Why I keep coming back to Greenland…

There are so many amazing travel destinations in this world, and yet Greenland makes me come back again and again. So I figured, maybe I would tell you why you should put this country on your travel-bucket list… Or at least why it stays on mine.

This trip will be my third time in Greenland, so I’ve made a list of the things that I can’t wait to be seeing/doing/exploring again and a list of the new adventures I hope to try. 

Here we go… 

What I can’t wait to come back to:

1. The Greenlandic husky. 
They are possibly the most unexpected phenomena I’ve ever encountered.
Growing up with dogs and being a “dog-person” in general, the Greenlandic husky completely re-arranged my understanding of, what a dog is. The dogs I know are domestic, cuddly and “mans best friend” in the way that they companion us in our everyday life. The Greenlandic husky is a dog too, sure…but that pretty much sums up the similarities of the two. The husky is the most hardworking, tough and fascinating animal I’ve come across, they are somewhat still very wild and in many ways so much more alike the wolf than the dog. Think I’m gonna write more about them in a separate post, they truly fascinate me. 

Ps. the puppies are super cuddly!

2. The midnight sun
In the Greenlandic summer the sun is up 24/7. This makes the difference between night and day completely blurry and makes room for daylight adventures at all time such as hiking, sailing, fishing etc.. The midnight sun only occurs in destinations north of the arctic circle, so Sisimiut (where I’m going) is the perfect spot. The further north you go, the longer the midnight sun season lasts.

3. The Locals
The Greenlandic people are warm and welcoming and will instantly make you feel at home. Besides that, their way of merging traditional inuit traditions with a modern everyday life keeps fascinating me. I especially enjoy when they share some of the old legends and myths of Greenland, e.g. the legend of how all marine life was created by “The Mother of the Sea” and how that story still carries the important message that we shouldn’t exploit the ressources of the earth. 

What I really hope to try for the first time :

1. Whale watching!
I’ve been watching whales in Iceland and a few lucky times in Denmark as well. But never in Greenland. The last time I visited Sisimiut I was told that a large group of humpback whales had just past the coast a few day before my arrival. So I really really hope that my timing is more on point this summer.

2. Suaasat (seal soup) and mattak (whale skin)
I can’t wait to taste more of the traditional Greenlandic food, it really is special and delicious. I have tasted whale, reindeer, musk oxen etc. but this time I’m going to try some of the more distinct dishes such as seals meat-soup (suassat) and narwhal skin and lard (mattak). I’ve been told that to really appreciate seals meat you should probably have gotten used to the taste as a kid, so let’s see how that goes.

3. The Disco Bay
I have always wanted to see the icebergs in the beautiful Disco Bay in Illulisat, and I hope that this time in Greenland will make room for a little getaway up north, fingers crossed.

If you have any further suggestions to other adventures I should explore in Greenland? Feel free to leave a comment, I will be so grateful for more inspiration.

/C

Read more travel blogs from Christina Gamborg Holm

Christina Gamborg Holm

Hi and welcome to my Guide to Greenland travel blog. My name is Christina, I'm a danish anthropologist and business consultant with a huge passion for the arctic and nordic way of life. I have visited Greenland several times and here on my blog you can read about the everyday adventures and the unique way of living that Greenland offers. I do my best to tell stories with pictures more than words...but then again, I really do like writing. I specifically like writing about the inuit culture, the spectacular nature (and how it can become your playground), the arctic wildlife and about traditional food and drinks in Greenland. Most of all I just hope that this blog will make you too curious to stay at home, cuz really, you should come and experience it all for yourself.

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