Raise your hand if you’ve seen The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and immediately envisioned running away to Greenland. Not just us, right? Well, it turns out that the Greenland scenes were actually filmed in Iceland, but don’t let that deter you from your own Greenland adventure!
During our initial planning, we quickly realized we had two options: summer or winter. While we love a good winter destination, we opted to explore Greenland during the summer season when the days are long and the temperatures are cool. Once we had the “when,” we needed the “where.”
I know a lot of travel bloggers talk about not being a “tourist” and immersing themselves into the culture. But I don’t mind being a tourist. When you’re limited on vacation days, you have to squeeze in the highlights where you can. Ilulissat is the perfect place to be a tourist and enjoy the scenery.
How to Get There
There are two main options for getting to Ilulissat…Air Greenland and Air Iceland Connect. You’ll likely be flying in from either Reykjavik, Iceland, or Copenhagen, Denmark. We chose Reykjavik. Since weather can be an issue, we opted to allow for a few buffer days before and after our trip to Ilulissat. That meant we got to explore Reykjavik for a few days as well.
One important thing to note if traveling through Reykjavik…if you’re traveling via Air Iceland Connect, you’ll need to get to the domestic airport in Reykjavik. This is NOT the same as Keflavik International Airport! And it’s about a 40 minute drive from Keflavik Airport to Reykjavik Airport. So, if you’re not planning on any buffer days, make sure your connection time between flights allows for the drive between the airports.
One more important thing to note if you’re flying Air Iceland Connect…the luggage restrictions. You’re limited to 20 kg (about 44 lbs) for your checked baggage and 6 kg (about 13 lbs) total for all carry on luggage. We found that they didn’t really check the weights for our carry on luggage, but we may have just been lucky.
Language
West Greenlandic is the official language of Greenland, but many also speak Danish since Greenland is one of the countries that make up the Kingdom of Denmark. But, if you’re an English speaker, you don’t need to worry about a language barrier. We found that most spoke English very well.
Currency
You’ll need to stock up on Danish Krone for your spending needs in Ilulissat. When we arrived, we quickly realized that there was no currency exchange available at the airport. There is a bank in town that you can easily exchange money, but, since we arrived on a Saturday, the bank wasn’t an option. Thankfully, credit cards are accepted most places, but you also have the option of exchanging money at the hotels.
Where to Stay
We stayed at the Hotel Avanna in a room facing Disko Bay. All of the rooms open up to a balcony with two chairs available per room for sitting and enjoying the view. The rooms also included a kitchenette. Hotel Avanna is also a short (less than 5 minutes) walk to the larger resort in town, Hotel Arctic. Both Hotel Avanna and Hotel Arctic are about a 15-20 minute walk to the center of town.
While the views at both Hotel Avanna and Hotel Arctic are amazing, you might want to be closer to the town. In that case, you might want to check out Hotel Icefjord or Hotel Hvide Falk.
Where to Eat
There aren’t a lot of restaurant options in town. We saw Hong Kong Cafe, Inuit Cafe, Kangia Cafe, and Cafe Iluliaq in town. We ate at Kangia Cafe where Kevin had a sandwich that he swore was the best thing EVER! Hotel Arctic also has two restaurants: Restaurant Ulo and Cafe Ferdinand. If you want to try local beer, then you can hit up Brewery Immiaq.
There are also 3 grocery stores in town. We made use of our kitchenette by stopping at one to stock up on food and drinks.
Things to Do
There are several tours you can enjoy while visiting Ilulissat. You can kayak among the icebergs, take a boat tour of Disko Bay, camp on a glacier, take a city tour, and take a day excursion to Eqi Glacier. Any time I begin looking into tour options, I get a little nervous about finding a reputable tour company. Tour companies that are local and have a physical presence in Ilulissat include Tourist Nature, World of Greenland, PGI Greenland, IceCap Tours, and Ilulissat Tours. We personally used Tourist Nature, World of Greenland, and PGI Greenland with no complaints!
Our favorite activity was kayaking among the icebergs with PGI Greenland. If you plan to go on a kayaking adventure, be prepared by wearing thermal underwear or light clothing. The thermal suits they provide are quite warm, so you don’t want to be wearing a lot of layers under them. Also, either bring a waterproof camera or a waterproof case for your phone for photos while kayaking. Bonus points for a floating camera or phone case since you’ll be in trouble if you drop it in the water otherwise!
At the end of the kayaking tour, we also had the opportunity to fully submerge ourselves in the icy water. The thermal suits really do keep you warm, so don’t be afraid to try out the polar plunge!
Here’s a fun fact about icebergs that we learned from one of our kayaking guides…the icebergs with jagged tops haven’t turned yet. Those can be dangerous because they will at some point topple over. This can cause potentially large waves which can impact boats in the water. Below is an example both a smooth iceberg which has already turned and a jagged edged iceberg that hasn’t turned.
Our second favorite activity was the day tour up to Eqi Glacier. If you want to see ice fall from a glacier, then the odds are in your favor here.
It was a long day on the boat getting to and from Eqi Glacier from Ilulissat, but the boat was comfortable with seats and tables enclosed in a heated space. There was an upper viewing deck as well as an open viewing deck on the back where you could go inside to sit.
When we arrived at the glacier, the boat stopped for a while so that we could eat the meal provided by the tour and enjoy watching the ice fall. While we were there, we saw the glacier calve several times. Plus, you get beautiful scenery on the way to and from the glacier.
How to Get Around
Our hotel arranged for transport to and from the airport, but taxis were surprisingly abundant here. Yes, you can walk pretty much anywhere you need to, but, after a long day, you may get a bit tired of walking up and down the hills. You can get a taxi by calling +299 944 944. While most things close around 9:00 or 9:30 p.m., we were still able to get a cab later in the evening.
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi is not readily available here. When it is, there’s a hefty fee to use it. One of our tour guides joked that Greenland was one of the last places in the world where you can still rent DVDs. (Not true, but you get his point.) He went on to further explain that the locals often download movies onto a USB when traveling to other countries for when they return home. We rented a Wi-Fi device from Cellomobile for our internet needs, and it worked perfectly while in Ilulissat.
Who Let the Dogs Out?
We saw tons of dogs randomly chained by their dog houses throughout Ilulissat. One of our guides explained that these are working dogs rather than pets. He went on to claim that they can be dangerous, so don’t try to pet them. You can, however, book a tour to visit the husky puppies to get your fix!
What to Buy
Your best souvenir will the photos you take, but there are a few souvenir shops around. The main items available appeared to be items made from seal skin and carvings from various animal bones. If you want to buy a carving from animal bone, then check what you can bring back into your home country. One of the shops said you can only take reindeer and musk ox bones back into the U.S.A.
We like to buy a painting from our travels, but there were very limited options in Ilulissat. We found that only one place, The Glacier Shop, had paintings available for purchase.
What Are Your Waiting For?
Now that you have some basics for planning your trip, what are you waiting for? These views are so worth the trip! If you need some packing tips for Ilulissat, then head over here.
