Camp on the Greenland ice sheet | Kangerlussuaq | West Greenland
Walk in the footsteps of the Arctic explorers and spend a night camping on the Great Greenland Ice Sheet.
Get up close and personal with meltwater rivers, frozen lakes, and crevasses as your experienced glacier guide introduces you to hiking safely with crampons and leads you across the frozen icecap. From the famous Point 660, to our ice camp, this trip will give you plenty of glacier hiking experience and take you to the most interesting features in the area.
Spending a night on the world’s second-largest icefield is a truly unique experience. Miles from anywhere, with no light or air pollution and some of the best weather conditions in Greenland, our ice camp is the perfect place to fully experience the Midnight Sun or magical Northern Lights (depending on when you visit).
Scroll down for more information and the full itinerary, then book your place on this once-in-a-lifetime experience by selecting a date and clicking Book Now.
Please note that shoes/ sneakers are not sufficient. You must wear proper hiking boots in order to use crampons.Activities
Camping & Lodge stay
Glacier Views
Hiking
Icecap & Glacier hiking
Attractions
Point 660
5 reviews for Camp on the Greenland ice sheet | Kangerlussuaq | West Greenland
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Amal Ibrahim –
My guide was Adam, and he was awesome. He was both informative and funny which was a great help. Something else I should mention is his willingness to help anyone that needed help.
The views were incredible, and I still can’t believe that I was actually there. It was a surreal experience. For one, I know that I was fortunate to be able to go and see the Ice Cap, but also it was important because I got to see the effects of climate change.
The weather had been unusually warm for my entire stay in Greenland, both here and other areas. That may have assisted me, but it was a little windy at night so it took a little while for me to be warm enough.
The only thing I think should be mentioned is more about what is involved for the camping, such as setting up tents and the like.
I’d advise anyone considering it to have layers of course and perhaps choose your hiking books wisely. My boots were good enough, but the softer soles caused issues at times with the crampons. I’d also say make sure you are physically up for the hikes and let the guide know if you have any medical issues or concerns from the very beginning.
All in all, it was a great experience, and anyone who is able to do it, should. You won’t regret it.
Anna –
We did the overnight icesheet camping trip in late September 2023, which is autumn (fall) in Greenland. It was a really cold (-6 oC / 21 oF plus significant wind chill that made it feel far colder) but really amazing experience – in fact, one of THE most amazing things we have ever done. Our guide Ana was excellent and we felt safe and well looked after.
The trip starts with a briefing at Polar Lodge in Kangerlassauq, followed by a 1 hour bus ride out to the moraine at the head of the ice sheet. We had to carry personal belongings in our backpacks and were also given plastic sleds (pulks) with camping gear on to tow behind us. The walk to the camp took about 45 minutes and wasn’t too difficult for someone with moderate fitness. Then it was time to pitch the tents, which was rather hard work in the very cold and windy conditions. After hot drinks and biscuits to warm up, Ana took us on a short walk to have a look around, then it was back to the base for dinner.
Throughout the day the weather had been overcast but it cleared in the evening to reveal a beautiful aurora display. As the previous reviewer mentioned, it was a surreal experience being on the ice sheet and even more so to be witnessing the aurora while there. I still keep looking at my photos in wonder!
The next morning was spent walking around the ice sheet and looking at all manner of features and formations; it was extremely interesting. The highlight for me was taking a dip in a frozen lake, after Ana hacked a hole through the ice. There was no obligation to go in, so half of our group did and half didn’t. I’m really glad I did because I felt absolutely amazing afterwards. And yes, it was really cold!
All in all it was an excellent trip made even more so by Ana being a great guide. But there is some room for improvement with the tour company communication. If you are doing the trip then be aware of the following:
* You don’t need to take a big pack – just one that’s big enough for your clothing and personal effects.
* The instructions said to take thin gloves. Whereas they should have said to take thick gloves and also thin gloves as inners. I only took thin woollen gloves and my hands weren’t warm enough. Fortunately I had a spare pair of woollen socks, which I put on like mittens over the gloves.
* They provide dinner on the first day, and breakfast and lunch the following day. There’s plenty of food so no need to take extra. The briefing meeting time on day 1 is at noon but they don’t provide lunch, so bring sandwiches or whatever with you.
* The instructions don’t make it clear that day 2 takes all day and you won’t get back to Kangerlassauq until well after 6 pm. Take this into account if, like us, you have booked into a restaurant for dinner.
* Be aware that the weather conditions are different on the ice sheet than they are in Kangerlassauq. When we went it was at least 6 oC / 43 oF colder on the ice sheet than it was in Kangerlassauq, so take that into account when looking at the Kangerlassauq weather forecast.
* If you are going during the warmer summer months then they recommend taking 2 litre capacity water bottles. You won’t need so much if you are going during the colder months like we were. If you have an insulated bottle or thermos then it’s a good idea to take that in the colder months because the water will probably freeze in an uninsulated bottle.
* As the previous reviewer said, be sure to take hiking boots with stiff soles and a flush heel. One person on our group had footwear with a flared sole and it was consequently difficult to fit the crampons on correctly.
Phil (verified owner) –
This trip was awesome! Spectacular! The ice is ever changing, and to spend real time out there, sometimes just sitting and absorbing the splendor, is unique and wonderful. This was the highlight of my trip to Greenland, and one of the highlights of my summer. The information sheet lets you know pretty much everything you need to know; the information is very good. All of the guides that I met were great; Pavel took me on this trip and he is awesome. I really, really recommend this trip.
Ian Goddard (verified owner) –
I am not sure that anything I write here can do this justice – it is amazing and I would recommend this to anyone!
You do need a little bit of physical fitness to really enjoy this as there are some not-so-easy parts of trekking around a glacier but it was not overly strenuous in the grand scheme of things.
The guides, Kim and Ana were both absolutely brilliant! This was one of, if not the, top thing I did on my trip to Greenland. Beautiful surroundings, photography dream, excellent trekking and if you are keen a potential dip in the cleanest water you will ever see!
We were slightly lucky with the weather but if you have the chance to do this trip, you should!
Oliver Thompson –
BEST EXPERIENCE OF MY LIFE!
Guide was very knowable and nice during 2 days. We saw Musk ox and reindeers on the way, had few hikes on the ice sheet and even took a dip in the lake on the ice sheet! We felt bit like explorers as we helped around the camp, got water, picthed the tent etc.
Definitely reccomened everyone who wants bit of adventure, worth every penny!