One of the world’s most pristine and unpopulated destinations, Greenland attracts interest from adventurous luxury travellers looking to experience a place where billboards, highways, crowds, and pollution are tales of the cities somewhere else.  Anyone who remembers the show Thin Ice on SBS On Demand is already aware of the fantastic landscapes; a huge landmass covered almost wholly―for now―by a vast ice mass, the world’s largest island noncontinent is one of the most ethereally beautiful places on the planet.

Greenland is undoubtedly unlike any other destination in the world.  A country geographically part of North America but administered as part of the Kingdom Of Denmark, the island’s jagged rock formations, created by the force of glaciers that still define the landscape, are reminiscent of the sharp valleys of its fellow glacier-carved country―though while Switzerland may be at the centre of Europe, with a population of millions, Greenland is far away, with a population of mere thousands.  Much like their Danish overlords, the local Inuit people, discreet and humble, camouflage their incredible sense of humour under a veneer of seriousness that quickly falls away in the right company.

Dismiss any notions that ‘there is nothing to do’ in Greenland.  The colossal glaciers will bewitch nature lovers, some tinted blue by minerals compressed within them over 100,000 years.  Culture mavens will be pleased by Inuit legends, handiwork, and artistry.  Several museums in different locations showcase both local artworks and those of Danish artists who chose to come to Greenland to escape the rigours of city life in Europe.  A highlight of any visit to Greenland will undoubtedly be a helicopter flight over the majestic glacier near the small town of Narsarsuaq, where a surprisingly large museum showcases Inuit displays and the history of the American airbase formerly located here.  It was as if seeing the landscape of the fjords and rocky mountains was not enough at ground level, but seeing the glacier from a helicopter is a particularly memorable memory of a lifetime.  In good weather, the helicopter lands on a bluff next to the glacier so lucky visitors can appreciate the panorama in all its glory.

On land, a stroll through Greenland’s capital, Nuuk, will reveal a busy little village populated by helpful people curious about the visitors who venture to this part of the world.  The charming old buildings in the town of Sisimiut and the exciting displays in Ilulissat’s art museum are examples of impressive, manmade complements to the natural attractions that are the stars of the Greenland show.  One of the most beautiful is Prins Christian Sound, located far south of the island. In the north, above the Arctic Circle, the settlement of Uummannaq is a small collection of colourful houses sited on the side of a miniature Matterhorn jutting into the sky.  As are several other settlements in Greenland, Uummannaq is accessible only by water.  The incredibly scenic ice fjord of Ilulissat and the countless icebergs that float by in the course of a day are all par for the course in a place where vast distances and formidable obstacles preclude the construction of a viable highway network. Inuit culture has always been based on sea access; therefore, it is no surprise that Greenland’s population uses the coastal waters as its transport network.

The Visit Greenland website contains information about destinations, transport, and activities in this well-known but little-explored travel destination.

 

 

 

Written by: Robert La Bua – Global Travel Connoisseur

 

 

 

 

 

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