Tried and tested: A day trip to Greenland

In June 2008 Air Iceland invited me and a co-worker on a day trip to Greenland. Interestingly enough, this was not my first time there. The first time I visited Greenland was in 1996 when I spent a week in a little town called Qaqortoq and the surrounding areas. It was a surreal experience to say the least. When I got an opportunity to go back I didn’t think twice and jumped on the next plane to Kulusuk.

Greenland is closer than you think. The flight to Kulusuk only takes two hours and in nice weather the last half an hour or so is quite scenic. There are icebergs everywhere, at least if you travel in mid June like we did, and they are beautiful. When you land the guide will take you on a stroll from the airport and to the village, telling you a little bit about the country and the culture. Of course I don’t know if we were just lucky but the guide seemed to know a thing or two about Greenland and was able to answer most of the questions he got from our fellow travelers.

Then there was some free time which we used to visit the local store, the only one in the village, and take a look around town. The day we were in Kulusuk the first freight ship of the season managed to break through the ice to get some supplies to the town. Judging from the variety in the store this must have been a welcome visit. After the free time we were invited to a kayak and a drum dance show performed by the mayor and some old lady and her granddaughter. On the way back to the airport we decided to travel by boat and we certainly didn’t regret that decision.

Below you can see photos from my day in Kulusuk

The view from the airplane on the way to Kulusuk

The colorful houses and the icebergs make Kulusuk a very picturesque little village

On the way into town the guide took us to the village cemetery. The local people believe that when a person dies the spirit leaves the body and is reborn in a new body. The name of the person belongs to the spirit and therefore there were no no names on the crosses.

On the way into town. In the distance you can see the first ship of the summer in Kulusuk

Although it was mid June, there was still a lot of snow around.

A drum dance performance

Iceberg from the boat ride back to the airport

 

The details

Air Iceland operates a day tour to Kulusuk every day except Sundays from June 1st till September 11th. You leave Reykjavík Domestic Airport in the early morning and return to Reykjavík early evening. This is an international flight so you can shop Duty Free on the way back.

The price is EUR 420 – EUR 476, depending on the season. That includes the airport taxes. Lunch is not included and there are very limited options in Kulusuk so a packed lunch is recommended. The boat trip back to the airport is sold separately.

The verdict

It’s hard for me to judge whether the trip is worth the money since I didn’t actually pay for it. Because I had visited Greenland before, I’m not sure I would have gone if I had to pay for it myself. However, I think visiting Greenland is once in a lifetime kind of opportunity (twice in a lifetime for me) and the Kulusuk day tour is a great way to do it. Sure it’s short and  maybe it’s very touristy but still – it’s Greenland. I enjoyed it a lot and recommend it to anyone with the time and some money.

The year after I visited Kulusuk I actually won a trip to Kulusuk in a raffle at a Air Iceland industry party. Since I had done it the year before I decided to invite my mum and her man instead. They went in July last year and they loved it. I think they took something like a 1000 photos between them the few hours they spent in Kulusuk. OK, maybe not 1000 but a lot.