Narsarsuaq

settlement in Kujalleq, Greenland

Narsarsuaq is a village in Southern Greenland. The village is based around the airport, which was built in 1941 by the US military, but is now in commercial use. When arriving in Southern Greenland by international flight this will be your destination. Even though the village can be quite uncharming, most of the buildings being there just for the sake of the airport, the surrounding area has some spectacular sights.

First thing to do, when arriving, is to go to the Blue Ice Explorer Café/Tourist Office/Museum, where you will leave your bags and find out what to see/do. Remember that, like everything else in Greenland, the availability of transportation and sights depend extremely on the weather.

Get in

By plane

By boat

From may to September Arctic Umiaq Line has a weekly ferry to and from Narsarsuaq. It follows the coastline to the west and, if possible, sails all the way to Ilulisat, passing Qaqortoq, Nuuk and Sisimiut on the way. To greenlanders, the ferry is used like the Intercity trains in Europe, thus you'll meet ordinary people visiting their families, not just tourists on a cruise. The company is trying to make the route more attractive to tourists, i.e. the captains are instructed to sail announce and sail closer to any whales spotted on the route. So if you hear a sudden speaker mumble resembling the Danish word hvaler, do hurry to the upper deck for a spectacular view of jumping whales.

Small boats sail the waters south of Narsarsuaq all the time. Diskoline has public boat trips. The tourist office arranges boats to most of the cities in Southern Greenland, but you might be able to catch a lift on a fishingboat going your direction.

Over land

Virtually impossible. On the other side of the river a dirt road leads to Qassiasuk the other side of the fjord. But to arrange to cross the river, you probably have to talk to the tourist office in Narsarsuaq.

Get around

Most places are within walking distance, but taxi can be arranged by the hotel or tourist office. If you need to go to the harbour, a bus (owned by the hotel) can be arranged to pick you up. The fare is approx. 10 DKK or free if you live at the hotel. Further distances can almost only be reached by boat. Check with the tourist office or a fisherboat at the harbour.

See

For easy trips you can climb the Signal Hill (Danish: Signalhøjen), which give you a beautiful view over the fjord. Else you can go to the harbour or the beach to watch icebergs sail by and hear them break. One official sight is the lone standing fireplace of a burned down to ground hospital north east of town.

Do

The Inland ice is reachable within walking distance from Narsarsuaq. One follows the road to the burned down hospital and walk through the scenic Flower Valley (Danish: Blomsterdalen). An almost vertical 300 m climb, gets you to the beautiful view of the Narsarsuaq Glacier, and it is even possible to get quite close (though you have to keep a very long safety distance!!!). Aside for the climb, it is an easy walk (approx. 10 km), and the climb is possible for people with at reasonable condition, as the steepest parts are supported by ropes, you can hold on to. Guided tours can be arranged with the tourist office .

Hiking maps of the area makes longer trips possible, but beware that trails on the map are suggestive, meaning it may be possible to walk this route. Green trails are routes along roads which are easy and hard to get lost. Blue are fairly easy cross country paths. Red are difficult. Black route are extremely difficult and should be avoided if possible, even for very experienced hikers. The trail down from Nakkaalaaq, for example, is little more than over-steepened talus slope. Don't expect anything to be marked, nor that lakes and streams have the size indicated, as this varies throughout seasons. Beware the mosquitos and flies. Though not dangerous, they are quite a nuisance, so bring a net and lots of repellant.

Buy

Souvenirs and postcards are available at the hotel and at the tourist office. There is a Supermarket (Pilersuisoq), but it is easiest found by asking directions.

The grocery store does not sell much besides dried reindeer meat to eat while hiking or camping. If you want dried camping food you will need to bring it from outside Greenland

Eat

Fast food can be bought at the airport, and you can probably get a bun, coffee or cake at the tourist office.

A restaurant is situated in the hotel.

Drink

There's a small bar in the hotel that serves local beer (Tuborg) and various imported drinks along with some interesting cocktails. The general store also sells some alcoholic drinks.

Alcohol is expensive in Greenland, so it's worth bringing your own if you can.

Sleep

The youth hostel is situated 600 m northeast of the airport a bit of the side of the main road. Prices can be found on the Blue Ice café website .

The more expensive solution is to stay at the hotel. Take the bus from the airport (free if you stay at the hotel) or ask at the tourist office.

The cheap option is to put up a tent. Just stay out of the gasoline tank areas, the airport and the centre of town, then nobody will mind. If you do it near the water you will have the music of the iceberg to sleep to. Don't be surprised when you wake up in the middle of the night because a giant iceberg chose to turn upside down just outside your tent. For this reason you should avoid camping directly on the shoreline - a rolling iceberg can create a sizable wave, a bit like a small tsunami, there have been isolated reports of tents being swept away by these waves.

Go next

To go see old Norse settlements arrange yourself a boattrip to either Qassiarsuk or Igaliku.

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