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
Winter days at the Greenland Ice Sheet
Ice Cap Explorer 8-15 days
From Sun Gate to Icefjord
Excursion to the 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. “
