The best of Greenland: what to see and do on a nature trip

Greenland It is one of those few corners in the world that can practically only be visited in the summer months, since the rest of the year this enormous island goes into hibernation, like another of the area's inhabitants, the polar bear.

But in the summer months, the coasts thaw and give life a chance.

It is not a typical tourist destination with a wide range of accommodation, where you also have various transportation alternatives between cities.

What is the experience of traveling to Greenland like?

Travel to Greenland It is so complex to organize from a logistical point of view, that in practice it is almost impossible to take a tourist trip on your own.

To give you an idea, apart from a few plane connections between some small inhabited areas, it is barely possible to get around except on board private boats.

Greenland It is so sparsely inhabited that most towns only have dirt roads to move within them, but there are no roads that connect the various towns.

Its highways are fjords, and most towns are small villages with very few isolated houses in the countryside.

This set of circumstances makes a nature trip to greenland It becomes a small adventure, in which it is key to have an open mind and a positive attitude at all times.

If you do, Greenland gives you some unique sensations and landscapes that are found in few places in the world.

This is what we discovered when we recently had the opportunity to visit Greenland in a travel with the agency Polar Lands.

It is the main destination specialist agency, which has vehicles, boats and hostels own to be able to organize the trip.

It is curious to note the great influence of Polar Lands in greenland, to the point that you find inuit (Eskimos) who speak Spanish, since they collaborate with the agency, and it is common to see flags and posters in Spanish.

What to see and do on a nature trip to Greenland

And after live this special experience We have decided to show you the main Reasons why it is worth visiting Greenland.

Enjoy Landscapes and Nature in their purest state

It is said that much of the progress of human beings is due to their ability, instead of adapting to the environment like the rest of the animals, to adapt the environment to their needs.

But this in some areas of the world such as Greenland Easier said than done.

Without a doubt, being so isolated means that the hand of man is not felt and this has meant that they remain intact, almost as they were centuries ago.

A country that is basically a huge glacier It covers almost its entire surface, a true ice desert that spreads out, forming enormous coastal areas. tongues of ice, full of icebergs.

And you can count on the fingers of one hand the destinations in the world with these characteristics, also one of the best in the world where to see the northern lights.

This combination creates unrepeatable landscapes that you could spend the afternoon just looking at.

Sleep in a camp like true explorers

En Greenland you will be able to live an authentic experience, live in a base camp at the foot of a glacier.

This is land of arctic explorers, and one of them is the director of Polar Lands, Ramon Larramendi.

Ramon He is one of the most important polar explorers in the world today, and in his numerous expeditions he has traveled thousands of kilometers and developed sleds pulled by wind kites.

Based on what would be authentic polar camps, they have created some igloo tents in which it is night during the trip.

It is a very special place, since you are an hour by boat from any town, while you hear the sound of the icebergs breaking off from the glaciers.

Travel to Greenland to discover the land of the Eskimos (Inuit)

When we talk about eskimos, the characteristic features of this community immediately come to mind.

Actually they are the inuitBecause Eskimo It is a name that they do not like because it means devourer of raw meat.

But beyond semantics, it is really fascinating to know how this community of inhabitants of Greenland.

The inuit They were nomadic hunting tribes that originate from Siberia, which for centuries traveled throughout the Arctic chasing animals.

Various tribes inuit As the years went by, they appeared and disappeared. Greenland for thousands of years.

The inuit They are really tough people accustomed to solitude, but absolutely charming and smiling, and on the trip you will have the opportunity to share moments.

Learn curiosities about the history of Greenland

When they tell us about GreenlandImages of spectacular landscapes in green environments with large icebergs always come to mind, but what they don't usually tell us is their story.

Did you know that Greenland was built first Christian church on the American continent, during the time that the Vikings were they in these lands?

In fact, before the year 1000 Vikings They had already arrived in America, so they set foot on this continent 500 years before Christopher Columbus.

In the most recent period, during the Second World War, Greenland It served as an American military base, which is the origin of the air transport infrastructure that exists today.

But as the theme of greenland history It is fascinating since it is a very peculiar place, we have written a specific article where we tell you all the historical curiosities of this region.

Discover villages with colorful houses in Greenland

We do not forget the characteristics Greenlandic colored houses, and it is no coincidence that the houses in all the towns and cities are painted in different colors.

Originally, houses were painted in various very striking colors depending on their uses; In this way it was very easy to distinguish where the stores, doctors or schools were located with a simple glance.

And in summer, with the sun shining, they would have no problem distinguishing them, but in dark winters with snow storms, it shouldn't be so easy.

Walk through a glacier thousands of kilometers long

In these expeditions where you settle in a base camp, one of the excursions that is done is walk on a glacier.

This activity can also be done in other countries, such as Jostedal in the fjords of Norway, but there is a substantial difference.

When you walk along any glacier in another geographical area of ​​Europe, no matter how large it may be, you can usually see more or less the end, or at least, from what you know it occupies, you can intuit it.

But getting into a glacier in Greenland It is different, since the end of it is several thousand kilometers away.

The best way to get a little used to the idea of glacier size It is from the plane if you fly from a city in the south of the island, such as Narsasuaq, to the capital Nuuk in the West.

We had the opportunity since our return flight was canceled due to bad weather, and we had to fly to another city to return from there to Copenhagen.

Sail among icebergs in the land where kayaks arose

Obviously these glaciers give way to beautiful fjords, which promotes my Favorite activity in Greenland, Kayak between icebergs.

The word kayak comes precisely from the ships that the tribes of inuit to be able to navigate, so the experience could not be more authentic

It is very curious to see the different shapes and colors that icebergs show depending on how long they have been submerged, or whether they have turned over or not, or the hundreds of factors that give them shape.

But it is an enormously pleasant sensation to paddle leisurely listening to the sound of the icebergs breaking or turning over.

Take a sustainable and environmentally friendly trip

Greenland It is such a special destination that even the agencies that operate here base all their development on trying to make a zero impact on nature.

In these routes to know GreenlandThey are always very careful with the waste that is generated and its treatment so as not to spoil the natural paradise that is this island.

As I have seen, in Greenland you will find yourself in complete harmony with nature with a sustainable tourism.