Fun things to do in Greenland

My main piece of advice is very simple. Pay attention to your personal screen or to the general one which shows you the aeroplane position. When you is going to be about to fly over Greenland, prepare your camera!

Mi principal consejo es muy simple. Presta atenci?n a tu pantalla personal o a la general en la que se muestra la posici?n del avi?n. Cuando estes a punto de sobrevolar Groenlandia, ?prepara tu c?mara!

1 more image

I was surprised of how clearly it was possible to see the fiords, the watercourses, the mountains and the ice. I did this transatlantic trip four times and I could see it just one time, when it was July.

Me sorprendió lo claramente que pude ver los fiordos, los cursos de agua, las montañas y el hielo. Hice cuatro veces este trayecto transatlántico y sólo puede ver todo esto una vez, cuando era julio.

Near the old Inuit settlement of Sermermiut at Ilulissat there is a gorge cutting in from the Icefjord named Kellingekløften (in the Danish). In the rough translation it means the old ladies' canyon. During bad times when survival of the Sermermiut settlement was paramount and old people would be a burden, it is said that old people committed suicide by jumping the 30-something meters into the ice water at Kellingekløften.
Easy access, but slippery and a bit nasty with the histroy, the drop into the churning Icefjord and all, so beware not to copy the activity of old times...

NE Greenland is the largest national park in the world. And probably the least accessible one...
To get to the coastal zone north of Scoresbysound you need to fly (charter) from Angmassalik to Ittoqqortoormiit or to airstrips even further north. Charters may be available from Reykajvik also.
The air connection to Reykjavik is via Nerlerit Inaat (Constable Pynt) once weekly, and a transfer to town by helicopter (15 minutes). There is a tourist office in Ittoqqortoormiit, and tourism is an organised economic activity in the Scoresbysound fjord complex. But north of here... all travel will have to be self-supported expedition style only, and with special permits from Greenland/Danish authorities. Apart from some Danish military patrolling (the famous Sirrus Patrol) and scientific expeditions, there are kayak and climbing trips here. One Norwegian company may undertake such expedition arrangements and organizing for groups (Hvitserk).
There are some huts and shelters used by the Sirius Patrol and old trappers' huts, but absolutely no permanent habitation Inuit or Danish, north of Ittoqqortoormiit. Next one, some months' skiing away around the coast will be at Etah northwest of Qaanaq.

You can access the world largest fjord system of Scoresbysound and maybe also of Franz Josephs fjord on NE Greenland from Ittoqqortoormiit (Scoresbysound). Locals in Ittoqqortoormiit will organise boat trips - day trips to multi-day expeditions - into the fjords, and take you fishing and on hunting trips. Organised through the tourist office.
Access to Ittoqqortoormiit is best by sheduled flights from Iceland/Reykjavik once weekly to Nerlerit Inaat and a 15-minute helicopter transit to Ittoqqortoormiit. Also links to Angmassalik.

Nunataks are mountain tops that stick out of the ice like islands. Some of them can be really high and dramatic. The ice action has frequently carved the sides so there are sharp edges and sometimes nunataks come in pyramid shape. Plant communities and lichens can survive such environments for millennia and may harbour vegetation survivors from before the ice ages. Very special places to visit if you have the chance, either on the inland ice cap or on lesser glacer plateaus like on Disko Island.

You see two dinstinct kinds of icebergs - smooth ones and jagged ones.

The smooth ones have recently flipped over - they are smooth because the water they were submerged in made them so. The jagged ones have become so because of rain and because of chunks falling off due to melting.

The area around Kulusuk is stunning from the air. All you see is blue water, grey mountains, and snow and ice, for miles. This contrasts sharply with the west coast, which is very green in the summer.

Kayaking tours are popular here.