Fact box
Kulusuk – the gateway to East Greenland. The settlement has about 250 residents, but holds both an International airport, a hotel and is a great place for many activities including skiing in winter and hiking in summer.
Day 1
Are you ready for takeoff?
We arrive in Kulusuk and I’m welcomed by my Greenlandic colleague as well as a blue sky. The Arctic sunlight is sharp and insistent and it almost makes up for my jet lag. Therefore it is also tempting to take a stroll down the road from the airport, before catching a helicopter to Tasiilaq.
I chuckle as I spot a dogsled parked outside next to a couple of snowmobiles – here an airport shuttle looks slightly different. The road has been cleared, on both sides of the path the snow is over 3 meters tall, and my colleague tells me that a polar bear has gone for the same stroll as us just the day before – a friendly reminder that it is always a good idea to venture out with a local.
After dreaming about skiing down the snow covered mountain sides, we return to the terminal to check in.
Tip!
If you have booked accommodation in Tasiilaq talk to your host about the options of transportation from the heliport. Often it is included, and if it isn’t they can provide you with a phone number for a taxi.
Flying in a helicopter has been a personal goal for quite some time and luckily it is the only option for traveling from Kulusuk to Tasiilaq in the winter season. The flight is peaceful and I manage to score a window seat and take in the frozen fjord speckled by royal blue in the places where the early spring has made the ice break.
In Tasiilaq heliport I stand on the snow covered ground and watch as the helicopter takes off – it won’t return for three days, and for a brief moment I feel like an actual explorer.
We are picked up at the airport by Hotel Ammassalik, our accommodation. I have been warned that Tasiilaq is hilly and on the drive I feel grateful for not having to hike my way to the hotel (especially traveling with a photographer and his equipment).
But the location on top of the hill makes for the best view – it has a vintage après ski atmosphere and lounge areas with sheepskin and a 180 degree view of the cityscape and steep mountain peaks.
Day 2
Sleeping in an icy igloo
The next day we are both excited about the first activity on our itinerary: sleeping in brand new igloos built by Sermilik Adventures – and when I say brand new I mean that they have recently had the right weather conditions for casting the bricks for the construction, since the igloos are exclusively made from ice and snow!
We pack up and are picked up at the hotel on two snowmobiles and cruise the city – one of the most fun sightseeing trips I have ever been on. The destination is the frozen fjord, the main road out of town, where we are catching our ride: dogsled.
Enox, our 19-year old musher, readies the dogs and with the pitter patter of paw-power we take off. As I enjoy steaming hot tea from a thermos I have brought with me, the city becomes smaller behind us, and the mountains slide by – I feel very peaceful – just cruising on a Sunday afternoon – the Greenlandic way.
The weather is “warm”, about -2 degrees, but I still appreciate my fuzzy mittens and massive snow boots (always consult providers about what to wear. You may think you’re wearing 1,000 layers, but sitting still for a long time can make even the most warm-blooded toes freeze.)
After a couple of breaks, where we jump off the sled to help the dogs uphill (and some scratches behind soft and furry husky ears – I consulted Enox on which dogs were open for some pets), we arrive at the foot of a mountain to be taken up the final distance on snowmobiles.
Tip!
If you’re new to snowmobiles – here’s a tip for you: The snowmobiles have to go fast uphill for momentum, but don’t usually need to go fast downhill. If you want to help out – sync your movements to those of your driver – just like you would sitting in the back of a scooter or motorcycle.
Tip!
Are you a content creator traveling with photo/video equipment? Keep the batteries close to your skin in your sleeping bag at night for more battery time.
We set up camp – Line and Tobias, our two hosts, cook steaming fish soup which we enjoy while sitting on reindeer furs. As I afterwards sip a cup of hot cocoa the sun makes the landscape blush and the mountains fall completely quiet. As my colleague tells me: “The silence makes my thoughts speak louder”.
I had imagined that the hours spent outside in this Arctic outback would be passing slowly, but I don’t turn over a single page in the paperback I have brought with me. Instead I take in this ice cold corner of the world, where everything is peaceful. Here I can think, breathe and exist for a moment without anything else – without any cell reception or concept of time except for the sun going to sleep on the horizon.
I tuck myself into the thickest sleeping bag I have ever seen. Inside the igloo it is about 0 degrees. I wake up once during the night, but much to my luck, my experienced colleague has brought hand warmers, which I combine with my woolen socks and I quickly fall back into a deep and peaceful slumber.
The igloo takes the prize as the most beautiful place I have ever woken up. I open my eyes and see the light shine through the azure ice structure of the ceiling. I crawl out into the sun speckled snowscape and warm up with coffee and porridge, before we pack up and continue our journey.
Package Tours
Arctic Villages in East Greenland
East Greenland Mini-Expedition
Trek from Karale to Tasiilaq Fjord
