

Dogsledding in Uummannaq
Published: 12/06/2020
Reading time: 2 minutes
Recently I was fortunate enough to be able to go to the remote island of Uummannaq, a tiny place with only about 1.300 inhabitants, but incredibly rich in natural beauty!

The island is far enough north that the ocean freezes over every winter, surrounding the island with a white blanket with the occasional icebergs frozen stuck creating the odd icy hills here and there on the otherwise flat landscape.

Once the sea ice is thick enough, people venture out with their dogsleds to go ice fishing, and at a certain point it will be so strong it can carry the weight of snowmobiles and even cars!

If you know a little about Greenland you might have noticed that there are no roads connecting the cities, meaning you have to sail or fly to every destination, but for a short period every winter here in Uummannaq, taxis can drive from village to village over a frozen sea!

I went there for a week and spent the majority of my time dogsledding with locals. We slept in a tiny cabin on the sea ice the first two nights, and the second night we were blessed with an amazing show of northern lights in vivid colours!

Stephen Gollan I both ran out onto the ice scrambling for our tripods to capture this incredible show as it only got wilder and wilder!

I especially wanted to try and get a photo of a sled dog under the northern lights but they were a bit too curious of what I was trying to do and wouldn’t sit still. Better luck next time!

We explored the area and the incredible scenery of a landscape dotted with icebergs which will be completely different every year, making it one of the most interesting places to go as a photographer, in my opinion.

The dogsledding was especially memorable, and even though I had plenty of clothes on I sometimes had to jump off and run alongside the dogs to warm up a bit, as we were travelling immense distances in between incredibly dramatic mountains. An experience I will never forget!
Read more travel blogs from Lasse Kyed
-
Snowshoe to the top of Lille Malene | Nuuk
Tour startsNuukDuration5 hoursFrom 3190 DKKSee more -
New tour!
Catch of the Ice: Arctic Ice Fishing in Ilulissat | West Greenland
Tour startsIlulissatDuration3 hoursFrom 2100 DKKSee more -
New tour!
Dog Sledding the Arctic Circle Trail to “the Viewpoint” | Sisimiut
Tour startsSisimiutDuration8 hoursFrom 4500 DKKSee more -
Sailing tour with Photographer!
Photo Excursion | Disko Bay and Uummannaq | 8 days | Guide to Greenland
Tour startsIlulissatDuration8 daysFrom 58500 DKKSee more -
5.00(4)
Quassussuaq Mountain Hike | Nuuk
Tour startsNuukDuration5 hoursFrom 3400 DKKSee more -
VIP tour for 4 people!
Helicopter tour to the icefjord | Nuuk
Tour startsNuukDuration2 hoursFrom 27000 DKKSee more -
Settlement Tour By Dogsled | Tasiilaq | East Greenland
Tour startsTasiilaqDuration2 daysFrom 2700 DKKSee more -
Boat tour among icebergs | Tasiilaq | East Greenland
Tour startsTasiilaqDuration2 hoursFrom 1100 DKKSee more -
The Ilulissat Experience | 5 Days | Disko Bay
Tour startsIlulissatDuration5 daysFrom 10500 DKKSee more -
Includes 7 to 10 passengers!
Archaeological sailing | Private Charter | Qasigiannguit | Disko Bay
Tour startsQasigiannguitDuration3 hoursFrom 5000 DKKSee more -
5.00(1)
UTV Glacier Expedition | Ilulissat – Ilimanaq | Disko Bay
Tour startsIlulissatDuration8 hoursFrom 3495 DKKSee more -
Hike to Santas’ Cabin | Uummannaq | North Greenland
Tour startsUummannaqDuration3 hoursFrom 700 DKKSee more -
Whale & Musk Ox Safari by boat | Uummannaq | North Greenland
Tour startsUummannaqDuration8 hoursFrom 4300 DKKSee more -
Northern Glacier & Icefjord Flightseeing | Ilulissat | Disko Bay
Tour startsIlulissatDuration40 minutesFrom 2295 DKKSee more -
Follow an Inuit Hunter under the Midnight Sun | Qaanaaq
Tour startsQaanaaqDuration8 daysFrom 28000 DKKSee more -
5.00(1)
Boat Transfer between Kulusuk and Tasiilaq | East Greenland
Tour startsKulusuk TasiilaqDuration1 hourFrom 2000 DKKSee more -
Boat tour to Ikerasak settlement | Uummannaq | North Greenland
Tour startsUummannaqDuration3 hoursFrom 2000 DKKSee more -
Flights from Denmark included!
5 Days full of Icebergs, Northern Lights & Arctic Culture | Ilulissat
Tour startsIlulissatDuration5 daysFrom 15700 DKKSee more -
4.75(8)
Qoornoq Island Adventure | Nuuk
Tour startsNuukDuration4 hoursFrom 1450 DKKSee more