Northern Lights are a classic Arctic experience, but they are especially amazing in Greenland. The uniquely small footprints of our towns and settlements keep light pollution to a minimum, and hundreds of annual clear sky days means the odds are often favorable.
One of the beauties of the Northern Lights is that they can be seen as soon as the night sky gets dark in late summer and early autumn. If you dream to experience this natural lightshow without committing to the heavy parka or frozen cheeks, South Greenland is for you.
Night comes earliest in South Greenland. Between hiking or sailing by day through Greenland’s only farmlands and gazing overhead to the Northern Lights by night, you will find that Greenland truly lives up to its colorful name.
Where else can you say stood right in city center and just looked up, and there they were. Although we affectionately call our capital ‘Nuuk York’, the city’s population is less than 1% of that of its southerly namesake. Nuuk’s street lamps are no match for the powerful lumens of the Northern Lights.
Visit this Arctic metropolis for a different kind of city break this autumn. Experience urban culture at the shops and restaurants, and at the day’s end, add a touch of nature by taking the champagne to the terrace and toasting underneath the dancing sky.
Night comes earliest in South Greenland. Between hiking or sailing by day through Greenland’s only farmlands and gazing overhead to the Northern Lights by night, you will find that Greenland truly lives up to its colorful name.
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The winter season is fantastic for photographing the Northern Lights. The ivory snow creates a neutral canvas for nature’s lively palette of greens, purples, and blues. Professional photographers and aspiring amateurs alike flock to Greenland to capture the Northern Lights over our famous natural landscapes.
In Kangerlussuaq, take a Northern Lights driving tour to the Greenland Ice Sheet. The seasoned guides will help you find the best composition to frame Russell Glacier, and there’s even the option to spend the night on the ice so that the photo ops last as long as you want.
Out in the coastal town of Sisimiut, a mountain safari on Greenland’s one and only open-air snowmobile bus whisks you into the backcountry. It is an adventure in itself, and the Northern Lights are the icing on the cake.
Further north in Ilulissat, use a dog sledding tour to get you to the most photo-worthy spots of the Ilulissat Icefjord, our UNESCO World Heritage Site. If you manage to get the Northern Lights, icebergs, Greenlandic sled dogs, and the musher all into one picture, then you have won the winter version of the Big Arctic Five game.
East Greenland’s high and pointed mountain landscape is unique in the country and gives just a fantastically eerie look to Northern Lights photographs. Come to Kulusuk and Tasiilaq in springtime when the towns are filled with adventurers of all kinds.
Now that you’re dreaming of seeing the Northern Lights in Greenland, here’s a few of our photographer’s tips for how to best capture them on film.
