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Easter in Greenland
Visit: Ilulissat
Go on a beautiful Easter holiday in Ilulissat. Experience all Northern Greenland has to offer: Dog sledding, huge icebergs, hiking, and sailing among icebergs.
On Thursday, we fly from Copenhagen to Ilulissat. Along the way, you stop in Kangerlussuaq, where you change to a smaller domestic airplane, and, from this plane, you can enjoy the sight of the floating icebergs as we approach Ilulissat. In Ilulissat, you will be transferred from the airport to Hotel Arctic.
Travel Program
You can freely arrange the days on this trip according to your wishes. However, in the following day-to-day program, you can find inspiration for activities, and purchasing an excursion package with five excursions is possible.
Today, you start the adventure with a guided town walk in Ilulissat. Here you will get to know the town, and the guide will point out the places that you can later explore on your own.
Cultural-historical Town Walk (optional)
Our guided town walk is a good way to hear about Ilulissat and Greenland’s history because the guide gives you an overview of the area’s history and culture. We also walk past the local museum, housed in the building where our world-famous polar explorer Knud Rasmussen grew up. In addition, we experience the bustling harbor, the old, beautiful wooden buildings of the colonial era, and the almost 250-year-old Church of Zion. And then, of course, we also have to pass Kalaaliaraq, the local meat and fish market!
Throughout the walk, the guide will tell you about the town’s history, Greenlandic culture, and life today, 300 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle.
At night, you will have a lovely welcome dinner in the hotel’s amazing restaurant (drinks not included).
It is Good Friday, and after breakfast, you have the opportunity to go to church. There are many services at Easter. You can inquire about them or check on notices in the town.
Today, it is possible to join a walk to the abandoned settlement by the shore of the Ice Fjord, Sermermiut.
Hike to Ilulissat Ice Fjord and the Abandoned Settlement of Sermermiut (additional)
Ilulissat’s beautiful icebergs form the backdrop for the ancient settlement of Sermermiut, one and a half kilometers south of the town. For 4,000 years, different Inuit cultures have lived in the settlement. You will hear more specifically about the lives and customs of the early Inuit before the arrival of the Europeans. In addition, you will feel comfortable having a guide with you on your first hike in Greenlandic nature. However, Sermermiut is not a difficult hike, and we are helped by walking on a footbridge so as not to wear nature on this UNESCO World Heritage Site.
We will have a coffee and tea break at “Nakkaliivik,” which recently became even more famous due to its role in the TV series Borgen, season 4, which took place in Ilulissat. Here, we enjoy a beautiful view of the ice fjord before we hike back again.
You can also try something completely different today:
3-Hour Snowmobile Tour (optional excursion)
Snowmobiling is an exciting adventure with heavy-duty engines and speed! In the winter, snowmobiling is a popular activity in Greenland. Our path is subject to change, depending on the snow and weather conditions. We usually begin by driving up through “The Gorge,” a winding road on the mountainside directly behind Ilulissat. We enjoy spectacular town views and Disko Bay from the top of the hill.
The snowmobile tour continues across frozen lakes and rocky mountain terrain. Finally, we stop at the greatest lookout for a cup of coffee or tea along the route.
The day is at your disposal. If you bought the excursion package, you will go dog sledding today or tomorrow.
1½-Hour Dog Sled Ride (optional)
The dog sled is one of the most famous Greenlandic icons and a thousand-year-old tradition for the Inuit. Not many vehicles have survived such a long period without change in appearance and technology: a pack of happy dogs in harnesses tied to a simply constructed wooden sled. It is hard to explain this experience – it has to be tried.
This trip often takes place in flat terrain on a plain near Ilulissat. In addition to the driver, you are two participants on each of the sleds, so if you have booked the tour alone, you may share a sled with another person. All dogs are different, so if you are out with family and friends, we cannot guarantee that you will be riding together on the entire trip. If you have neck or back problems or are immobile, this trip is not for you. Participants must be 12 years and older.
Today you have the day on your own unless you bought the excursion package. Those who did not go dog sledding yesterday will go today (see yesterday’s program). In addition, there are visits to the sled dogs if you have purchased the excursion package.
Visit the Sled Dogs (Optional)
If you have bought the excursion package, you will go out to greet the sled dogs today. You can experience the sled dogs up close and can see, feel, and especially hear them when they are fed. The dog’s owner demonstrates how the sled, the straps, and the whip work and tells about the life of the hardy dogs.
If you would like to experience more, you can always consult with the guide about what our sister company World of Greenland offers in terms of excursions.
Easter Dinner
We celebrate Easter with a 5-course menu in the hotel’s restaurant (excluding drinks). It will be a wonderful evening!
Today is Easter Sunday, and if you have bought the excursion package, you are going on a wonderful sailing trip on the Ice Fjord.
Sailing among Icebergs (Optional)
Almost all visitors to Ilulissat choose to try this boat trip between icebergs at least once. Every day, more than 40 million tonnes of ice flow from Ilulissat Glacier into the ice fjord. The result is huge icebergs.
These giants are stranded at the mouth of the Ice Fjord, and here we have the opportunity to sail among them. It is an incredible natural experience you should not rob yourself of when visiting Ilulissat.
You start your morning with a good breakfast. Then, after some wonderful days here 300 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle, we fly back to Kangerlussuaq and then to Copenhagen. From the plane, you get one last view of the huge icebergs in Ilulissat Ice Fjord.
Inclusion
- Flight Copenhagen-Kangerlussuaq-Ilulissat return
- Transfer on arrival and departure in Ilulissat
- Information meeting
- 5 nights in a double room at Hotel Arctic
- Flight Copenhagen-Kangerlussuaq-Ilulissat return
- Transfer on arrival and departure in Ilulissat
- Information meeting
- 5 nights in a double room at Hotel Arctic
Exclusion
- Lunch and dinner (except gala dinner)
- Travel insurance
- Excursion package (can be purchased)
Note
Highlights
- Stay in the capital of the icebergs
- Enjoy a dog sled ride
- Sail among giant icebergs
- Experience UNESCO World Heritage: The Ice Fjord
- Get the feel of polar life north of the Arctic Circle
Optional excursions on request.
Triple rate on request.
Escorted Experience
- Fixed Dates
- Modern Airconditioned Vehicle
- First Class Hotels
Tour Category
Tour Vehicle
Car or Small Van AC
Tour Guide
Local English only guide
