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  • Northern Lights. By Mads Pihl

Will the Northern Lights be under your Christmas tree?

If you are looking for an unconventional Christmas gift, a shimmering green curtain of celestial light might be just the ticket.

A trip to see the northern lights in Greenland is a unique experience that you are not likely to forget in a hurry.

The Northern Lights are one of the world’s most spectacular meteorological phenomena. They are steeped in legend and mythology. For example, it is said that when the Northern Lights dance around the sky, it means that the spirits are playing football with the skull of a walrus.

If you see the Northern Lights, you will understand the imagination and the ‘fear’ that has inspired these legends. This vast – and utterly silent – tapestry of celestial colour is tantamount to a supernatural experience!

The Northern Lights are one of the world’s most spectacular meteorological phenomena.

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Package Tours

Greenland Tours: Hearts of the Inuit

Greenland Tours

Hearts of the Inuit

6 days during winter in Disko Bay with Inuit settlement visit

FROM €1,365
Greenland Travel: Dream trip to an Arctic Paradise

Greenland Travel

Dream trip to an Arctic Paradise

Get an experience of a lifetime! See Disco Bay in all its glory. Go explore! See whales, calving glaciers, majestic icebergs and much more

FROM €4,580
Greenland Travel: Winter adventure! Vacation in a snowy paradise

Greenland Travel

Winter adventure! Vacation in a snowy paradise

Sail on Ilulissat Ice Fjord and see the icebergs. Go dogsledding. See northern lights. Walk the Ice Cap. Go explore! Greenland is waiting

FROM €2,095
Greenland by Topas – Dog Sledding, Igloo Lodge and Northern Lights in Ilulissat

Greenland by Topas

Dog Sledding and Northern Lights in Ilulissat

Sled dogs are in their element under the frosty sky, crackling snow and fluttering Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) of the Greenlandic winter. Overnight stay in Igloo Lodge.

FROM €2,812
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SEE THE NORTHERN LIGHTS ON CHRISTMAS

We recommend you go to Kangerlussuaq (which is only a four and a half hour flight from Denmark) or Ilulissat in Disko Bay. Both towns are wonderful places to see the Northern Lights from November to March. Local tour agencies arrange trips out to see the Northern Lights.

Can’t wait for Christmas? Celebrate the 4 Sundays of Advent with us!

Visit our Advent page, here

HEAD OUT INTO THE NIGHT IN ILULISSAT WITH A HEADLAMP ON YOUR FOREHEAD

You will be going on a 20-30 minute hike from the old helipad to Holms Bakke. Your guide will tell you stories about the Northern Lights.

Hopefully, the Northern Lights will appear while you stand and gaze out over the Ice Fjord.

On the way, you will get to enjoy some coffee, tea or a so-called ‘Greenlandic coffee’. There will also be hot chocolate for the children.

NO ARTIFICIAL LIGHT IN THE NIGHT SKY OVER KANGERLUSSUAQ

On cloudless nights, Kangerlussuaq often has the most beautiful Northern Lights for you to experience.

You will be heading out into the wilderness where there is no artificial light and where nature will often put on a magnificent display.

You will then head back for a cosy gathering. Your guide will tell you about the Northern Lights and the many Greenlandic myths that the Northern Lights have inspired through the ages. You will also be served a tasty cup of ‘Greenlandic coffee’.

THE NORTHERN DAWN

Did you know that “Aurora Borealis” is the magical sounding Latin name for the celestial phenomenon of the Northern Lights, and that it was the Italian scientist Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) who first used the term which best translates as “The Northern dawn”?

If you go on a winter holiday in Greenland, you will very likely get to see the Northern Lights no matter where you are in the country.

This article is written in corporation with Greenland Travel and Air Greenland.

Explore related articles, offers and tour providers:

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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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