Spring in Ilulissat

City walking, the early Inuit and life today.

On a guided city walk, you’ll learn about the historic “Hotel Hvide Falk”, the “Zion Church”, the “Brættet”, the harbor and various viewpoints. Each place holds a special significance to Ilulissat and holds stories about how the city has developed, where it is today – and where it is heading.

Experienced guides will be assigned to the tour and they will be inspired by you as a participant, your questions and interests – together you will create a unique tour.

Snowmobile – play – arrival at the unsurpassed.

There is something unrivaled about the frozen tundra, with wind in your face and the feeling of Driving on freedom.

A snowmobile tour allows you to get up close and personal with the ice fjords and massive ice formations.
One of the biggest benefits (besides being fun, adrenaline-pumping and exciting) of snowmobiling is that it allows you to experience areas of Greenland that would otherwise be inaccessible. You’ll only truly understand this when you explore remote valleys, cross frozen lakes, and maybe even encounter wild animals in their natural habitat.

Snowmobiling is a safe activity when done with an experienced guide. You will receive thorough instruction and all necessary equipment to ensure a safe and comfortable ride.

Dog sledding – wide open spaces – tranquillity and great nature.

Sled dogs are an integral part of life in Greenland, and on this tour you will experience first-hand why they are known for their strength and endurance.

An experienced sled driver will be your guide throughout the trip through the snowy expanses. You will learn about the dogs’ ability to pull heavy sleds over long distances and why they thrive in the cold Arctic climate and prefer to live outdoors.

Before the tour, you will be introduced to the dog handlers who will take care of the dogs and help you prepare for the tour in the snowy landscape. The tour starts from the outskirts of the city over the frozen lakes with the big mountains in the background and takes about 1-1.5 hours. We recommend warm clothing, especially something that can cover your face.

Oqaatsut, a small settlement, snowshoeing or ice fishing – the choice is yours.

* The tours are either a day trip with lunch or an afternoon trip with dinner at Restaurant H8.

20 kilometers north of Ilulissat is Oqaatsut, a settlement with around 30 inhabitants. Locally, the settlement is called Red Bay, which refers to the blood of the whales that have been hauled ashore here for centuries – and still do today.

Your sailing trip to Oqaatsut starts in Ilulissat Harbour. Along the way, you will experience the surrounding landscape and the changing shapes of the icebergs from the boat.
If there is ice in the harbor when the boat docks, you will have the experience of walking across the ice to get ashore.

Oqaatsut snowshoe hiking – feel the freedom of keeping your balance in places you wouldn’t otherwise go.

At Restaurant H8, sheep in snowshoes are handed out. An adventurous hike in the mountains awaits, as the tour offers beautiful viewpoints in Disko Bay, with views of the drifting icebergs, and along the way you will hear about life in the village of Oqaatsut.

The hike lasts approximately 1-1.5 hours, after which you return to restaurant H8 where you can relax, enjoy the view, or head out to explore the area on your own.

Oqaatsut ice fishing in the frosty fjord.

A test of patience between man and nature, ice fishing is a method that is still used today. It’s an ancient way of drilling a hole in thick ice – and it’s almost like opening a window to a hidden underwater world. Here, in the icy water swim the large halibut that Greenlandic hunters still fish for.
You catch with a longline where you sink the line into the depths. It can feel like a victory if a halibut finally bites – the patience that pays off, because it can be cold to stand still, despite the warm clothes – and along the way we warm up with cocoa.

The tour lasts approximately one hour. The hosts at Restaurant H8 will help you with the equipment you wear to keep warm – just like the Greenlandic hunters.

*During the day tour, lunch is served in Restaurant H8, and the evening tour ends with a meal in Restaurant H8 before we cross the ice to the boat for the return trip to Ilulissat.

About Restaurant H8 and the taste of Greenlandic specialties

It’s low-ceilinged, in a cozy way, but the view you look out over while dining at one of Greenland’s best village restaurants is magnificent. The blue fjord contrasts sharply with the white icebergs, and the food served is composed of meat and fish from the Greenlandic nature, with a focus on Greenlandic specialties.

The ice fjord – mountains of ice – and the surface of the water being broken by the boat.

To experience the Illussat Icefjord, the place where most icebergs are created, it’s a good idea to sail into the fjord and between the colossal icebergs to get up close to this fascinating area of ice.

Ilulissat Icefjord is one of the finest examples of an Icefjord in the world. The fjord is shaped by the enormous Sermeq Kujalleq glacier and is one of the most active and fastest glaciers in the northern hemisphere. Experiencing the fjord is like being an eyewitness to one of nature’s most remarkable phenomena – up close you see the dynamics of the glaciers and the processes that shape the Arctic landscape.
Whatever the weather, the sight of the huge icebergs and their hues from deep blue and deep white, sparkling and glittering, to shadowy and ever-changing, is an experience.

An experienced guide will tell you about the area, the ice and the fjord’s importance to both Greenland and the rest of the world.

The camera can’t capture the giant iceberg you sail past, but your body remembers the feeling; leaning your neck all the way back to get the full view. – Marianne, traveler with Travel by Heart-Greenland.