Sailing amongst icebergs in Ilulissat
Boat tour at Ilulissat Icefjord
Everyone who visits Ilulissat must try this sailing tour between the Icebergs at least once. It is not without reason that it is one of the most popular tours.
The Icefjord is beautiful from land, but on this boat tour it is possible for us to get very close to the huge icy sculptures. These icebergs can be up to 100 meters high, and several hundred meters long and wide. Here you feel insignificantly small in the vast nature. It's hard to imagine - it has to be tried.
The icebergs are beautiful in all kinds of weather and in all seasons.
From May to September, the entire bay can be packed with small pieces of ice, while only the mightiest icebergs lie at the mouth of the fjord during the winter.
In bright sunlight, the ice shines chalky white and has the strongest contrasts. In cloudy weather, you will see way more nuances of color and structure in the ice. And in the midnight sun, a rosy glow is cast over the enormous colossi.
The ice can move quickly, and conditions can change from day to day – sometimes also from hour to hour. That is why each and every sailing tour amongst the icebergs is completely unique.
Did you know...?
- The town of Ilulissat is named after the Icefjord - Ilulissat means "Icebergs".
- The icebergs we see on this boat trip have broken off the largest glacier in the northern hemisphere - "Sermeq Kujalleq", which is located approx. 70 km inland from Ilulissat.
- The largest icebergs takes approx. 1 year to float out to the mouth of the fjord, where they run aground and beach. Here they lie until they have melted enough to be able to float on, or until the pressure from the ice in the fjord pushes them further out into Disko Bay.
- Approx. 10% of all icebergs in Greenland come from Sermeq Kujalleq and flow out through Ilulissat Icefjord.
- Sermeq Kujalleq therefore plays a major role in research on climate change and global sea level rise.
