Uummannaq

Whale watching tours give you the best chance of getting close to these summertime marine visitors, and you can also go fishing for cod, redfish and other fish species that are plentiful in the waters around Uummannaq. Make sure you buy a fishing license first.

A sculptural iceberg in Uummannaq’s frozen fjord. Photo by Erez Marom

Back on land, and despite the small size of the island, there are several marked hiking trails. Often these lead to mountain lakes, but the most popular is the relatively short hike to Santa’s Cabin. For more experienced adventurers, it is possible to climb Uummannaq Mountain if you have the technical skills and equipment, and for long-distance trekkers, the nearby Nuussuaq peninsula and Upernavik mountains offer a wealth of options for hiking expeditions and are unknown beyond the local community.

When the sea freezes over during winter, the long wait for the large number of Greenlandic sled dogs tied up around Uummannaq comes to an end. Options ranging from 2 hours to several days means that everyone can travel as the Uummannaq hunters still do and experience this traditional form of arctic transportation. Take a quick dogsled on the sea ice near Uummannaq, visit one of the nearby settlements or glaciers, try your hand at long-line ice-fishing (halibut is the prize catch), or possibly even accompany a hunter as he searches for seals and small game.

Dog sledding back to Uummannaq. Photo-Aningaaq R Carlsen

Alternatively, get your adrenaline pumping and travel further faster on the Arctic’s modern form of winter transportation – the snowmobile. Or, if you want to travel in heated comfort – simply drive across the sea-ice in the latest 4×4.

Whichever way you choose to get around, don’t forget to look up, as the Northern Lights often dance brightly in the skies above Uummannaq.

This is just one of many historic buildings clustered in the center of town. Ask at the museum for a leaflet that shows their locations and provides a little information about each, including the Museum itself (formerly a hospital), the Whale Blubber House (now home to an eclectic collection of items), three turf houses (one of which was in use up until 1989!), and several buildings that have been repurposed for commercial purposes. You could also join a city walking tour for more information.

A presentation held at the Uummannaq Museum. Photo by Mads Pihl

Other key sites not to be missed are the beautiful stone church made from raw material quarried out of the hillside where it now stands, and Uummannaq’s ridiculously picturesque football field (soccer is big in Greenland) where bright green astroturf contrasts with the deep blue fjord and brilliantly white icebergs.