Departure from Copenhagen in the morning and after approximately 4½ hours’ flight you set foot on the world’s largest island. It is a beautiful flight, which allows you to take in the magnificent icy landscape, the barren wilderness, and the magnitude of the Arctic. During our approach to Ilulissat, the town will seem to be located in the middle of nowhere. The colored houses stand in stark contrast to the snow-clad mountains, and you can look forward to the coming days filled with ice, winter, and dog sledding – combined with cultural elements from a modern, yet highly authentic, Greenlandic town.

A hotel shuttle bus will pick you up at the airport, and you will check in at the wonderfully situated four-star hotel. Here you will meet one of our guides, who will brief you about the town, the area, dining, and excursion possibilities. You can book excursions at the meeting, or have your pre-booked excursions confirmed.

Guided tour of the town (add-on)

The first excursion is a guided tour of the town. You will learn about the history of the town and experience its many interesting aspects, including the many sled dogs that live here. Most of the dogs stay outside of the city in a large kennel if they are not roaming the terrain.

Ilulissat means icebergs, which is rather self-explanatory once you get to see the beautiful UNESCO World Heritage site of  Ilulissat Ice Fjord and the numerous icebergs majestically floating around in the fjord, lit up by an almost magical light caused by reflections of the sun.

Disko Bay is one of Greenland’s most popular tourist destinations. Primarily because of the ice, but also due to the beauty of the place, the many cultural attractions and the interaction between the traditional way of life and modern town life.

Ilulissat and the surrounding area offer excursion possibilities aplenty, and perhaps the initial briefing has inspired you to make the most of your day – or maybe you want to take in the fantastic views of Disko Bay and let time stand still for a few hours?

If you bought the excursion, we will go for a hike now.

Hike to the Sermermiut Settlement (add-on)

Beautiful iceberg vistas provide the setting for the old settlement of Sermermiut 1.5 kilometers south of Ilulissat. For 4,000 years, different Inuit cultures lived in the settlement. Hear the story about life of the indigenous people and their traditions before the Europeans arrived in Greenland. See the ruins and touch the permafrost with your own hands. On this hike, we will pass “Kællingekløften” where you can enjoy the magnificent view of the Ice Fjord, before heading back again.

At night, there is another option.

Northern Lights Tour – Chasing the Sky’s Dancing Lights (add-on – except in April)

The Northern Lights – also known as Aurora Borealis – are among the most enchanting natural wonders of the Arctic. On calm, clear winter nights, you might be lucky enough to witness this magical light show above Ilulissat’s dark horizon.

Join us for an atmospheric evening tour into the wilderness, away from the lights of the town. Out here, under the open sky filled with stars, we create the perfect setting for taking in the silence – and hopefully the dancing Northern Lights.

During the tour, we’ll talk about the aurora, share Greenlandic legends and myths, and explore the beauty of the Arctic night sky.

Good to know: This tour only runs in clear weather. If the sky is overcast, we will cancel the tour on the same day and do our best to find an alternative date for you. If that is not possible, you will receive a full refund. Please note that the Northern Lights are not guaranteed even in clear weather – nature always has the final say.

If you have purchased the excursion, you can look forward to today’s 1 ½-hour dog sled ride:

Dog sled ride (add-on)

The dog sled is one of the most famous Greenlandic icons and a thousand-year-old tradition for the Inuit. Not many vehicles have survived such a long period without changes in appearance and technology: a pack of happy dogs in harnesses tied to a simply constructed wooden sled. The experience can not be explained – it must be tried.

This trip usually takes place in flat terrain on a plain near Ilulissat. In addition to the sled driver, you are two participants on each of the sleds, so if you have booked the excursion on your own, you may share a sled with another person. However, all dogs are different, so if you are out with family and friends, we can not guarantee that you will be riding together on the entire trip as some dogs are fast, and others are not. This trip is recommended for those with neck or back problems or if you are immobile. Participants must be 12 years and older.

If you have booked a night at Igloo Lodge, today you will go on the highlight of your trip:

Igloo Lodge (add-on)

On days 3-4, you can experience a real igloo where you will spend the night.

World of Greenland has been very successful with their summer lodges at the Eqi Glacier and in the settlement of Ilimanaq. Now, they also offer winter lodges in the shape of igloos. You will be taken on a snowmobile into the wonderful winter landscape where we hope to see the northern lights dance in the sky in the evening.

Here, at the foot of the mountains, you will spend the night in an igloo (with the possibility of staying in a heated cabin). Igloo Lodge consists of five spacious igloos, each of which accommodates two people. Reindeer pelts and warm winter sleeping bags are covering the beds. There are also candles on the bedside table, which means that the temperature is around the freezing point inside the igloo. It is comparatively warm compared to the minus 20 degrees Celcius/ minus 4 Fahrenheit outside. The wooden cabin by the lodge is where we will eat our meals. In the wooden cabin, there is also an outhouse type restroom.

The trip to Igloo Lodge itself is an adventure! You are driven in a snowcat for about an hour into the Ilulissat hinterland with amazing views along the way. You will be met at the cabin with coffee and lunch. Later, you will have an afternoon coffee with cake, dinner, and evening coffee followed by a look outside to see if the northern lights are out. Then you will stay overnight in an igloo, and, in the morning, breakfast is served and, finally, there’s the trip back to civilization.

Option on the afternoon on Day 3:

Walking among Giants (add-on)

Walking amongst Giants is a spectacular snowmobile excursion that takes guests deep into the winter landscape of Ilulissat. The tour starts at Igloo Lodge, from where you ride two by two on snowmobiles into the backcountry towards Aattartoq. After about 45 minutes of driving, you reach Aattartoq and the frozen fjord Sikuiuitsoq. Here, frozen icebergs rise straight out of the meter-thick sea ice in dramatic formations of blue and shining white. This is where you truly understand the name of the tour: you are literally moving among Greenland’s giants.

The area is also an active hunting and fishing ground. Small cabins provide shelter from the cold, while dog sleds and sled dogs rest on the sea ice nearby. After arrival, the snowmobiles are parked and there is plenty of time to walk out onto the sea ice among the icebergs and experience the Arctic nature up close. Along the way, the guide will also share insights into life as a hunter and fisherman in modern Greenland before the tour returns to Igloo Lodge.

Please notice: If you’ve purchased dogsledding at Igloo Lodge, you’ll go dog sledding after breakfast on day 2 at Igloo Lodge. The sled is bigger, so there are three of you on it instead of two.

You can use your day to experience the atmosphere and life in the town, go back in time and feel a sense of history at the cozy museum established in Knud Rasmussen’s birthplace. The fishermen at ‘Brættet,’ the local marketplace, provide you with an impression of the interesting food products of Greenland. They do not come any fresher than this.

When you have satisfied your appetite for visual experiences, it is time to treat your palate and fill your stomach. The restaurants in Ilulissat invite you on a journey through local specialties such as Greenlandic sushi, deep-fried ammassats (small fish), whale and seal – and in the cafés, freshly-baked cakes will tempt everyone with a sweet tooth. This is indeed a journey that will put all your senses to work.

You should consider going on a boat trip on the Icefjord.

Sailing among icebergs (add-on)

Almost every visitor in Ilulissat chooses to go on this boat trip among the icebergs at least once. Every day, more than 40 million ton of ice flow out into the fjord. The icebergs are gigantic, sometimes measuring more than 100 meters wide – and with a height of more than 60 meters above the water surface as well. These giants gather at the end of the fjord, providing you with a great opportunity to sail among them. You should not miss out on this exceptional experience when visiting Ilulissat.

Remember to bring warm clothes!

Today, you can keep exploring the town – or try  exciting add-ons! You should consider going on a helicopter excursion.

Ilulissat Icefjord and Glacier Seen From Above (add-on)

Ilulissat Ice Fjord and the Kangia Glacier are in focus on a 1½ hours helicopter ride that takes you right into the heart of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. No boat or hiking trail can get this close to the huge glacier – and you will see it all from above!

The helicopter takes off from Ilulissat Airport and flies as low as safety and laws allow over mountains, lakes, rivers, and the Icefjord until we reach a mountain at the ice sheet’s edge. Here we have about half an hour to enjoy the view. Then, we fly over the glacier front and follow the Icefjord for 70 kilometers on our way back.

After an intense time in Greenland, it is time to say your goodbyes to Ilulissat. Greenland is likely to have made quite an impression on you that will spark a special feeling and flash a series of indelible mental images whenever you hear the word Greenland mentioned in the future.

Departure is from Ilulissat with arrival in Copenhagen in the evening (on tours up to and including 17 February, the return journey includes a stop and aircraft change in Nuuk).