The Ice Sheet

The vast scale of the ice cap puts the world in its proper perspective – whether you see it from a dog sled, the sea, on a pair of skis or in a pair of walking boots.

A GREENLANDIC NATURAL ATTRACTION

The Greenlandic ice sheet is a gigantic ice cap that both overwhelms and astounds nature-lovers. The impressions of the magnificence of the ice and the deafening silence are memories you will never forget from your first encounter with the ice sheet.

You can fly, sail, drive and walk to the fringe of the ice which at its edge can be up to 100,000 years old.

ACCESS TO THE ICE SHEET

In some places you can walk on this permanent historical monument from the last ice age, for instance at Kangerlussuaq. It is an experience that is out of this world!

Travellers looking for an extreme experience also have the chance to cross the ice sheet. It is a great challenge, requiring special permission and competence, which only a handful of bureaus have specialised in offering to customers.

Several well-known sports events in Greenland contain stages to the ice sheet.

"You can fly, sail, drive and walk to the fringe of the ice which at its edge can be up to 100,000 years old."

Package Tours

Greenland Travel: Short Break! Winter days in fantastic surroundings

Greenland Travel

SHORT BREAK! Winter days in fantastic surroundings

Go dog sledding, walk on the ice cap and see the impressive Russel Glacier. Get a break from your busy days with a winter adventure

Tasermiut Expeditions: Ice Cap Explorer 8-15 days

Tasermiut Expeditions

Ice Cap Explorer 8-15 days

Explore the Ice Cap crossing through striking glacier formations, glacial lakes and rivers. Flight from Keflavik or Copenhagen. Dates: July

Icelandic Mountain guides: From Sun Gate to Icefjord

Greenland Adventures by Icelandic Mountain Guides

From Sun Gate to Icefjord

This trip will instill peace and quiet in you as you take in the Greenland ice cap, a massive ice field, ancient and still.

Greenland Tours: Camp Ice Cap

Greenland Tours

Camp Ice Cap

2 days on the Greenlandic ice cap

THE SIZE OF THE ICE SHEET

Greenland’s ice sheet creates enormous glaciers, which under the influence of the force of gravity are forced out towards the coasts.

Here the ice breaks off and forms the icebergs that are one of Greenland’s major natural attractions.

The ice’s total area of 1.8 million km² (695,000 square miles) corresponds to 14 times the size of England. The ice-free area amounts to 350,000 km² (135,000 square miles) – equivalent to the area of Germany.

FROZEN FRESHWATER

The ice sheet has covered large parts of Greenland for the last 2-3 million years, but active glaciers and constant melting have meant that the ice has been recycled many times.

The aging ice sheet is only a few metres thick at the ice fringe, but more than 3,200 metres (10,500 feet) thick at its highest point.

The ice contains 10 per cent of the world’s reserves of fresh water as well as atmospheric particles which scientists can use to gain an insight into the climate of both Greenland and the Earth going back some 250,000 years. “

People are easily dwarfed by the size of the Russell Glacier wall near Kangerlussuaq in Greenland. Photo by Mads Pihl

Adventurers settling in at Camp Ice Cap on the Greenland Ice Sheet, run by Albatros Arctic Circle in Kangerlussuaq. Photo by Raven Eye Photography

The edge of the ice cap at Kangerlussuaq, by Humbert Entress

A seagull by a glacier wall in the Eternity Fjord in Greenland near Kangaamiut, by Mads Pihl

Flightseeing with Air Zafari near Iluliartoq in Kangerlussuaq in Greenland

Setting up camp at Russell Glacier near Kangerlussuaq in Greenland. Photo by Mads Pihl

The edge of the Greenland Ice Sheet at Russell Glacier near Kangerlussuaq in Destination Arctic Circle in Greenland

A lesson in inaprorpriate luggage in Greenland - rolling suitcases are not ideal for glacier walking on the Greenland Ice Sheet. Photo by Raven Eye Photography

THE MELTING ICE SHEET

“Greenland’s ice sheet is melting today far more rapidly than at the turn of the millennium. Many researchers think that every year the ice is losing more mass than is being created.

If the entire ice sheet melted, the world’s oceans would rise by approx. 6-7 metres (20-23 feet). Fortunately this will not happen from one day to the next.

However, at a time characterised by heated debate on global warming, a visit to the fascinating ice sheet gives even more food for thought.

By Visit Greenland

Behind Greenland's largest travel site is the Visit Greenland that is 100% owned by the Government of Greenland, who is responsible for marketing the country's adventures and opportunities for guests wishing to visit the world's largest island

https://visitgreenland.com

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