Ilulissat, the hometown of icebergs – gap year Arctic trips (VII)

Our third stop in Greenland: the Ilulissat Icefjord!

Kangerlussuaq sits at 67°N while Ilulissat is roughly 69°N. Since both share the same longitude of 51°W, our flight path from Kangerlussuaq was essentially a straight shot north. The hop in the small propeller plane took less than an hour. Unlike the inland landscape of our previous stop, Ilulissat is a coastal town, tucked perfectly into a scenic indentation along Disko Bay.

We caught an early morning flight, taking off just as the sky was set ablaze with the colors of dawn.

Left: a distance marker at Kangerlussuaq Airport shows that major hubs across Europe and North America are all within a seven-hour direct flight. Right: an Air Greenland plane sits on the tarmac, ready for departure under a sky painted with the vibrant colors of dawn.

Aside from some visibility during takeoff and landing, the flight was mostly clouded over, offering little in the way of scenery.

Left: Shortly after takeoff, the rugged tundra north of Kangerlussuaq comes into view. Right: Just before landing, our plane banked low over the mouth of the Ilulissat Icefjord, offering a bird’s-eye view of countless massive icebergs drifting below.

Ilulissat Airport is modest in size, featuring a terminal building with muted sage-green walls accented by vibrant pink lettering and window frames.

First impressions of Ilulissat

Nestled between the mountains and the sea, Ilulissat is a well-developed town with a clean, polished aesthetic. With a population of 5,000, it feels like a proper urban center. Accommodation and dining options are plentiful – we stayed at a b&b right on the downtown waterfront, which offered even better views than the local hotels at a lower price point, with icebergs drifting directly outside our window; as for the food, the area is a treasure trove of local seafood like snow crab, halibut, and Greenlandic shrimp, delivered daily from the fishing harbor and served incredibly fresh.

*Left: A cozy restaurant in the center of Ilulissat. Right: Local snow crab, a true Arctic delicacy.*

Even the local Thai restaurants incorporate fresh Arctic ingredients into their dishes.

*Left: A Thai-style whale meat rice bowl. Right: Lee Kum Kee sauces found on the shelves of a local Asian grocery store.*

The town is defined by its rolling terrain with hardly a flat stretch of land in sight, though the roads are well-maintained and easy to navigate. I noticed locals using the public bus system, but after looking into it, the infrequent schedule and complex routes discouraged me from trying it out myself. One unique detail is that the bus stops also serve as water filling stations for tanker trucks; because of this, you will often see large water pipes extending from the roofs of the shelters.

Left: The white minivans serve as the local buses in Ilulissat, while the blue shelters mark the bus stops; the large pipe protruding from the roof is used to refill water trucks. Right: The police station features a modern wooden exterior with a sleek, contemporary design that makes it look more like an art gallery from a distance.

Cruising the icefjord

We wasted no time and booked a sunset boat tour of the icefjord for the very afternoon we arrived since the weather was in our favor.

*After pulling out of the harbor, our boat passed right in front of our b&b! It is that little red building just above the flock of seagulls.*

The Ilulissat Icefjord is a UNESCO World Heritage site and, thanks to its proximity to the gateway town of Ilulissat, has long been Greenland’s premier tourist attraction. Feeding into it is the Ilulissat Glacier – known in Greenlandic as Sermeq Kujalleq and formerly in Danish as the Jakobshavn Glacier. Stretching directly from the Greenland Ice Sheet, it is the most productive glacier in the Northern Hemisphere. It accounts for a staggering 10% of all ice discharged from the Greenland Ice Sheet into the ocean each year. Since a significant portion of the icebergs drifting past Labrador and Newfoundland originate here, it is truly the “Hometown of the Icebergs.”

*Left: Looking into the heart of the icefjord from the bow of the boat. Right: A natural archway carved through a massive iceberg.*

The sheer scale of these icebergs above the water is already breathtaking, making it almost impossible to fathom the remaining 90% hidden beneath!

*A towering ice cliff rising dozens of meters above the water*

The icebergs within the fjord are packed so densely that boats cannot venture inside, leaving us to peer in from the mouth of the bay. The icebergs at the entrance already tower about 40-50m (130-160ft) above the water, despite having drifted for some time. Deeper within the fjord, the icebergs can reach heights of over 100m (300ft) above the surface; when factoring in the submerged portion, their total height can reach 1 km (3,000 ft).

A map of the Icefjord region. From east to west, it features the Greenland Ice Sheet, the Ilulissat Glacier, the Ilulissat Icefjord, and Disko Bay. The town of Ilulissat sits right on the northern shore of the fjord.

The low angle of the sun means sunsets are incredibly drawn out in the Arctic. Even long after the sun has dipped below the horizon, the sky remains bathed in light rather than fading to darkness.

*Two locals are paddling steadily in the foreground. In the distance, a massive iceberg rises up, its sharp, well-defined edges creating a dramatic and striking contour.*

*Left: A listing iceberg tilted at a sharp angle. Right: Melting occurs more rapidly where the ice meets the water.*

Our little tour boat must have been quite new- the wooden interior was polished and scratch-free, and the cabin seats were upholstered in a matte leather that felt incredibly soft and comfortable. There was even a restroom on board. Although it had a capacity for 20 people, our group consisted of only eight passengers, accompanied by two local Inuit guides.

Out of curiosity, I took a peek at their control panel and found that the navigation and monitoring systems provided exceptionally detailed information.

*Left: The boat’s control panel, showing a water depth of approximately 40m (130ft). Right: Backlit by the sun, the icebergs take on a deep, ethereal blue hue.*

*A narrow channel has opened up between the icebergs in the fjord, offering an intricate view all the way to the southern shore.*

As the light gradually begins to fade, our boat slowly turns and begins the journey back.

*Left: A quiet corner of the icefjord. Right: As darkness finally settles in, our boat switches on its lights for the return journey.*

*A towering wall of ice casts its silent reflection across the mirror-like surface of the sea.*

Many locals were still out on the water fishing and shrimping. Our guide mentioned that because marine life follows different circadian rhythms, the waters off Ilulissat remain active with fishing vessels 24 hours a day – making it a “city that never sleeps” out on the waves.

*Left: A local fishing boat at work. Right: The surface of this iceberg appears remarkably smooth and soft in the twilight.*

Returning to the harbor, the sky hasn’t turned completely dark, but the town’s lights have already flickered on, creating an atmosphere quite different from the one we experienced during the day.

*Ilulissat harbor by night (left) and by day (right).*

Life in town

Following our excursion to the icefjord, we spent the next day on land, exploring the town of Ilulissat.

The bedrock here is still part of the Canadian Shield, similar in age to the gneiss in Kangerlussuaq, dating back 2.8 to 3 billion years to the mid-to-late Archean Eon. Right by the sea in front of the hospital, there is a spectacular gneiss outcrop. The minerals form striking alternating dark and light bands, with folds far more twisted and dramatic than those seen near the hospital in Nuuk. Carved by glacial erosion, the rock surfaces have been polished smooth into whaleback shapes, with their longitudinal orientation marking the ancient path of the advancing glaciers.

*The smooth Archean gneiss outcrop in front of Ilulissat Hospital.*

*Left: A close-up view of the mineral bands within the gneiss. Right: Glacial erosion has sculpted the bedrock into a distinct whaleback formation.*

Ilulissat is bathed in bright sunshine and crisp, cool air in mid-September. The streets are lively during the day, with locals heading out for groceries or a meal, often stopping to chat with acquaintances. The entire town is filled with a peaceful, serene sense of daily life.

*Left: A butcher shop selling traditional Inuit staples like whale and seal meat. Right: A typical local apartment building.*

Left: The top-left corner of Greenlandic stamps features “Kalaallit Nunaat,” which is the name for “Greenland” in the Greenlandic language. Right: Ilulissat is the capital of the Avannaata municipality, and the region’s coat of arms depicts four sled dogs and a halibut.

*Left: A vibrant cluster of colorful houses. Right: Many locals keep their cars and sleds on top of shipping containers; I still haven’t figured out how they manage to get them up there.*

*Left: Animal skins and furs hanging on a balcony to dry. Right: A creatively designed bench at a local bus stop.*

*Left: A shipping container that made its way here all the way from the UAE. Right: Another day draws to a close with a beautiful sunset.*

The Icefjord hiking trails

Hiking along the cliff top offers a panoramic perspective of the icefjord from above, providing a stunning alternative to seeing it from the water on a boat tour. The town has designed three specific trails that are marked as Yellow, Blue, and Red. The Yellow route runs closest to the open sea, while the Blue route is the longest, stretching deep into the interior. The Red route serves as a shortcut, branching off from the Blue at a point called Seqinniarfik (Holms Bakke) to head back. All three routes meet at a small museum known as the Icefjord Centre.

*A map illustrating the Yellow, Blue and Red routes along the north shore of Ilulissat Icefjord. Image source:* *kangia.gl/*

We started at the power plant at the beginning of the Yellow route in the upper left. We hiked the full length of the Yellow route until we reached the Ilulissat Icefjord Centre. From there, we transitioned to the blue route, continuing as far as Seqinniarfik before looping back via the red route to return to the Icefjord Centre. Since the remaining section of the blue route was too long for our schedule, we decided to save it for another time.

Yellow route

The Yellow route begins at a power station – I cannot recall if it is still in service or since decommissioned, but the chimney is decorated with quite charming patterns.

Although they are called hiking trails, most of the Yellow route involves trekking across raw stone and permafrost, with very few boardwalk sections.

After covering about a third of the path and reaching the westernmost point, the trail makes a sharp turn, suddenly revealing the massive icebergs crowding the Icefjord.

Left & Center: Viewing the massive icebergs of the Icefjord through binoculars offers a level perspective, revealing sharp, defined edges and intricate textures. Right: Along the trail, numerous smooth boulders lie scattered across the permafrost.

When we saw these giant icebergs from the boat the day before, it was from quite a low-angle; now, from the trail, we are looking at them above eye level, with a clear view of the icebergs stretching even further into the distance.

*Countless massive icebergs drift from the depths of the fjord toward the open sea.*

Isfjordscenter

The Yellow route ends at the Icefjord Centre (Isfjordscenter), a small museum with a unique architectural design that houses a little cafe. The roof features a 3D curved surface, with supporting columns set at varying angles that create geometric segments in the outdoor areas. The base of the building is elevated so that it does not directly touch the permafrost.

*The architecture of the Icefjord Centre blends harmoniously with its surroundings. The curved roof functions as an observation deck that visitors are welcome to climb.*

The tickets to go inside the museum are not cheap, and it feels like the cost is mainly paying for the architecture itself. The interior is spacious and well-designed, but the number of exhibits is actually quite small. If I had to compare, I still prefer the style of the National Museum in Nuuk, which is dense and focuses heavily on the content itself.

Fortunately, this Ilulissat Icefjord Centre at least has some ice core samples taken from deep within the Greenland ice sheet which adds some substance to the experience.

*Left: The outdoor area of the building. Center & Right: Ice core samples.*

*Left: Surrounded by natural sounds recorded from various parts of Greenland. Right: Microscopic photographs of ice cores.*

Blue route

After leaving the Icefjord Centre, we headed south and began hiking the Blue route.

*The bedrock has weathered into a series of terraces. The low-lying vegetation on top has all turned a deep red.*

The Blue route features a wooden boardwalk that is very easy to walk until you reach the Sermermiut archaeological site by the sea. The various plants on the permafrost on both sides seem to be doing their best to show off their most brilliant colors before winter sets in.

*Left: The bay near the Sermermiut archaeological site. Right: An outcrop of gneiss with clear textures, covered in moss.*

*Various types of moss, which I cannot name specifically, but their colors are fresh and full of vitality.*

The Blue route is located further upstream along the Icefjord than the Yellow route, so the surface of the sea here is even more densely packed with icebergs.

In the foreground are the fiery red crowberries along the North Shore, while the mountains on the south bank of the Icefjord rise in the distance. Sandwiched between these two landmasses is the Icefjord itself. Its surface is completely filled with icebergs that are in a state of constant, restless motion.

*Icebergs of all shapes and sizes cover the entire surface of the fjord.*

*I have run out of words, but I just feel that the icebergs filling the entire fjord are incredibly beautiful.*

Red route

We reached Seqinniarfik, the intersection of the Blue and Red routes, and then turned back north along the Red route. After walking the rugged Yellow and Blue routes, the Red route felt like a breeze by comparison. It didn’t take long at all to get back to the Icefjord Centre.

Going back to town

It is a short walk from the Icefjord Centre back into town, and we passed by a large area where locals tether their sled dogs on the way.

*The little wooden huts scattered across the tundra are all dog kennels.*

Back in town, we caught the slow polar sunset. It was magnificent.

Left: A display of traditional Greenlandic clothing (Kalaallisuut), featuring the iconic colorful bead collars and sealskin boots. Right: A vibrant sunset over Disko Bay, where the sky and ice take on brilliant hues of orange and purple.

Eqip Sermia

Eqi Glacier (Eqip Sermia) is one of the most active glaciers in Greenland for calving, where giant chunks of ice frequently crash into the sea from the glacier’s edge. The glacier’s original name is Eqi, but in Greenlandic, when the noun “glacier” (sermia) is added, the end of “Eqi” changes to “Eqip” to form the possessive case.

The glacier is located at approximately 70°N, a full degree north of Ilulissat, and it takes two hours each way by boat. We signed up for a day trip to go there.

Left: I was woken up by the sound of two little neighbor sled dogs playing in the morning. They were incredibly cute. Right: Setting out by boat heading north toward the Eqi Glacier, continuing to take in the towering cliffs of various icebergs along the way.

The first third of the journey passes through a relatively open part of Disko Bay, featuring many massive icebergs and a noticeable swell. By the middle third, our boat entered a narrower strait called Ataa Sound (Danish: Ataasund) where the water became much calmer. To the east is the mainland of Greenland, and to the west is Alluttoq Island (formerly known in Danish as Arveprinsen Ejland, meaning “Crown Prince Island”).

After rounding a towering waterfall, our small boat, which had been heading north, suddenly turned east. This marked the final third of the trip as we headed straight for the glacier.

*Left: The sea cliffs of Alluttoq Island and the calm surface of the Ataa Sound. Right: A towering waterfall where our guides collected some fresh water.*

When we first arrived at Eqi Glacier, the sky was a bit overcast, and the entire glacier appeared a distinct shade of blue.

*The mountain massifs on the left (north) and right (south) flank the ice tongue of the Eqi Glacier.*

Before long, the weather cleared up, and the surface of the glacier became bright and luminous. The color of the seawater also looked much more vivid.

We could clearly see the surface of the ice tongue through the telescope. The continuous calving activity has turned the very front of the ice tongue into a series of jagged, pitted cliffs.

*The ice cliffs at the end of Eqi Glacier.*

There was a net on the boat, and I tried scooping up a piece of sea ice. It was crystal clear!

Left: Touching “fresh” Greenlandic sea ice! Right: A local map of the area from Eqi Glacier to Ilulissat, marking Arveprinsen Ejland (which we passed), Eqip Sermia (Eqi Glacier), and Kangilerngata Sermia (another glacier to the north). Image source:https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Map-of-the-Disko-Bugt-region-showing-the-localities-named-in-the-text-The-stippled-line_fig1_282736999

Every calving event is accompanied by a thunderous roar followed by a small tsunami rippling across the sea. The water’s surface is completely covered with floating ice, making the sea in this area feel like a viscous ice-water mixture, which is why when the waves from the calving hit, we could feel that they were very restrained – more like a powerful undercurrent than flashy, splashing waves.

Once each wave passes, the sea surface quickly returns to a state of calm.

*The presence of sea ice changes the way waves travel.*

On the mountainside on the north side of the glacier, we can still see the marks left behind before the glacier retreated 20 years ago.

*The light-colored section at the base of the mountain was completely covered by the glacier not long ago.*

We lingered in front of the glacier for about two hours, enjoyed a quiet lunch, and then began our return journey.

When the boat had sailed a certain distance away, looking back to the east offered a stunning view of two glaciers in the same frame.

On the right (south) was the Eqi Glacier where we had just been, and on the left (north) was the larger Kangilerngata Glacier (Kangilerngata Sermia). Both glaciers belong to the Sermeq Kujalleq glacier system, but because the subsea hydrological conditions at Kangilerngata are more complex than those at Eqi Glacier, local guides generally do not take visitors directly to the base of Kangilerngata.

A view of two glaciers in the same frame: Kangilerngata Glacier is on the left, and Eqi Glacier is on the right. The small island surrounded by the two glaciers is called Qapiarfiit, which is about 10km (6mi) wide.

For folks who are interested in more details about the retreat of these two glaciers, feel free to refer to more professional glaciological materials, such as:

Epiq Sermia retreat, Greenland: https://glacierchange.blog/2012/03/25/epiq-sermia/
Precambrian geology of the Disko Bugt region, West Greenland: https://eng.geus.dk/media/14288/nr181_p001-179.pdf

The weather on the return trip in the afternoon was better than in the morning, making the colors of the various icebergs and rocks appear much richer.

*Left: An iceberg shaped like a peacock spreading its feathers. Right: Ancient metamorphic rock formations on the side of mainland Greenland at the bend of the Ataa Sound.*

The metamorphic rock formations on the side of mainland Greenland are absolutely spectacular!

*In the distance are Alluttoq Island and a massive iceberg floating in the middle of the inlet.*

*The Ataa Sound between Alluttoq* Island and the mainland of Greenland.

We also stopped by a small fishing village north of Ilulissat called Oqaatsut on our way back, .

The small fishing village has a population of about 30-40 people, and some of the houses serve as hunting cabins for people from Ilulissat. Sometimes there are dedicated half-day tours specifically to visit this village.

The colorful wooden houses of the Oqaatsut fishing village are scattered across the coastal rocks, appearing exceptionally peaceful against the desolate natural backdrop of Greenland when viewed from the sea.

Shortly after passing Oqaatsut, our boat arrived back in Ilulissat. As we disembarked, we spotted a warship in the harbor. That was a Thetis-class ocean patrol vessel of the Royal Danish Navy: HDMS Thetis. Its presence in Greenland was due to the NATO military exercise “Arctic Light,” which I mentioned in my previous post about Kangerlussuaq.

*The green boat is the tour boat we were just on. Behind it is the Royal Danish Navy ocean patrol vessel, marked with the hull number F357.*

The end

Ilulissat, embraced by icebergs, glaciers, strange rock formations, and beautiful bays, absolutely deserves as Greenland’s #1 tourist destination. Its good infrastructure, complete facilities, and unique, high-quality dining and cultural landscapes also add a lot to its charm.

If I have the chance to return in the future, I will strive to use Ilulissat as a base to venture even further north! However Ilulissat is our northernmost point this time. Next, we will join many locals on a three-day, two-night journey aboard the coastal ferry Sarfaq Ittuk, heading south along the coastline back to Nuuk. The ferry experience is quite unique and will be introduced separately in the next post, so stay tuned! 🎉