Ok, ok, ok. I know it’s a bit of a stretch to call Ilulissat a city, but since Greenland’s population caps at 56,000 people, it counts. Greenland’s third biggest city/town/community is home to just as many sled dogs as humans.
Let me say that Ilulissat has definitely earned its reputation as the most visited place in Greenland. Before calling in with Adventure Canada on their High Arctic Explorer trip last summer, Ilulissat vaguely sat in my periphery as a place I’d hope to visit one day. I’ve written before about how I like to be surprised when visiting places. Ilulissat blew my expectations out of the water.
While I knew a lot about Ilulissat’s glaciology and its impact on climate change, I was unprepared for how perfect a place it was. From the most incredible views to a charming downtown with lots of cute shops and eateries, Ilulissat is punching above its weight regarding tourism. Do not miss calling in here on a trip to Greenland. Don’t miss out on a muskox burger.
So, what’s the hype with Ilulissat?
A cool few hundred kilometers north of the Arctic Circle, Ilulissat is home to the super famous UNESCO World Heritage Site: the Ilulissat Icefjord. Forty kilometers long, it runs from the Greenland ice sheet down to Disko Bay, next to the town. The Jakobshavn Glacier/Sermeq Kujalleq is one the fastest and most active glaciers in the world, spilling big-ass icebergs into the Ilulissat Icefjord.
And I mean big. Like the size of a city-block-full-of-skyscrapers big.
Ten percent of Greenland’s icebergs come from the Sermeq Kujalleq (glacier) here. In fact, 35 billion tons of ice calve here annually. The only other comparison is Antarctica. It’s even thought that the iceberg that sunk the Titanic originated here.
The Ilulissat Icefjord is also one of the most studied glacial areas in the world. We have over 250 years of data collected about it. The Jakobshavn Glacier/Sermeq Kujalleq is a huge resource for us when it comes to understanding climate change regarding glaciology.
So, in addition to being incredibly important when it comes to science, it’s also insanely beautiful to see the dramatic glacier in action. I’ve never seen anything quite like it. Roaring, grumbling, and cracking nonstop, it couldn’t be more dynamic and riveting.
The fiord is usually chocka full of gigantic icebergs up to a kilometer in height. In fact, the icebergs can be so large that they get stuck on the bottom of the fiord for years before breaking up and eventually drifting down to the North Atlantic. You can see this all in action from a spectacular boardwalk hike that takes you to a viewpoint over the fiord.
It was one of those perfectly calm, still, foggy mornings when we rocked up to Ilulissat. With Adventure Canada, we leave the ship by zodiac to cruise into the harbor to land. The water was like glass, reflecting the stunning icebergs and colorful buildings. When you see popular photos of colorful towns with big icebergs in front of them, Ilulissat is one of those places.
I spent most of the day up at the incredible, new-ish Ilulissat Icefjord Centre. It sits at the entrance to the walk out to the viewpoint over the ice fiord. In fact, the roof forms the beginning of the boardwalk. Designed to unite climate scientists worldwide, it’s a beautiful building that tells the story of the Ilulissat Icefjord in an interactive and fun way. It ain’t boring.
Plus, I fell in love with it for two other reasons: firstly, it has the best coffee in Greenland (no arguing), and secondly, they have wooly Glerups slippers for visitors to put on as you walk in so you don’t track mud and dirt around (made from kiwi wool).
There are also tons of sled dogs and puppies on the walk up from town. Though you’re not meant to pet them, working dogs and all that, wink wink.
The walk out to the viewpoint overlooking the ice fiord is spectacular. And spectacularly easy. A nice boardwalk prevents us from trampling the delicate environment and historical sites that cover the area. Once you arrive at the end of the walk, an extensive stone cliff overlooks the fiord. You can really spread out to take it all in.
One of the things I love about Adventure Canada is that they invest in indigenous and specialist guides on all their trips, so we always have an archaeologist on board. On this trip, her specialty was the pre-European history of Greenland. Surprisingly, so much of what we learn about Greenland dates from the Vikings when, in fact, humans have inhabited these lands for thousands of years. Ah, the good old whitewashing of history. It’s been a minute.
The Thule and Inuit history of Disko Bay is rich and diverse. The museum offers some insight into this, which our archaeologist had worked on. Pretty cool.
Lucky me, I visited Ilulissat a few times last summer with Adventure Canada. We also visit on their iconic Northwest Passage voyages.
One of the coolest things about Ilulissat is just how dynamic it is. It’s always changing. On my first visit, it was foggy in the morning, and the ice fiord had plenty of gaps of open water with huge icebergs. But on my last visit in September, we had blue skies, and the ice fiord was solid ice—it looked completely different as Greenland shifted into autumn.
One of my favorite memories from my whole season in the Arctic was here. After spending a few hours in the sunshine, all of a sudden, a dark Arctic fox darted out onto the ice right below us. I got so excited that I just yelled “fox fox fox look look look,” and didn’t get a photo. Gotta love that childlike enthusiasm.
But seriously, how cool is seeing an Arctic fox on glacial ice? Especially since it hadn’t grown out its white coat yet.
Traveling Greenland by expedition ship meant that we got to pack a lot in that would normally take a lot of time. After spending time in town, we took turns taking passengers out on a zodiac cruise around the gigantic icebergs. Safely, of course. You do not want to be next to one when it crumbles or flips!
This is the best way to get those iconic shots of icebergs in front of the colorful town. Being on the water gives a whole new perspective of the magnificence of Ilulissat and Disko Bay.
Not only are there a lot of icebergs, but it’s also great for wildlife spotting. There are often many whales in the area thanks to the rich feeding grounds near the ice fiord. The usual culprits are humpbacks, minkes, and gigantic fin whales.
Many thanks to Adventure Canada for hosting me in Greenland – like always, I’m keeping it real – all opinions are my own, like you could expect less from me!
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