Uunartoq’s hot springs
Hot springs in Greenland are a common natural phenomenon, but the island of Uunartoq is home to the only place where the springs are warm enough to bathe in.
On the uninhabited island between Alluitsup Paa and Nanortalik in South Greenland there are three naturally heated springs which run together to a small stone-dammed pool.
Surrounded by mountain peaks and drifting icebergs, you can lie in the warm water and enjoy the almost surrealistically beautiful natural surroundings. It is a great experience for both body and the soul!
On Disko Island there are thousands of hot springs, whilst on the other side of the country in East Greenland the springs only number just over the hundred mark.
On the other hand, several of them are considerably warmer than on Disko Island. The hottest are between 50-60 degrees Celsius (122-140 degrees Fahrenheit).
None of these have been dammed up, however, and therefore they are not as well known as the hot springs in South Greenland.
Warmer than the surroundings
The hot springs in Greenland are not due to volcanic activity, as is the case on Iceland. It appears that the water is heated by deep layers in the earth’s crust rubbing against each other.
The definition of a hot spring is that it has the same temperature all year round and is warmer than the location’s average temperature.
The hottest spring in Greenland is around 60 degrees Celsius (140 degrees Fahrenheit), whilst the hot springs on Uunartoq provide water with a temperature of 37-38 degrees (98-100 degrees Fahrenheit) – an absolutely perfect bathtub temperature!
Uunartoq is close to the settlement of Alluitsup Paa between Qaqortoq and Nanortalik in South Greenland.
Greenland Sagalands in Qaqortoq organize half day tours to Uunartoq from June to September in cooperation with Blue Ice.
In Nanortalik, Nanortalik Tourist Service organizes tours to Uunartoq during the summer months.
The source of the heat in the spring is not due to volcanic activity, but to the geothermal subsoil, which heats the water in the spring, when soil layers rub against each other.
The hottest spring in Greenland is at Qeqertarsuaq, reaching up to 60degrees Celsius (140degrees Fahrenheit), while the spring at Uunartoq reaches temperatures of about 38 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit).
Opportunities for tours from both Qaqortoq and Nanortalik
Tour organizers in both Nanortalik and Qaqortoq offer frequent boat tours to the island throughout the summer, and it is common knowledge that people will bring along a picnic basket and a bottle of champagne to the springs. The clientele on an average afternoon is usually a mixture of locals and tourists splashing around in the 38 degrees warm water.
In a typically local way the conditions may seem a bit spartan when viewed by international standards, but the charming part about Uunartoq is this touch of “do-it-yourself” atmosphere that Uunartoq exudes. This is an experience that is so directly in touch with nature in such a unique place, that every visitor immidiately surrenders to the beauty of the surroundings.
Uunartoqs many legends and historical events
The hot springs at Uunartoq have been known for thousands of years. During the Viking era there was even a Benedictine Abbey in the fiord close by Uunartoq. One old story is about Leif Ericsson who, a thousand years ago, decided to go for a swim so that he would be clean and presentable before setting sail and going off towards the west in search of new land.
In spite of the allure that the island has had on those passing by, it has never been permanently settled. Maybe this is a result of the stories about ghosts that, according to hearsay, haunt the springs, and who often hide in the sea and summer fog common in the area.
The real reason could, of course, be the sparse vegetation and the harsh climate so close to the Ice Cap, and in a fiord filled with icebergs. But who knows?
What we do know, however, is no matter which way you choose to look at it, Uunartoq has been a key excursion area for thousands of years in Southern Greenland.
