

Winter in Ilulissat
Published: 17/06/2020
Reading time: 3 minutes
Do you want an adventure in Greenland during winter? I can recommend visiting Ilulissat and bringing plenty of warm clothing! 🙂

Ilulissat in Winter
Ilulissat is above the Arctic Circle, which means it experiences polar nights during the Winter. This means the sun doesn’t rise above the horizon at all! Here in Ilulissat, this lasts almost for two months, but the further north you go in Greenland it lasts for even a longer period.Â
In contrast, the Sun doesn’t set at all for two months during the Summertime! This is called the Midnight Sun.

In December the sun is just below the horizon, which means that it is relatively bright for about 3-4 hours before total darkness closes in again. As you can see from the pictures, it is definitely bright enough to be able to see properly and also go out on excursions.
Doing a boat tour in Ilulissat
During New Year, I was in Ilulissat with a group of visitors and we went out on amazing tours every day. Â
Ilulissat means “Icebergs” in the Greenlandic language and there are plenty of them just outside the town! The icebergs come from the most productive glacier in the northern hemisphere, which calves around 46 cubic kilometers of ice every year and moves 40 meters per day along the 70-kilometer long Icefjord. This area is on the UNESCO’s World Heritage list.Â
Doing a boat tour among the icebergs is an amazing experience and an absolute must while visiting the town!. The fresh air, calmness, the smell of the ice, and being one with nature is such special feeling. It is very cold though, so remember to bring many layers of warm clothes.
Going dogsledding in Ilulissat
Another must-do is traveling via dogsled. This excursion is only possible in Ilulissat during winter, because we don’t have snow during summer. The dogs are on vacation 😉Â
The polar circle is also the “dog border” in Greenland. South of this latitude we have what we call “danish dogs”, which can be any breed of dog except the Greenlandic Sled dog. Above this line, you can only have a Greenlandic Sled dog. This strict border is made to keep our Greenlandic dog a race pure.
Many families still have a sled, and some fishermen use dogs to carry them out fishing on the ice. But because of climate change, the number of dogs is decreasing.

I love these road signs for dogsleds. It is much easier to stop a car than to stop 25 dogs, so the dogs have right of way!

Here is one of our dog drivers ready to take our guests on a tour.
Snowmobiling in Ilulissat
If you are more into excitement and an adrenalin rush, another winter excursion in Ilulissat is a tour on a snowmobile. Our guests got to drive themselves when they went out with a snowmobile guide.Â
Hiking/Snowshoeing in Ilulissat
Although hiking is usually associated with Summer, the boardwalk down to the old settlement location of Sermermiut is still walkable during winter. The history of this area goes back 4500 years and has an amazing view over the mouth of the Icefjord.

If you want to hike elsewhere, you need to do so with snowshoes.
Read more travel blogs from Laali Berthelsen
-
5.00(2)Children friendly tour!
Family friendly Dogsledding Express tour | Ilulissat
Tour startsIlulissatDuration1.5 hoursFrom 1495 DKKSee more -
Micro Cruise & flight to Greenland!
East Greenland Explorer Micro Cruise | Scoresby Sund
Tour startsFrom IcelandDuration10 daysFrom 93000 DKKSee more -
Accommodation and tours included!
4 Days with Wildlife Safaris, Glacier Hikes, and Arctic Cuisine | Kangerlussuaq
Tour startsKangerlussuaqDuration4 daysFrom 6560 DKKSee more -
3 Day Glacier Adventure | Kangerlussuaq
Tour startsKangerlussuaqDuration3 daysFrom 7995 DKKSee more -
5.00(2)
Northern Lights Tour | Kangerlussuaq | West Greenland
Tour startsKangerlussuaqDuration2 hoursFrom 550 DKKSee more -
5.00(1)Driver included!
Snowmobile tour to small settlement | Oqaatsut | Ilulissat
Tour startsIlulissatDuration3 hoursFrom 2000 DKKSee more -
1 To 6 Passengers Included
Private Deep Sea Fishing Tour | Nuuk
Tour startsNuukDuration3 hoursFrom 7000 DKKSee more -
Price for 4 people!
World Heritage Hvalsey by Helicopter | Qaqortoq | South Greenland
Tour startsQaqortoqDuration1 hourFrom 11200 DKKSee more -
5.00(1)Limited departures! 2026 departures!
Multi-day Dogsledding from Tasiilaq | East Greenland
Tour startsKulusukDuration8 daysFrom 26600 DKKSee more -
Tailored for US flights
Arctic Blend: Wilderness Camping, Fjords Adventures & City Life | 6 Days in Nuuk
Tour startsNuukDuration6 daysFrom 13495 DKKSee more -
Dogsledding – 4 hours | Uummannaq | North Greenland
Tour startsUummannaqDuration4 hoursFrom 4200 DKKSee more -
New Tour!
Day Kayaking trough the Brede Bay | Ilulissat | Disko Bay
Tour startsIlulissatDuration6 hoursFrom 2495 DKKSee more -
Private charter!
Midnight Sun Cruise | Maniitsoq | West Greenland
Tour startsManiitsoqDuration2 hoursFrom 3700 DKKSee more -
Sailing to Karale & Knud Rasmussen Glacier | Tasiilaq | East Greenland
Tour startsTasiilaqDuration8 hoursFrom 2000 DKKSee more -
5.00(8)Few departure times!
Point 660 Greenland Ice sheet tour | Kangerlussuaq
Tour startsKangerlussuaqDuration5 hoursFrom 750 DKKSee more -
Luxury Overnight in Iliminaq settlement | West Greenland
Tour startsIlulissatDuration2 daysFrom 3950 DKKSee more -
4.90(10)Flexible departures!
The Great Russell Glacier | Kangerlussuaq
Tour startsKangerlussuaqDuration2.5 hoursFrom 2100 DKKSee more