discount shops, and the occasional restaurant that doubles as a casino. The kinds of places where locals actually spend their time.

Yes, you can travel to Greenland independently.

A lot of travelers assume they need to book a tour in order to visit Greenland. That’s not true — plenty of independent travelers can and do travel in Greenland independently.

You can book flights with Air Greenland. You can book hotels on Booking or Airbnb, or independently through their websites. You can book activities through tour providers.

However — booking a package in Greenland could save you a lot of money. I actually booked a package, which is very unusual for me.

When I plan a trip, I travel independently 99% of the time. Packages aren’t my thing; to me, much of the fun comes from doing the research and finding the perfect places for me!

However, I started researching Greenland travel seven months ahead and realized that this was pretty late for planning a Greenland trip, especially in summer. Travel infrastructure in Greenland is limited and places book up quickly. Not a lot of hotels were left.

I ended up booking the Dream Trip in Disko Bay package with Greenland-Travel.com (which I paid for myself — nothing on this trip was sponsored). This tour included flights from Copenhagen and all ground transport; all hotel stays; some meals; and you could add on a package to include tours and activities (which you should). Unlike a tour, this package did not include a tour guide and gave full free time outside the scheduled activities.

It turns out that Greenland-Travel is part of a company that includes Air Greenland, the World of Greenland tour company, and the Hotel Arctic in Ilulissat. Because it’s all one company, you’re able to book these tours for less.

World of Greenland, for example, is the only company offering an Oqaatsut kayaking day trip! It’s not like Iceland, for example, where you have several different companies offering similar tours. There’s no real competition in Greenland.

An additional benefit to booking a package is having someone else be in charge of logistics if anything goes wrong. Which brings me to my next point…

You should be prepared for delays and cancellations when traveling in Greenland.

Greenland has extremely limited travel infrastructure — and the natural environment here is challenging. I had read about lots of Greenland travelers having their trips interrupted with cancellations.

And unfortunately, it happened to me, too. Our boat to Qeqertarsuaq on Disko Island was cancelled due to weather. We had to spend an extra day in Aasiaat — and I had pretty much exhausted the things to do in Aasiaat after 24 hours there, which was not ideal.

Greenland-Travel took care of everything. They extended our stay at the hotel, got us food vouchers, arranged for us to take the next available boat, and even refunded us for the cost of one day of the trip as soon as we sent our bank details (another good reason to have a bank account with Wise , as I sent them the details of my EUR account and converted them to USD and transferred to my regular bank account). That was impressive!

Compare that to a fellow traveler I met who was traveling independently in Greenland. He was supposed to be on our same boat that got cancelled. And he ended up having to hang out nearby for nine hours, going back to the port every now and then and asking if there were any updates.

That alone made booking a package so worth it for me. I was very happy with Greenland-Travel and would recommend them.

You do not need to explore Greenland by cruise ship. In fact, you shouldn’t.

As someone who has worked in the travel industry for more than a decade, I’ve seen firsthand the damage that cruise ships inflict on local communities. But at first, I didn’t think it would be as bad in Greenland. Couldn’t they use the extra tourism?

Oh, was I ever wrong. Everyone I spoke to in Greenland who works in tourism HATES the cruises with a burning passion. Like everywhere else in the world, cruises dump enormous numbers of people into small spaces who crowd the streets, fill the sights to overflowing, spend little to no money, and leave.

In Ilulissat, locals told me that when cruise ships are in town, the wooden pathway to Sermermiut, a popular attraction, is so crowded that people walk on the ground, stomping on the delicate plants, despite being told repeatedly to stick to the path.

Originally I had been looking into Greenland cruises — probably with Quark Expeditions, as I had a great trip with them in Antarctica — but now that I know what I know, I would not recommend anyone do an expedition cruise to inhabited parts of Greenland.

Overall — please visit Greenland overland rather than taking a cruise. But if you are set on cruising, choose a small ship expedition that visits primarily uninhabited destinations.

Greenland is an Indigenous destination, but Indigenous people are rarely profiting from tourism here.

If there’s any one thing I want you to take away from this piece, it’s this. I was shocked at how few Indigenous people are profiting from tourism — or even WORKING in tourism in Greenland. All of the higher-level tourism jobs are taken by Danes.

I didn’t have a single Greenlandic tour guide — every guide was Danish. (Though two people I met had an Indigenous guide once.) I want to be clear that they were wonderful guides, enthusiastic and caring, many of them university students here for the summer, but I really wish I had been hearing from and interacting with Greenlandic guides.

Greenlandic people, by contrast, were often working in tourism as hotel maids, servers, cooks, occasionally hotel front desk workers or assistants to the boat captain. While one boat captain I had was Greenlandic, the rest of the boat captains were Danish.

In some ways, this is similar to any colonized region — the colonizers are privileged with more education and experience, as well as the money to make more money.

But what floored me is that there are almost no Indigenous travel experiences or activities in the parts of Greenland I visited, including Ilulissat, the most touristy place in the country.

I’ve taken part in so many Indigenous travel experiences around the world. Experiencing a Zapotec temezcal in Oaxaca ; Indigenous gallery-hopping in Alice Springs, Australia; learning about Mi’kmaq life in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia . In places like the Yucatán, Indigenous culture is so intertwined with life that locals pepper their Spanish with Mayan slang.

But there was very little of this in Greenland — a place where 9 out of 10 residents are Greenlandic Inuit.

On a Greenland travel booking website, I found two Indigenous activities in Ilulissat: a kaffemik , or a traditional local party with lots of food and cakes served, and a learn to speak Greenlandic crash course. Both cool things! I SO wanted to do the kaffemik, but alas — it was only offered one day per month, and nobody at any of the hotels knew of any other kaffemiks taking place.

You know what there COULD be in Greenland? Off the top of my head — a kayaking demonstration. Learn how to craft Greenlandic textiles or carve reindeer antlers. Have a traditional Greenlandic meal with a family. Go fishing (or ice fishing in the winter) using traditional methods. A Greenlandic music session. Go foraging for plants, Greenlandic style.

These activities would put money in Inuit pockets — and that’s the way it should be.

But until these activities exist, if you want to have a peek at Indigenous culture in Greenland, one of your best bets is to hang out outside the local church on Sunday. If there’s a christening taking place (and there often is), there will be locals in traditional Greenlandic clothing.

Other than that, I highly recommend visiting the Inuit Artist Workshop in Ilulissat, where you can chat with Greenlandic artists and buy their work.

And yet I learned so much about Greenlandic people.

Here are some things I learned:

In Aasiaat, my guide shared that Greenlandic women often have their first child at 18 or 19, they stay home with the baby a few years, and then go back to school for vocational training. Young men often work as fishermen.

The only university in Greenland is in capital city Nuuk, and there are only two fields of study: teaching and nursing. For everything else, you’ll need to study in Denmark or internationally.

There are only three police boats in all of Greenland. I saw one of them in Aasiaat. (Also, the police in that town sure do love driving the same streets over and over. Maybe they thought I looked like a criminal.)

You see purple wildflowers every now and then in Greenland, my kayaking guide in Oqaatsut told me. They’re called nivi, and Nivi is a popular name for Greenlandic women.

In the winter, some settlements (including as big as Ilulissat) can go for months without a grocery delivery due to the water freezing. When the grocery boat finally shows up, people go and line up, cheer the unloading of packages, and buy out everything in the store until the shelves are bare.

This was told to me with a smile, but it made my stomach clench. These people were starving. These people regularly starve during the winter.

Again, all of these guides were Danish, and I wish I had learned more directly from Greenlandic people.

I fell down a Wikipedia rabbit hole in Greenland and learned about the cruelties Danes inflicted on Greenlanders. Like the spiral case , where women and girls were sterilized without their knowledge or consent between 1966 and 1975. Guess when the investigation began? May 2023.

And then the “legally fatherless” case between 1914 and 1974, where the children of Greenlandic women and Danish men were legally made unable to inherit from their fathers.

And the Little Danes experiment in 1951, when 22 Greenlandic children were stolen from their families, sent to Danish families, and attempted to be reeducated as Danes. Half the children died in young adulthood. The Danish government didn’t apologize until 2020.

It’s infuriating how common these stories are around the world — how marginalized communities, from Black Americans to Indigenous Australians, are so often abused in similar ways.

Greenland Travel FAQ

Here are a few nitty-gritty things about travel to Greenland that you should know:

Is Greenland a country? Technically Greenland is part of Denmark, but it’s an autonomous territory, and many people consider it a country.

How do you get to Greenland? There are direct flights to Greenland from Copenhagen, Denmark, and Reykjavík, Iceland. Bigger airports are being built in Greenland so they can serve direct flights from North America soon. There are no public ferries to Greenland, but many cruises to Greenland depart from Iceland.

How long does it take to get to Greenland? The flight from Copenhagen to Kangerlussuaq takes 4.5 hours and you cross four time zones, so you arrive 30 minutes after you departed! The time zone is two hours later than the east coast of the United States.

Can you do a day trip to Greenland from Iceland? Technically, yes, but FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, DO NOT DO THAT.

What currency does Greenland use? Greenland uses the Danish kroner (DKK), and almost everywhere accepts credit cards. I only brought a small amount of DKK with me and used credit cards for everything else. ATMs can be scarce outside the major cities.

Is the water safe to drink in Greenland? Yes, you can drink the tap water in Greenland.

Are there special requirements to visit Greenland? Visiting Greenland is the same as visiting Denmark. You won’t need any additional documentation if you’re able to visit the Schengen Area without a visa.

“Greenland has lots of ice, and Iceland has lots of green?” Not exactly.

You may have heard this saying before, but as soon as you say you’ve been to Greenland, EVERYONE will parrot this back at you. (It’s almost as bad as everyone saying, “It’s good luck, you know!” on our rainy wedding day in Boston, thinking they were the only ones saying this, but EVERYONE WAS SAYING THIS.)

Greenland is home to the Greenland Ice Sheet, which covers 80% of Greenland’s surface. Considering that Greenland is the world’s largest island, that’s a LOT of ice.

But there’s the other 20% that is NOT covered with ice — which includes the inhabited parts of Greenland. It gets pretty green here, and there are lots of lovely wildflowers, too!

You may be traveling with lots of Danes.

Greenland might not be an obvious travel destination — but it is a major bucket list destination for many Danish people, similar to how Alaska is a major bucket list destination for many Americans.

It turned out that eight Danes had booked the same Disko Bay package as me. At 39, I was the youngest; most were 50+. While we weren’t glued to each other’s sides all day, we did go to all of our activities together, stay in the same accommodation, and share many meals together.

My fellow travelers were interesting people, who made me feel welcome. That said, there will always be a bit of awkwardness when it’s a big group dinner and you’re the only person who doesn’t speak everyone else’s language! They always switched to English when including me, which was lovely of them, but I didn’t want them to feel like they couldn’t speak Danish together.

It made me extra happy I had read The Year of Living Danishly by Helen Russell, a memoir about a British expat in Denmark trying to figure out what made Danish people tick. I put that knowledge to use and asked none of them what they did for a living!

One thing that surprised me was that the Danes, while well traveled, weren’t the extreme travelers I had expected. None of them had been to Iceland, for example.

But other nationalities traveling in Greenland were extreme travelers! The American and Swiss travelers I befriended in Greenland and I would have long, rapid-fire conversations veering from Indonesia to Uzbekistan, Guatemala to Moldova, and around and back again.

There are LOTS of cool places to visit in Greenland.

Here are some of the places I visited in Greenland:

Kangerlussuaq

Kangerlussuaq is the town where the jets from Copenhagen land. From here, smaller planes take off to other parts of Greenland. So chances are high that you will spend at least a day here.

You won’t find much traditional Greenlandic culture in Kangerlussuaq — it was originally a US military base, which the Americans sold back to Greenland for a dollar in 1992. It still has the feel of a military base today, and now has a population of about 500.

The major activity in Kangerlussuaq is visiting the Greenland Ice Sheet, which is about a two-hour drive from the town. Walking on that ice is pretty cool, and the surrounding scenery is a great introduction to the country.

If you have a chance, be sure to eat at Restaurant Roklubben on Lake Ferguson, 5 kilometers south of town. This is probably the best single restaurant that I ate at in Greenland, and everything was spectacular.

Aasiaat, Greenland’s fifth-largest city, is not an obvious tourism draw — but I appreciated visiting it because it’s a modern Inuit city. Aasiaat has a population of about 3,000.

Aasiaat has a small museum — unfortunately closed for both of the days I was there — and a beautiful church worth visiting. You can also take a boat tour to see icebergs, the whale graveyard, and the abandoned settlement of Manermiut.

Beyond that, I found Aasiaat to be a fantastic place to photograph. So many brightly colored cottages on jagged, rocky hills, long steel pipes connecting all of them.

I recommend staying at Hotel SØMA Aasiaat , which has simple but comfortable rooms and has a great little canteen popular with locals. The view from the front is lovely.

Qeqertarsuaq and Disko Island

Disko Island is Greenland’s one and only volcanic island. It’s located across Disko Bay with direct boat journeys from Ilulissat and Aasiaat, making it a fairly easy destination to add on if you’re flying into either of those cities.

Right away, the volcanic landscape makes it feel so different — it looks so much like Iceland! Because of the geothermal activity, there are hot springs everywhere, and that draws whales to the island’s shores.

There are two major hikes you can do from Qeqertarsuaq: the hike to the waterfall, and the hike to Kuannit. Unfortunately I had awful weather the first day, but I woke up at 5:00 AM to do the waterfall hike before our 8:30 AM departure!

Qeqertarsuaq is a small town (population: 800) with lots of colorful homes and a lovely black sand beach with views of icebergs. I really enjoyed staying at the Hotel Disko Island , which served a fantastic dinner of snow crab.

Disko Island was my favorite place in Greenland. I only wish I had time to do the full Kuannit hike!

Ilulissat is Greenland’s biggest tourism draw and has the best tourism infrastructure in the country — plenty of hotels, tours, and activities. Ilulissat is the third-largest city in Greenland (population: 4,600) and is home to the Ilulissat Icefjord, one of Greenland’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Here in Ilulissat, a glacier meets the sea, splintering off into thousands of icebergs. (Interestingly, some scientists believe the Titanic iceberg may have originated here.) You can see the icebergs up close, taking a sunset cruise through the glacier lagoon or kayaking close by. You can go fishing or whale watching here.

There is also nice hiking in Ilulissat. Sermermiut has a wooden pathway leading to views of the ice fjord (1.3 km or 0.8 miles), and from here you can split off and do the yellow hike back to town along the coastline (2.7 km or 1.7 miles) or the blue hike to the quarry (6.9 km or 4.3 miles). I did the yellow hike solo and loved it.

In general, I found it difficult to find quality souvenirs in Greenland — but Ilulissat is home to the Inuit Artist Workshop, where you can buy artwork directly from local artists. They’re open seven days a week and they take cash only.

I enjoyed getting to chat with an artist and take home an Inuit figure he carved from a reindeer bone. That’s where to spend your cash — into the pockets of locals.

In Ilulissat I stayed at the Hotel Arctic , an upscale hotel that is located a 20-minute walk from the main town but has a frequent shuttle. I loved my room, but they were a bit rough around the edges (like the restaurant would be half-empty but they couldn’t accommodate anyone for dinner — annoying for people who had just been offline for three days at Eqi Glacier and couldn’t call ahead!).

Oqaatsut is a small settlement an hour’s boat ride north of Ilulissat. I came here on a kayaking trip, and there is a lauded restaurant here called H8 Explorer.

The bay surrounding Oqaatsut is called Rodebay (red bay), which got its name from the blood of the whales that filled the bay. This was a popular spot for whale butchering in the past.

There’s not much to see in the town (population: 29!), but I did find it interesting to see a place like this and get some photos. I didn’t find the lunch from H8 Explorer to be that impressive (it was mostly cured lamb, whale steak, pickled halibut, and shrimp), but perhaps they’re a better option for dinner.

There’s also a hotel, Hotel Nordlys, if you’d like to stay overnight.

Eqi Glacier

Eqi Glacier is a massive, incredibly active glacier a few hours’ boat ride north of Ilulissat. The glacier is five kilometers wide (3.1 miles) and brilliant shades of white streaked with bright blues. The glacier groans and cracks continuously, and this is the most reliable places to see live calving in Greenland.

Climate change is constantly on your mind while in Greenland, and Eqi Glacier is where you see it visually, the rocky landscape streaked with where the glacier used to extend before it began receding in the 1910s.

Eqi Glacier can be visited as a day trip from Ilulissat — it’s about a three-hour boat journey each way — but for something REALLY special, stay for two nights at Glacier Lodge Eqi . This is the most unusual place I stayed in Greenland. There are tiny red huts perched on a rocky hillside overlooking the glacier.

You should know that there is zero phone signal or wifi here; the power may randomly go off; and the basic huts and glamping tents have shared bathrooms. I upgraded to a hut with an ensuite bathroom and was so glad I did.

The big daytime activity here is hiking. I joined a group for a hike to the moraine, overlooking the glacier, which took about five hours; you can also do a full-day hike to the ice cap and back (that was a hard no for me). And the food is really, really good for being in the middle of nowhere!

The one issue here was the mosquitos. At certain times of day, the mosquitos and flies were NONSTOP, making it essential to wear a net. But that was mainly when the sun was shining. When it was rainy or cloudy, there were very few bugs or no bugs at all!

Other Places

There are plenty of other places worth visiting in Greenland, especially South Greenland. Two other places worth visiting are the largest and second-largest cities in Greenland — Nuuk (population 19,000) and Sisimiut (population 5,500). Each city has its own distinct flavor, and Nuuk is as cosmopolitan as it gets in Greenland.

Another place worth visiting is Ilimanaq, a settlement south of Ilulissat. This is home to Ilimanaq Lodge , one of the luxury properties in Greenland — and the two-Michelin-star KOKS restaurant of the Faroe Islands has temporarily relocated there!

I ate at KOKS in Tórshavn back in 2012 and enjoyed every bite rapturously . I wish I had had time to visit Ilimanaq, but they were closed on my one free day in Ilulissat. I did meet a couple who went and loved the multi-course tasting menu, which included a reindeer blood petit-four. “Those are three words that NEVER go together!” I joked.

Suggested Greenland Itinerary for First-Timers

If you’re planning an independent trip to Greenland and don’t want to work with an agency, I recommend you keep it relatively simple. Don’t switch destinations every day; give yourself a few days in each place to account for delays or bad weather.

Option 1: Ilulissat. The easiest option would be to base in Ilulissat, which is Greenland’s main tourism hub and has lots of different activities and accommodation options. You can do this for just a few days, or perhaps even a week.

You can easily add on all-inclusive stays at Glacier Lodge Eqi or Ilimanaq Lodge , which include boat transportation from Ilulissat.

Option 2: Kangerlussuaq, Ilulissat, and Nuuk. These are the three main hubs in western Greenland, and three very different places. You’ll easily be able to fly between all of them without having to rely on boats.

Optional Add-On: Disko Island. Once again, Disko Island was my favorite place in Greenland. I would recommend adding on two or three nights here, ideally three, just to make sure you’ll have a day with good weather for hiking. Book your boat trip from Ilulissat way in advance with Disko Line and stay at Hotel Disko Island .

Best Time to Visit Greenland

When is the best time to visit Greenland? It depends on what you’re looking for. Like many Arctic destinations, Greenland travel is divided into summer travel or winter travel.

If you visit Greenland during the summer months — as I did — you can maximize your outdoor activities with hiking, kayaking, and exploring towns on foot. The closer you are to late June, the more midnight sun you’ll have. This is the busiest and most expensive time to visit Greenland.

If you visit Greenland during the winter months, you can enjoy winter activities like dog sledding, snowmobiling, or staying in an igloo — plus all the beauty of snow-covered villages. The days are VERY dark in winter, though. But if you’re looking to see the northern lights, your best luck will be during the winter months.

Late spring brings husky puppies and much larger, more intense ice formations. Fall brings a fresh dusting of snow without endless darkness. And the aurora borealis also tends to be active around the spring and fall equinoxes.

What are hotels like in Greenland?

While the tourism industry in Greenland is underdeveloped, there are plenty of comfortable places to stay. I stayed at a variety of Greenland hotels, and every hotel had clean and comfortable accommodation with a full restaurant on site.

In Kangerlussuaq most people stay at the Hotel Airport, a basic hotel inside the airport. I stayed there my first night and ate at the cafeteria downstairs.

In Aasiaat I stayed at Hotel SØMA Aasiaat , a welcoming mid-range guesthouse with a canteen on-site that was popular with locals.

Hotel Disko Island in Qeqertarsuaq was a simple place but felt almost luxurious with the attention to detail. The restaurant on site was excellent (and is pretty much the only place in town to eat at night). Get the snow crab!

Hotel Arctic in Ilulissat at one point called itself “the world’s northernmost four-star hotel,” but I see they’re not using that phrase anymore. I’m guessing somewhere in Svalbard has that title now.

Hotel Arctic was the most high-end place I stayed, with really nice rooms and luxurious-feeling beds. While there was a restaurant (and a bar with local craft beers!) on-site, often they would be empty yet not accepting dining reservations, telling us to buy a sandwich for the night instead. For that and other reasons, I think they were a bit rough around the edges for a nice hotel.

But the most special and unique place was Glacier Lodge Eqi , with its little red huts on a rocky hillside, overlooking a massive calving glacier in the distance. It’s very basic in some ways, but the food is great.

Here the most basic huts and glamping tents have shared bathrooms, and I upgraded to a comfort hut that had an ensuite bathroom. No way was I going outside to pee in the middle of the night.

And when have you had the opportunity to be so isolated with views of a roaring glacier from the comfort of your little red cabin?

My big piece of advice: Bring an eye mask . Don’t count on hotels in Greenland to have blackout curtains.

The internet isn’t great in Greenland.

There is internet in Greenland, but don’t expect it to be great. In most places, speeds are slow.

These days, I like to buy an eSIM online when I travel so I can download a phone plan without having to get a card at a shop. I ended up getting an eSIM from Nuuk Mobile via the Airalo app . I got 1 GB of data for $9 USD, and I topped up three more times over my 11-day trip.

Did it work? Probably about two thirds of the time. When it worked, it worked fine — but it would randomly not work at all, even in busy places like the middle of Ilulissat or Aasiaat.

The one place I visited that had no internet whatsoever was Eqi Glacier — there was neither phone signal nor internet. The lodge had a satellite phone for emergencies. I knew that going in, and it was a nice digital detox for a few days.

My big piece of advice: Act like you won’t have any internet at all. Let your loved ones and job know that you’ll be unreachable.

And download all the entertainment you need BEFORE your trip (ebooks, podcasts, TV episodes, etc.). You’ll have a much easier time downloading them at home.

Greenland is very expensive.

Greenland is one of the most expensive travel destinations I have ever visited — and easily the most expensive place I’ve paid to visit out of pocket. You should know that going in.

Greenland is up there with Switzerland and Norway, and is more expensive than comparable destinations like Iceland and Finland.

Here are some prices I paid in Greenland in August 2023:

Coffee and cheesecake in Ilulissat: 65 DKK ($9 USD)

Local craft beer in Ilulissat: 95 DKK ($13.50 USD)

Gin and Labrador tea cocktail in Ilulissat: 118 DKK ($17 USD)

Two-course meal with one glass of wine at Roklubben in Kangerlussuaq: 580 DKK ($82 USD)

Greenlandic buffet at the Hotel Arctic in Ilulissat, food only: 435 DKK ($62 USD)

Kayaking excursion in Oqaatsut with transportation and lunch: 270 EUR ($286 USD)

Upgrade to a hut with a private bathroom at Glacier Lodge Eqi: 445 EUR ($471 USD) (yes, this is the cost of the upgrade alone)

The food in Greenland is not great.

I’ll be honest — I did have some wonderful meals in Greenland, but the overall quality of food in Greenland was lackluster at best. You can count on eating a good amount of seafood (particularly cod, shrimp, halibut, and the occasional snow crab or whale), with occasional lamb, reindeer, or musk ox (the beef of Greenland).

Fruits and vegetables are very limited here. I visited several grocery stores in Greenland (one of my favorite things to do in a new country!) and I was shocked at the terrible state of produce. So much produce was banged up, dried out, or moldy. Some grocery stores sold strawberries covered with thick layers of mold.

You’ll find a lot of Danish specialties, like smørrebrød (various open-faced sandwiches), and in the Danish tradition, the bread and butter is top-notch. Greenlanders also enjoy having coffee and cakes in the afternoon, which is fun!

There are a few Thai restaurants in Greenland, which might shock you if you haven’t come across lots of Thai restaurants in far northern Finland and the Faroe Islands like I have. There are a surprising number of Thai people in the Nordics.

Unfortunately, the Thai food had zero spice whatsoever. I asked the Thai servers to make it Thai spicy, the kind of spicy Thai people like. Say that in Thailand and they will happily murder you with chiles; in Greenland, it was about as spicy as mayonnaise.

But the best meals? Ooh, let me tell you about those.

In Kangerlussuaq, Restaurant Roklubben is superb. I had a fabulous potato soup and a roasted reindeer steak, which was perhaps the best meal of the trip. You’ll need to book the shuttle to the restaurant as it’s five kilometers out of town.

In Qeqertarsuaq on Disko Island, Hotel Disko Island has an excellent restaurant. If snow crab is on the menu, you need to get it. What a delicious feast that was — we ate it like barbarians.

The restaurant at Glacier Lodge Eqi made some truly delicious dishes, including a tomato-based chowder with shrimp and halibut that I’m still thinking about.

In Illulissat, Restaurant Ulo at the Hotel Arctic puts on a Greenlandic buffet on Monday nights from June through August. I didn’t find the food particularly delicious, but this is your chance to try seal soup, whale, shrimp with lots of roe and all kinds of local seafood.

And if you’re craving something NOT Greenlandic, the burger at the Hotel Arctic is pretty decent.

What’s it like to travel to Greenland with dietary restrictions? I imagine it’s a challenge, but one that is mitigated by communicating with restaurants ahead of time. If you book through a company like Greenland-Travel, they’ll probably help you with that.

But just from what I observed, you can probably get by in the larger towns with simple restrictions (vegetarian, vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free, etc.), but I wouldn’t want to travel to Greenland with a long list of food allergies.

Get ready for Greenland wildlife — just not polar bears.

A lot of travelers expect to see polar bears in Greenland. While polar bears are one of the symbols of the country, it’s very rare to see them near inhabited areas. Your best chance may be seeing them by cruise ship in uninhabited parts of East Greenland.

But you know what you WILL see, if you’re lucky? Further inland, including around Kangerlussuaq, you might see reindeer and musk ox.

In the water, you might see whales upon whales upon whales — mostly humpback whales, minke whales, the occasional fin whale. (While I went on a whale-less whale watch in Aasiaat, I saw plenty of whales north of Ilulissat, near Oqaatsut.) And there are tons of cool birds in the skies.

And my absolute favorite — the arctic fox! Probably the cutest animal I’ve ever spotted on my travels!

But don’t approach the huskies in Greenland.

You’ll see plenty of husky dogs throughout Greenland — but you should never approach or touch them. Here in Greenland, huskies are workers, not pets.

Greenlandic huskies are the only dogs you’ll find in Greenland (with one prominent exception — the drug-sniffing dog at Kangerlussuaq Airport).

If you’d like to get some time with huskies, there are a few husky experiences you can do in Ilulissat. If you visit in the winter — or, more likely, fall through spring — you can go dog sledding in Greenland! An amazing Inuit tradition.

If you visit in the spring months, there will be puppies — and puppies are the only dogs that visitors can handle. Some let you cuddle the babies! (If I had been here in the spring, I would have been ALL OVER THAT.)

Visiting at another time of year? There is a group in Ilulissat that does a “feed the husky dogs” experience. Essentially throwing meat to the dogs and having them bark ferociously. That’s not really my thing, but it might be yours.

But other than those organized experiences, you should keep your distance from huskies in Greenland. The adults will be leashed, but be careful if you’re wandering into different areas to take photos. If you try to pet one and it attacks you, the whole pack will be put down.

Is Greenland safe for solo female travelers?

I knew from the beginning that I would be traveling solo in Greenland. Not only was this one of my long-held solo travel dreams, but my husband Charlie has zero interest in visiting the Arctic.

Greenland in general is a very safe destination for travelers. Violence against travelers is rare; the risk for natural disasters or political upheaval is low.

In fact, you might have an easier time being solo. When there are only 12 seats on the Disko Line ferries, you’ll have more luck getting a single seat than two people getting two seats. Additionally, don’t be surprised if you get a room with a single bed, which I did twice.

I didn’t receive any street harassment in Greenland, and none of the men made me feel uncomfortable — locals or visitors.

I hiked alone twice in Greenland — from Qeqertarsuaq to the waterfall on Disko Island, and along the Sermermiut yellow trail in Ilulissat — and felt extremely safe both times. Those were both short and easy (under two hours round-trip). I would not have attempted an ambitious hike solo, though, in Greenland or anywhere else.

In Greenland you may want to keep extra cash hidden on you somewhere, as you might get stuck somewhere for a few days in a place without ATMs.

The only times I felt nervous or borderline scared in Greenland was when there were huskies around. I had heard Greenlandic huskies were vicious and I didn’t want to get close to them. I do not like when street dogs show aggression and have bad memories of the dogs of Bali not letting me down the street.

A few times in Greenland I accidentally walked into a husky’s territory — like when taking photos in what looked like a junkyard in Aasiaat. I backed off with my eyes down every time I came across an adult husky. But you know what? None of them showed any aggressive behavior toward me, ever. Not so much as a low growl. Perhaps that was because I kept things low-key.

But overall I found Greenland to be a very safe place to travel solo, especially with the extra security of booking a package tour, as I did with Greenland-Travel.

Read More: Top 10 Travel Safety Tips for Women

You’ll inevitably compare Greenland to Iceland.

If you’ve been to Iceland — as most Greenland visitors have, Danes excluded — Iceland will be on your mind for much of your Greenland trip. It certainly was on mine. I’ve been to Iceland four times, most recently on a two-week road trip the year before my Greenland trip.

I love Iceland and think it’s a fantastic destination for first-time solo female travelers , first-time international travelers, or anyone who wants an easy international destination.

I hate to say it, but Iceland provides much better value for money for tourists. While Greenland is beautiful, the scenery in Iceland is much better (is it any coincidence my favorite place in Greenland was Disko Island, the one volcanic island, which looked just like Iceland?). And Iceland is concentrated, with stunning natural sights around every corner.

Additionally, Iceland is much easier to get to, very easy to get around by driving, and has TONS of travel infrastructure. There are hotels at various price levels and all kinds of tours. All that…and while an expensive destination, Iceland is actually cheaper than Greenland.

Greenland is where you go for the isolation — to be removed from the world. That is much harder to find in Iceland, especially if you’re sticking to the much-traversed southwest corner of the country. You’re above the Arctic Circle in most of these places in Greenland. And Greenland gives you undeniable travel clout.

But yes. Being in Greenland reminded me just how good Iceland is as a destination. I’d love to get back to Iceland for some hiking in Thórsmörk next.

Add time in Copenhagen before and after your Greenland trip.

If you’re flying to Greenland from Copenhagen, I highly recommend giving yourself a two-day buffer on either side of the trip. Why? It gives you insulation from flight cancellations.

It’s not uncommon for flights to be cancelled to and from Greenland due to weather; since COVID, flying has been a bit of a mess with more cancellations than usual.

Luckily, Copenhagen is a delightful place to spend a few days. Some of my favorite things to do in Copenhagen include visiting Tivoli, the amusement park that inspired Walt Disney; enjoying the outdoor international food market at Reffen; admiring the Impressionist sculptures at Glyptotek; restaurant-hopping in hip Nørrebro, and taking lots of photos of Nyhavn, the colorful harbor.

And if you’ve never ridden a bicycle in a city before, Copenhagen is one of the best places to start. The infrastructure for cyclists here is second to none.

Greenland Packing List

Packing for Greenland is extra important because in most places you won’t be able to buy gear. Like most places, layers are the name of the game. You can take a look at my Iceland Packing List , which is nearly identical to what you need for Greenland.

If you visit in the summer, you can expect temperatures approximately from 35 F to 55 F (2-13 C). Temperatures will vary wildly depending on the time of day, whether there’s sun or wind, and how close to ice you are (BOY did it get cold on the ice sheet!), and how active you are makes a difference in how you feel.

In one day in Ilulissat I went from t-shirt weather while hiking to freezing and wearing everything I owned while sailing the icebergs after sunset.

I ended up having my laundry washed through my trip at the Hotel Arctic in Ilulissat, which had a surprisingly reasonable rate.

Here are some items that I found essential for a summer trip to Greenland:

Waterproof hiking boots — Yes, waterproof is a must, as you may be hiking through puddles. I brought my trail runners as alternative shoes for non-hiking days. And bring good hiking socks . I love my merino wool socks.

Base layers — Essential year-round. I love Uniqlo’s Heattech base layers (they’re super-affordable, too!) and every day I wore a Uniqlo Heattech long-sleeved top and Uniqlo Heattech leggings underneath everything. I would add a thick sweater if it was cold.

Puffer jacket and waterproof shell — Some travelers prefer to have a single jacket that does both, but I preferred the flexibility of wearing one jacket or both, especially when I got hot while hiking. I got both from the Patagonia outlet in Prague.

Hiking pants — I rotated two pairs throughout my trip (I was glad to have two, as one got very muddy!).

Eye mask — You’ll need these because it’s not easy to sleep through the midnight sun! And not all hotels have blackout curtains! I visited in August, when things weren’t so bad, but we still had the sun quite early and late.

Hat , gloves , and scarf . You’ll be glad you have them. I’m a big fan of Speakeasy Travel Supply scarves , and they would work very well in Greenland!

Mosquito net — I bought mine at Glacier Camp Eqi, which was the one place that had bad mosquitos during my trip, but I recommend bringing your own. Don’t forget the mosquito repellent , too.

Day pack for hiking — I’ve been using my Pacsafe Venturesafe as my carry-on work/hiking backpack for years, and it worked great in Greenland.

Reusable water bottle — Yes, the tap water is safe to drink in Greenland. Fill up whenever you can; it gets dry in the Arctic!

Sun protection — I got unexpectedly sunburned on my first day — because the Greenland Ice Sheet was reflecting the sun into my face! All that ice does double duty here! Don’t skimp on sunscreen or sunglasses , and consider a hat with a brim .

Strong portable charger — I was able to charge devices sufficiently in my room, but I always bring a portable charger on my travels. This is especially important if you get power outages like I did at Glacier Lodge Eqi.

All the drugstore meds you may need — Again, you probably won’t be able to buy what you need in remote areas. I was glad to have ibuprofen and motion sickness medicine .

Pre-downloaded entertainment — The internet is bad in Greenland, so I recommend coming with already downloaded ebooks for your Kindle , TV episodes, and podcasts for your downtime and travel days.

What I didn’t need — There’s no need for an umbrella when you have a hooded raincoat; I brought rain pants but didn’t need to use them; and I didn’t rent a telephoto lens this time, as this wasn’t a wildlife-focused trip.

Is Greenland Worth It?

I am SO happy that I chose to travel to Greenland. I feel enormously privileged to have visited this harsh and often unforgiving destination, to have hiked in its nature, and to be closer to understanding a bit of Greenlandic life.

However, I don’t think that Greenland travel is for everyone. I don’t think it’s one of the better choices for less experienced travelers, nor someone who wants lots of diverse activities and experiences. And as I said before, I think Iceland provides a lot more value (and wow factor) for slightly lower prices.

I do think that Greenland is an excellent destination for experienced travelers who are independently minded, enjoy getting off the beaten path, love nature, and are able to roll with the punches when things don’t go as planned.

If this post is resonating with you, I highly encourage you to look into traveling to Greenland. This is a truly special place in the world.

More on Iceland:

• What NOT to Do in Iceland
• The Ultimate Iceland Packing List
• What My Iceland Trip Cost: Detailed Budget Breakdown
• Blue Lagoon: Does it live up to the hype?
• 35 Awesome Things to do in Reykjavík, Iceland
• Why Iceland is Great for First-Time Solo Female Travelers

More on Antarctica:

• A Typical Day on an Antarctica Expedition Cruise
• The Ultimate Antarctica Packing List
• Kayaking in Antarctica: What You Need to Know
• Antarctica and the Traveler’s Ego
• My Favorite Moments in Antarctica
• Solo Female Travel in Antarctica: What’s it Like?

Have you been to Greenland? What tips would you share?