Winter excursions Ilulissat
Winter excursions Ilulissat
Experience the northern lights, snow-covered landscapes, frozen fjords, and enormous icebergs. Discover dog sledding, snowmobiles, ice fishing, and the deep silence of winter. A world so far from your everyday life.
Greenland is vast, and there are many beautiful and exciting places to visit. But there’s a reason Ilulissat is the most popular destination. Few places offer such a complete experience as here in Ilulissat—the town by the Icefjord.
On this page, we have compiled a list of our recommendations for the best experiences in Ilulissat and our surrounding lodges. The tours in Ilulissat are not organized by us but refer to the platform Arctic Excursions, which gathers products from all local operators on one online platform.
Although Ilulissat is amazing in itself, even greater experiences await those who dare to venture a little further beyond the town.
Visit our lodges, each with a unique focus to share and a story to tell about our beautiful country.
Welcome to Greenland – the land of adventures.
Iceberg Sightseeing
When visiting Ilulissat you should not miss out on a boat tour among the famous icebergs.
Every year, more than 48 km³ of ice flows from the Ilulissat Glacier into the Icefjord. These amounts can be difficult to imagine. The result is enormous icebergs that can measure several hundred meters in each direction and rise up to 100 meters above sea level. At the mouth of the icefjord, these giants come aground, and here you have 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.
Dog Sledding
From Igloo Lodge, we offer one of the area's absolutely coolest winter tours - a dog sled ride from Igloo Lodge.
Here you escape the "traffic" and get the real experience of total silence. The route goes from Igloo Lodge out to a fantastic viewpoint, which we often don't share with anyone.
The dogs stand like extra residents out on the lake in front of the lodge
This tour is operated by Dogsled Academy - a small tour company run by Jørgen Kristensen who lives in Ilulissat. You can look forward to meeting Jørgen in his wonderful person. Jørgen is actually a dog sledding super star here in Greenland. He has won the national dogsledding race 5 times in a row, and he has many great life stories to tell. What we love about Jørgen is his fascinating and mild approach to the dogs and the strong bond he has with them. This mild and open approach also counts for guests on his tours where he loves to explain and tell stories. Jørgens dogs are very friendly and therefore we love having them as permanent residents at our lodge during the winter.
Please note
All particpants must be at least 8 years old.
The length of this tour is approx. 1,5 hour. However, this can vary from day to day, depending on conditions such as the amount and depth of snow and mood of the dog team.
If you have a back or neck issues, you should choose one of the other activities available at Igloo Lodge.
Feb 1st. - April 15th.
1.5 hours
1 person
Snowmobile
This excursion is an exhilarating snowmobile trip that we call Walking amongst Giants. Here, we venture even deeper into the backcountry around Ilulissat.
The excursion begins at Igloo Lodge. From here we go by snowmobile to "Aattartoq" – the local hunters and fishermens community base throughout the winter. It is a beautiful drive, with numerous unique and spectacular views that greets us on each mountain top. We have repeatedly views of "the dead glacier" and the enormous ice sheet in the background.
We arrive at “Attartoq” after approximately 45 minutes’ drive. Here we are met by the frozen fiord Sikuiuitsoq. From the meter thick sea ice icebergs emerge in distinctive formations with nuances of blue and shinning white. But the area offers more than ice. In the cabins by the fishing grounds, local fishermen and hunters find shelter from the darkness and the cold. Close by the sledge dogs rest on the sea ice.
Upon arrival we park our scooters and give ourselves plenty time to slender on the sea ice among the icebergs – the Giants of Greenland. We also get insight in the life as a hunter/fisherman in present Greenland, before we return to Igloo Lodge.
Feb - April
3 hours
1
Northern Lights Safari
On dark evenings with a clear sky, the magical northern lights will often appear in the sky over Ilulissat
A trip away from the city's dazzling lights offers the best conditions—out in the deep Arctic darkness, the northern lights are at their most intense
Aurora Borealis is the most spectacular phenomenon in the night sky. Solar storms over the polar regions provide optimal conditions to see the phenomenon in the Greenlandic darkness.
Ilulissat City Walk
You might think, "Well, we can walk around the town ourselves." Yes, you can. But on a guided city walk, we dig a little deeper and gain insights into everything that can't be seen from the outside.
The city walk is usually an easy shortcut to deeper knowledge and quirky stories about Ilulissat and Greenland in general.
Stories are shared about the town's history, the contemporary Greenlandic culture, and modern life 300 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle. There are several stops along the way, including at the fishermen at the harbor, by the "brættet" (the fish market), and passing by Knud Rasmussen's birthplace and the old wooden church, Zion Church.
Please note:
Remember clothing according to the season.
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.
Hear stories about the lives and customs of Greenlanders before the arrival of Europeans. See the ruins of turf huts and feel 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.
