Experience Winter in the Arctic | Uummannaq & Ilulissat | from Iceland

Your tour departs from the Domestic Airport near the center of Reykjavik, Iceland. Try to sit in a window seat for spectacular views of mountains, glaciers, icebergs and the great Greenland Icesheet as you fly all the way over the world’s largest island to arrive in Ilulissat.

Once you have settled in to your accommodation, our first excursion is a hike out to Sermermiut Valley. This site was inhabited 4,000 years ago and it is still possible to see the outlines of more recent settlement, depending on the depth of the snow. Discover why this was such an important place for the Inuit, and marvel at the incredible views of the enormous icebergs that have frozen in the place of the UNESCO World Heritage listed Ilulissat Icefjord.

After sunset, make sure you head outside to see the magical Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) dance across the sky (weather and solar activity permitting). For the very best experience, we recommend booking an optional Northern Lights tour which will take you to the darkest locations on the outskirts of Ilulissat.

Spend the day exploring Ilulissat as you wish. The Ultimate Guide to Ilulissat here on Guide to Greenland highlights all the different things to see and do in town, and is the best online guide available.

As you walk around town, you will likely come across many Greenlandic sled dogs. Please remember that they are working dogs, not pets. You should not approach any chained dog without the owner present, and even then - only if given the go-ahead. If unchained puppies run up to you or follow you, that’s fine. Just don’t go near the chained dogs.

In the evening we will set sail amidst the enormous icebergs at the mouth of the Icefjord. Cruising past these towers of ice and looking up at them from the water gives an even better sense of their scale. Remember - we only see the top 10% of the iceberg! Winter sunsets are always spectacular with the soft pastel sky providing a beautiful backdrop to these ice sculptures.

Today you will travel North to the small town of Uummannaq. Its name in the Greenlandic language means “like a heart”, as its houses cluster at the base of a heart-shaped mountain that dominates the small island on which it is located.

Getting there is an adventure in itself!

Firstly you will take an hour-long flight from Ilulissat to the airport of Qaarsut. There you will transfer to a helicopter for a short but very scenic flight over the frozen fjord to Uummannaq. You will be met at the airport and transferred to your accommodation where you can either rest or head out to explore the town.

Dinner will be a warm meal of locally sourced produce. While we eat, we will talk about the itinerary for your time in Uummannaq and also tell you stories about the area.

Fishing is one of the key occupations of Uummannaq. Today we will walk out onto the sea ice past the sled dogs to try our own hand at this primary industry. There may even be a large iceberg close enough for us to visit.

The local fishermen actually go quite far into the fjord to catch halibut but we will stay closer to town. We will drill a hole in the ice, set up a long line, and catch fish for both our own dinner and that of the sled dogs you will meet tomorrow.

Once back in town, you have the opportunity to make your own small souvenir out of reindeer antler, sealskin, and other bits and pieces. Have a think about what you might like to make beforehand, or we can offer some suggestions. In Greenland, no part of an animal that is caught is wasted, and the tradition of making clothes, mittens and hunting tools is still alive today - especially during the dark winter days.

Uummannaq is located on a small island and, when the fjord freezes over each winter, the only way to travel longer distances is with either dogsled or snowmobile. You will experience both over the next 2 days.

First of all, we’ll start with the more traditional form of dogsledding.

The Inuit have used dogs for thousands of years as a mode of Winter transportation, and dogsledding is one of the top must-do activities when visiting the Arctic during the winter months.

Your dogsled driver (musher) will introduce you to the dogs and indicate which ones you may pet. They will also provide advice about how best to sit on the sled and get the most out of the experience. Then, once the dogs are hitched, we will head out onto the sea-ice for a tour around the island of Uummannaq.

Along the way we will stop off at enormous icebergs that have been frozen in place for the winter. We may also have the opportunity to meet some local fishermen and, if we are lucky, see seals on the ice. We will take our lunch with us for an icy picnic in the area North of the island, and stop in at Santa’s house for some coffee, tea and cookies. Santa may be busy and not at home, but we will relate stories about him and his elves in Greenland.