Trip to Ilulissat in Greenland - Ilulissat travel guide and travel tips

WHAT TO SEE AND WHAT TO DO IN ILULISSAT?

Ilulissat is located along the west coast of Greenland about 300km north of the Arctic Circle, and with more than 4000 inhabitants, Ilulissat is Greenland's third largest city by population. Ilulissat is the ideal base for tours, travel, holidays, but also for more complex expeditions in Greenland, thanks to the magnificent natural environment that offers many different options, such as cruises among the icebergs, hikes on the tundra, trek to the ice cap that covers Greenland, winter tours with sled dogs, or kayak expeditions. For some weeks a year, before and after the summer solstice, it is possible to observe the phenomenon of the midnight sun and, when the days are very short in winter, the sky is often lit only by the aurora borealis (northern lights).

WHEN TO GO IN GREENLAND?

Due to the great differences that exist between a month and the next, making each season unique with its own features, every time of the year is suitable for a trip to Greenland, depending on the activities that you are looking for. Personally, after the first trip to Ilulissat, I returned twice more times to experiment different situations. The first trip to Ilulissat in Greenland, made ​​in August 2001, led me to explore the icecap covering Greenland through a long trek starting from the camp located at Eqi Sermia glacier. For the second tour in Greenland, I have chosen the winter in Ilulissat, when I did a long excursion by sled dogs under the supervision of an experienced Inuit guide. Finally, for the third holiday in Greenland, we have chosen the week following the summer solstice, to watch the midnight sun at its best.

WHAT IS THE BEST TIME TO GO TO GREENLAND?

As previously anticipated, the best time to go to Ilulissat depends essentially to what you expect to see and to do. Are you looking for long treks out in the wild? Late summer, featuring a drier tundra, is the perfect season for you. Would you like to see the midnight sun instead? Then, late spring/early summer (the weeks around June 21st) are the right choice. Do you like boat excursions in the ice fjord among huge iceberg? All the summer is excellent for this activity. Would you like to experience the northern lights instead? Although the northern light is present every day of the year, in order to be experienced, the sky must be dark and clear, making the shorter days of the year (late October to early March) the ideal time to observe this phenomena. Finally, are you looking for dog sledge tours over snow and, maybe, frozen sea? Late winter or early spring should be your best choice.

HOW TO GET TO ILULISSAT?

Although the distance from Europe and America is not excessive, getting to Ilulissat (and Greenland and in general) requires a little patience, as the flight schedule imposes a long detour to either Copenhagen or Reykjavik (an overnight in one of these gateway cities may be required as well). Ilulissat is served year-round by Air Greenland from Kangerlussuaq on a daily basis and you can get to Kangerlussuaq by Air Greenland too, almost daily from Copenhagen. Usually, during the busiest summer months, additional connecting flights are available from Iqaluit (Canada) and, sometimes from the USA. Please check here Air Greenland flight schedule. Still during summer, direct flights to Ilulissat may be available from Reykjavik (Iceland) a few times per week, please check Air Iceland web site for updated information.

WHERE TO STAY IN ILULISSAT?

A wide variety of accommodation is available in Ilulissat, starting from basic hostel to 4 star hotel with international standards. Family stay to better experience Greenlandic life can be arranged too. Please contact your outfitter in Greenland for options and reservations.

HOW TO ORGANIZE A TRIP TO ILULISSAT?

Tourist facilities in Ilulissat are good, as well as the quality of the excursions offered and the organization in general. To organize your trip to Greenland and Ilulissat, I recommend to contact Ilulissat Tourist Nature. They can offer complete packages including accommodation and excursions based on your requests.

Trips to Ilulissat area:
Ilulissat Tourist Nature

IS GREENLAND CHANGING DUE TO THE GLOBAL WARMING?

This web site contains a long series of photos of Greenland, taken during the three trips to Ilulissat. Here you can find also an Interesting comparison between how the Eqi Sermia glacier was in year 2001 and how it was in June of 2011 (heavily affected by the global warming and the glacier retreat phenomena), as well as some information on how to organize similar trips. Like all the Arctic, also this country is the ideal place to study the effect of global warming on the ice, as Greenland climate has changed dramatically in recent decades. This is particularly evident also by comparing the extent of sea ice in winter: if up to the mid '90s the sea ice was fully consolidated up to the latitude of Sisimiut every winter (a village near the Arctic Circle), now to find the same conditions of ice, it is necessary to go at least 400 kilometers to north.

OTHER USEFUL TIPS ABOUT ILULISSAT AND GREENDLAND

Let us briefly review some useful information to organize a trip to Ilulissat, answering the most common questions we receive about this destination.

• On what time zone Ilulissat is located? Ilulissat is located 4 hours behind Central Europe Time (so 4 hours behind Copenhagen, the major gateway city to Greenland).
• What is the currency in Greenland? The official currency in Greenland is the Danish Krone (DKK). Ilulissat is a quite modern town, well used to receive tourists, therefore major credit cards are accepted by most stores.
• What language in spoken in Greenland? The official languages in Greenland, and therefore in Ilulissat, are Greenlanding and Danish. Most people involved in tourism speak English as well.
• How are the electric plugs in Greenland? Greenland has type C power sockets (like in Germany) and type K. Voltage is 220V at 50Hz.
• Will my mobile phone work in Grennland? The SIM provided by foreign mobile phone companies may not work in Greenland, so it's strongly suggested to check with own provider before leaving for Greenland. In any case the mobile coverage is guaranteed only in major towns, therefore, the only way to have a kind of guaranteed service is to bring a satellite phone.
• Is wifi available in Ilulissat? Major hotels and tourist service centres will provide wifi and wired connection to Internet.