Summer excursions Ilulissat
Kayak Experience
The inuit have been taversing the waters of Greenland by kayak for thousands of years, and now we can offer you to come along. Glide soundlessly on the water with the massive icebergs sorrounding you. The midnight sun illuminates the icebergs, creating a spectacle of colors. In cloudy conditions the iceberg's beautiful blue color comes to the fore. With some luck, the quiet will be broken, either by whales blowing air out after the dive, or by the crashing sound of calving icebergs. The icefjord doesn't get any better than seen from a kayak.
We only use professional instructors, who make sure that everyone feels safe during the whole trip. All participants are equiped with a drysuite and a woolen inner suit, and the instructor will give a safety introduction before the tour begins. We also have a safety boat on all tours, discreetly following the group. For that reason, anyone can join the tour, even if you have never been in a kayak before.
Please note
Height requirement: 150 cm
We can unfortunately not accept participants who have serious back or shoulder pains.
Please bring a hat for the sun, sun glasses, sunscreen lotion and drinking water.
1,5 hour on the water is guaranteed
All tours take place using doubles, which are very stable in the water. Please be advised that it is not possible to request a single kayak. When having an uneven group, one single kayak is used.
3 hours
Jun – Aug
2 persons
Iceberg Sightseeing
When visiting Ilulissat you should not miss out on a boat tour among the famous icebergs.
During one year, more than 48 km3 of ice flows into the fiord. The result is gigantic icebergs, which can be more than 100 meters on each side and with a height on more than 100 meters above the water surface. These giants strand at the end of the fiord, giving us the opportunity to sail among them.
The icebergs are beautiful in every kind of weather. In sunny weather they glitter in shiny white, the blue shades are best seen when it is cloudy and the midnight sun casts a unique, warm glow on the icebergs.
The icebergs are Ilulissat’s icon and sailing among them is an absolute must-do when visiting Ilulissat. An incredible nature experience.
Please note
Remember warm clothes. It is cold out in the Icefiord both summer and winter.
Coffee and tea will be served onboard.
2-3 hours incl. transfer
All year
6 participants
Daytour to Eqi Glacier
* Supports smaller, local tour operator
Only few places in Greenland are as beautiful as the Eqi Glacier, which ends in the fiord 80 kilometres north of Ilulissat. By boat it is possible to get very close to the glacier and hopefully experience pieces of ice breaking off. The sounds are enormous and breathtaking.
On the way we pass tiny settlements, steep fields, beautiful waterfalls and icebergs in incredible shapes and colors. And that is before two glaciers and the enormous Icesheet is in sight. If we are lucky we might even spot seals and whales on the way.
We enjoy a lunch in front of the glacier for around 2 hours before heading back to Ilulissat.
Please note
The boat tour is 2 hours each way.
We always have a lunch stop in front of the glacier front.
We use small, fast boats for this tour.
3,5 hours
Jun – Sep
4 participants
Local Fishing
* Supports smaller, local tour operator
There are few experiences with as much local touch as a fishing tour when you visit Ilulissat.
Fishing is the main occupation in this town, where mainly the delicate halibut is caught. But the area holds much more than halibut. Beneath the surface of the sea is a veritable treasure of edible fish and other seafood - and we're on the hunt for all of it.
We use different fishing methods – including longline with manual reel, traditional jig and net. It will vary from day to day, what we may catch and with which method.
Your guide and captain is Jørgen Kristensen. A local man who loves explaining about the area and the Greenlandic way of life. In addition to being a skilled fisherman, he is also one of the country's absolute best dogsled mushers.
We are proud of our corporation with Jørgen, and you can look forward to meeting him and hearing his life stories.
3,5 hours
Jun – Sep
4 participants
Ilulissat City Walk
You might think: “but we can walk around the city on our own." Yes, you can. But on this guided tour, we go deeper than just a walk, our Guided City Walk is a perfect shortcut to good knowledge and funny stories about Ilulissat and Greenland in general.
The guide will tell you about the history of the city, about Greenlandic culture, and modern life 300 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle. We stop several places along the way, among others by the fishermen at the harbor, the hunters at "brættet" and we pass the famous polar explorer Knud Rasmussen's birthplace and the old wooden church Zionchurch.
Please note
Remember clothing according to the season.
2 hours
All year
4 participants
Walk to Sermermiut Settlement
Beautiful icebergs set the scene for the old settlement Sermermiut, located one and a half kilometers south of Ilulissat. For 4000 years, different Inuit cultures lived in this settlement and today you can still see remains that indicate their presence.
the guide tell stories about Inuit people’s life and traditions before the Europeans came to Greenland. See turf hut ruins and touch the permafrost with your own hands.
The area is so outstanding that UNESCO named it World Heritage in 2004 and it is estimated that up to 30,000 guests visit Sermermiut every year. For this reason there is a wooden walkway to protect the area against wear. Therefore anyone can go on this trip.
A tour to Sermermiut is an absolute must-do when visiting Ilulissat. We promise – you have never seen anything like this before.
Please note
Remember clothing according to the weather.
We serve coffee and tea on the tour.
2 hours
All year
4 participants
Helicopter - Kangia Classic
This tour is the only opportunity to get right into the heart of the UNESCO area. No boat or hiker can get here on the outer edge of the mountain in front of the giant glacier.
With a production of 43 million tonnes of ice and a speed of 50 meters a day, Kangia Sermeq is the most productive glacier - not only in Greenland, but in the entire northern hemisphere. The glacier is seven kilometers wide and over one kilometer thick. It is an amazing sight to see these endless masses of ice and enormous forces of nature.
The helicopter takes off from Ilulissat Airport, and flies as low as the safety and protection regulations allow, over mountains, lakes, rivers and Kangia Icefjord. We land on the mountain at the edge of the ice sheet - in the middle of the protected UNESCO area.
Here we have approx. half an hour to enjoy a glass of champagne and the view. And if you are quick you might be able to reach the Inland Ice itself. On the way back we fly over the glacier front and follow the 70 km out through the Isfjord. Shortly before the town, the largest icebergs strand on the underwater moraine edge, forming a beautiful finale on this trip.
No boat or hiker can get here on the outer edge of the mountain in front of the giant glacier. Flying a helicopter is an experience in itself, and combined with the scenery in these surroundings, the trip is an absolute classic.
Please note
We always fly with the helicopter AirGreenland makes available. In summer, this is preferably Airbus H155 with room for 10 passengers.
1.5 hours
All year
7 participants
Whale Safari
* Supports smaller, local tour operator
It surprises most people how great an experience it is getting close to such large animals like whales.
In the summer it is usually the humpback whale, minke whale and the fin whale we see. The humpback whale is despite its up to 18 meters and 30 tons the acrobat among the great whales. It can throw itself out of the water and turn the tail and flippers. It is easily recognized on the humped fin and white back on the tail when it dives. Around the Disko Bay there are good opportunities to watch humpback whale in its hunt for fish, squid and krill.
The whales are swimming in the Disko Bay during the summer, sometimes close to the Ilulissat, sometimes in the Icefjord, Ilimanaq or up north at Arveprinsens Ejland. We are in radio contact with Ilulissat’s fishermen and tourist operators, so we can almost always find the whales. The humpback whale with its distinctive tail is the one we most frequently encounter.
Please note
Remember warm clothing.
We will serve coffee and tea onboard.
3 hours
Jun - Sep
4 participants
Meet the sleddogs
* Supports smaller, local tour operator
In Ilulissat we have six months of winter every year, and wintertime equals “sled-time”. About 1800 dogs are used for work and recreation alike. The long-line fishermen use the dogs for transportation of Greenland halibut from the icefiord to Ilulissat. Even today the modern snowscooter can’t compete with the 2000 years old Greenlandic way of transportation, the dogsled.
On this excursion we invite you to join the feeding of a dog-team. You will see, feel, and most of all hear the howling of up to 20 hungry dogs. The owner will demonstrate the sled, the harness, and the whip and tell about the life as sled-dog in Greenland.
Please note
Remember practical clothing. It can be dirty at the dog kennel.
Keep distance to the dogs. They are working dogs and don’t react like European dogs. The dog owner can show you which dogs that are safe to pet.
All particpants must be at least 8 years old.
1 hour
All year
4 participants
Icefjord Hike
This is a wonderful 5 hour hike in the UNESCO protected area Kangia – Ilulissat Icefjord.
We start the hike by getting some altimeters in our legs, and go up through the gorge "Qoororsuaq", which is a quarry that works as a corridor through UNESCO. At the top, we are enriched with the most beautiful view over the town with Disko Bay in the background.
After this, the trip goes down the other side, and out towards the Icefjord. All the way back towards Ilulissat we hike with the wildest ice landscape as a backdrop.
This hike is also called "The Blue Trail" and it is marked all the way.
If you are not completely comfortable hiking the trip alone, you can go with us. There are also lots of interesting plants in the area, and our guide can point out old Inuit graves that are scattered around the area.
We bring a lunch on the hike.
Please note
All particpants must be at least 8 years old.
5 hours
Juni - September
4 participants
Daytour to Ilimanaq
Kom med os på en fantastisk dagstur til bygden Ilimanaq.
Turen starter med en uforglemmelig sejltur, hvor i vil sejle i ca. 1-1,5 timer i gennem isfjorden indtil i når Ilimanaq.
Når i ankommer til Ilimanaq vil i få en guidet bygderundvisning med en masse fortællinger om livet i en lille bygd, om fangerkulturen og historien af bygden. Du vil blandt andet opleve de lokales dagligdag, butikken, havnen, hundene, den nedlukkede fiskefabrik, skolen og den smukke kirke.
We bring a lunch on the hike.
Please note
All particpants must be at least 8 years old.
5 hours
Maj + Oktober
4 participants
1-2