14 tips for traveling to Greenland for tourism (our experience)

Greenland It is not just another destination, it is an adventure to which you have to be prepared to enjoy it to the fullest.

In this article we are going to give you our best advice that you need to know before embarking on an adventure as authentic and special as it is. travel to Greenland.

For this we have made a list of the frequently asked questions that may arise in a trip to greenland like the one we did with the agency Polar Lands.

Tips for traveling to Greenland for tourism

And we are going to start with the different aspects that you must take into account when packing your suitcase, which is the first step that can mark your stay in the region.

What documentation do I need to travel to Greenland?

Greenland It is an autonomous territory that administratively belongs to Denmark, so at the time of use your ID or passport is as travel in Europe, you can use either of the two, but with your DNI it would work for you.

Travel to Greenland with an agency or on your own

You already know that we always try to help those of you who want to organize trips on your own, but we will say that to travel to Greenland the advice is go with agency.

And the reason is very evident, because in said arctic territory There is no infrastructure to get around, nor accommodation that is not attached to the airports.

There are also no roads between its small towns, there are no regular bus or boat lines, or anything like that, and the only way to get around is by boat, which is only available to local people and the travel agencies that work there.

Greenland It is one of the few destinations where, for example, Polar Lands, agency specializing in adventure travel with whom we travel, has had to build their own accommodation and provide their own boats and kayak to move travelers.

In this way they have their own hostels, and they have also set up their own adventure camp at the foot of a glacier, like arctic explorers.

Best travel insurance for traveling Greenland

Normally if you go with a travel agency, like the one mentioned above Polar Lands, the most normal thing is that travel insurance is already included in the price.

In any case, be sure and it doesn't hurt if you bring your own.

In this regard, it is worth noting that, although, for example, there are credit cards that include travel insurance, since it is a very special destination in terms of the activities carried out, you must review the clauses to know if you are covered.

We always travel with a annual travel insurance which covers all possible incidents.

Here we leave you the information you should know to take out travel insurance

What clothes do I need to bring to Greenland?

This is perhaps the most important point before traveling, as there are many small things that must be taken into account, since it is not a typical trip, but in terms of clothing it requires being well prepared.

Thermal, waterproof, thin, windproof clothing, what suitcase should I bring? There are many doubts that arise when preparing your luggage, and you have to be clear about what to bring, because you will hardly find stores if you have forgotten something

What suitcase to take

We start with the suitcase, which must be soft and if it can be hung on the back it is perfect, since there will be times when it has to be moved and there are no asphalt roads for it to roll.

There are some of North Face that they are perfect, that in fact they are the ones they regularly use in Greenland.

Waterproof clothing

Perhaps the main advice would be that all clothing that you bring, if possible, let it be raincoat, it is just as important as carrying Thermal clothing.

Boots, pants and something for the top must be waterproof, be it a coat, a fleece, a poncho or any garment with gore-tex.

As for pants, if you don't have waterproof ones, the easiest thing is to buy some of the pants covers sold in sports stores like Decathlon.

Thermal clothing

You must also carry Thermal clothing, especially Tshirts, and for the days on which they are scheduled long boat trips, it doesn't hurt to wear thermal pants, although if you wear good pants, it is not necessary.

In general, you have to take waterproof clothing, thin, warm, light and breathable, just like mountain socks.

Also some of Mountain clothing, taking into account that you have to be protected, especially from the rain; even something to cover the backpack if you were going to carry it in the trekking.

Chances are you're not as cold as you expect when you think about Greenland, but it can make you more wet than you would like.

Other necessary equipment

For trekking it is necessary to carry canteen well you will need water, and also a glass to be able to prepare soups with the water you carry in a term.

It doesn't hurt to carry mosquito net for the face when walking; there is giant mosquitoes that try to eat you every time the sun rises, especially in certain places.

You must also carry a sleeping bag to sleep in hostels; It is not necessary for it to be too thick since you are going to use it as sheets.

Extra night in the destination city upon your return

When plan the trip, we advise you to book on your return, if possible, an extra day in the city where you have a stopover on the flight from Greenland.

More than anything because the weather can get complicated, and it can happen to you, like us, that you have some flight cancellations due to bad weather and your return is delayed.

This way if you were unlucky and the departure from Greenland, which is relatively common in certain circumstances, you would not miss the connecting flight from Copenhagen o Reykjavik to your house.

How to protect yourself from mosquitoes in Greenland

It is important to have on hand the anti-mosquito spray or the mesh that protects you from insects, because it is crazy the size and number of mosquitoes that you will find in some areas of Greenland when the sun comes out and there is no wind.

They stung us as much as they wanted, and even more so because we didn't have the spray on hand, and it even gave us a small allergic reaction that bothered us for the first few days.

It is best to carry a small container of less than 100 ml in your hand luggage so you can apply the spray as soon as you arrive.

And I mean in hand luggage in case anything happens and the suitcases do not arrive at the airport, as can happen on any trip.

The essentials in hand luggage on the plane

As in any trip, you can lose suitcases, but in case this happens, for this trip it is important that you anticipate.

Ideally, you should be dressed on the plane in the clothes you plan to wear, including boots and accessories, and a dry change of clothes in your carry-on backpack.

Think that you should also include the raincoats, hats, gloves and this type of things that you will need.

In this case it is only to go towards Greenland because on the way back it is not necessary.

What currency do they use in Greenland?

While Denmark Belongs to the European Union, is a country not integrated into the euro and they continue to use their own currency, the Danish crown, and the same thing happens in Greenland.

So that you have a reference of the cultural, , one euro is approximately 7 crowns.

Can you pay by card in Greenland?

They had recommended that we take crowns to pay for what we needed, but in practice in almost one hundred percent of the places we have visited They accepted credit card.

Even in remote corners of Greenland where there was only a small shop you could pay with card.

So bring crowns just in case, but the card works great.

Internet connection and Wifi in Greenland

If there is a place where you can truly disconnect from everyday life, it is in Greenland.

There are areas where there is simply no telephone or internet connection. Internet.

The guides go with phones with satellite connection in case something happens, so you forget to have Internet.

There are only some specific areas where you can connect by paying.

A question that arose when we were traveling in relation to the telephone was, as it belonged Greenland to Denmark, if we could benefit from the current agreement that allows us to use the telephone and Internet in other countries of the European Union.

We thought that with our telephone we could have the rooming free, but it seems Greenland is excluded from this agreement, so calls to Spain with your mobile have a cost, and if you do not remove the roaming of your mobile, you will have a significant charge for the use of Internet.

Also in Greenland there flat data rates or connection, you simply pay for what you consume, so that the Internet connection It is very expensive, and you buy the time you want to use.

After making the purchase, they give you a password, and once the connection is activated, you start to consume time.

There are places where once you activate the code, time runs and you can't stop it, and in others like the camp Polar Lands, riding a Qassiursaq, when you do the logout and you disconnect from Internet, the time stops.

In practice we only find the latter in this camp; In the rest of the places the connection was continuous time.

Prices vary greatly, but we already told you that they are very expensive, they are around 8 euros per hour of connection to Internet.

Of course, the longer you buy, the cheaper it is.

Travel with a positive attitude and desire to enjoy

As we always say, there are many ways to travel, and for this trip it is key that you want to have a good time, no matter what happens.

And we don't say this because nothing is going to happen, but because it is a very particular destination due to its climatic conditions, the opposite of a classic destination, for example, sun and beach.

It is very likely that you will get wet, that you will walk in the rain, that at some point you will be tired, or other incidents may occur, but going with a positive attitude will allow the trip to be a beautiful experience.

If you're going to complain about it being rainy and cold, choose another destination.

Un trip to greenland It is a mix between going camping to enjoy nature and feeling like a true explorer overcoming adversity.