What is it like to travel to Greenland with Polar Lands: opinions

After my recent trip to GreenlandAt the outset I will tell you that traveling on your own in practice is almost impossible given the logistical difficulties that you are going to encounter.

Either you have your own boat or plane, or you won't get much further from the airport.

You need guides and people who know the terrain perfectly and are true specialists in knowing how to adapt a destination as wild as Greenland to a tourism trip.

That is why it is a trip that you should take with one of the few specialized agencies that work in the area, as in our case it was with Polar Lands.

Tourism in Greenland

And I say specialized because Greenland It is not just another destination.

It is a autonomous region of Denmark which is located on the American continent whose territory is 80 percent covered by ice.

La total population of Greenland It has just over 57.000 inhabitants, and it is one of the least densely populated areas in the world.

You will barely find places where to stay in Greenland that are not next to the airports, so the very few agencies that work in the area have had to set up their own infrastructure.

Over the centuries in the greenland history There have hardly been any large populations, and in fact there are several known moments in which the population has disappeared from the island.

These lands were populated by Vikings, who created the first stable settlements, and by the tribes Inuit, or as they are known more colloquially, the eskimos.

More recently, during the Second World War It was an air base for the Americans, who built the few air transport facilities that exist today in Greenland.

As it is a land with such a curious history, we have written you a specific article, in which we tell you all the historical curiosities of Greenland, which is the best way to get to know this region.

Travel to Greenland with Tierras Polares agency

The first thing to say is that the trip we have made with the Spanish agency Polar Lands is the standard of 8 days to discover Greenland.

But there are options to expand or vary it by including some extra activities, such as spending several days kayaking, or take an excursion with the experience of sleep on a glacier.

polar lands is the agency owned by Ramon Larramendi, one of the most important Arctic explorers in the world today.

Larramendi has made numerous expeditions, for example, crossing Greenland with sleighs pulled by wind kites to avoid any possible contamination of the environment.

From there Ramon fell in love with Greenland and founded this travel agency trying to maintain that spirit of enjoying while respecting nature.

El travel program that I have carried out in each group that arrives, the order of activities varies a little depending on the organization of the agency during those days and the weather forecasts.

The most popular dates They are in the month of August, although it must be said that June and July are a fantastic time to make the trip, and if you go at the beginning of September, it is the time when they begin to see northern lights.

The latter is an aspect to take into account since Greenland It is one of the best places in the world to see this natural phenomenon.

Before travel to Greenland You have to know that it is an experience in which it is important that you know how to enjoy and adapt to what comes, because part of the charm is overcoming meteorological adversities.

What is a trip to Greenland like?

So that you have prior knowledge of your possible trip, we are going to tell you how it was. our trip to Greenland with the order in which we live the different activities.

For get to greenland you have to fly or from Copenhagen in Denmark, or from Reykjavic in Iceland.

From there there are connections mainly with two cities, Kangerlussuaq y Narsarsuaq, which is where we fly, and where the most historic area of ​​Greenland is located.

Upon arriving at Narsarsuaq They picked us up at the airport, took care of our suitcases and we started a trekking by Valley of 1000 flowers, which extends right around the airport.

As the name itself indicates, this valley is one of the areas with the most flowers and one of the few in all of Greenland with trees.

I must admit that during this trekking It was the first time I got the idea of ​​its overwhelming nature and how isolated Greenland lives from the rest of the world.

After passing by some waterfalls, you reach the glacier where you do a picnic with stunning views.

Once finished the trekking, We returned to the airport area, which is the place where the old American military base was located.

Next to the airport there is a small museum that reviews the greenland history with objects and recreations from the time of the American occupation.

After passing by old barracks where the Americans lived, which today house food stores and accommodation, we headed to the port.

Here we got on a boat that would take us to Qassiursaq, which is where the hostel which serves as the agency's main base.

Own hostel Is property of Polar Lands, but as a curiosity, as happens throughout Greenland, no one owns the land.

To build on Greenland You have to request a special permit, and if authorized, they give you permission to build, but in no case does the land become your property, they simply give it to you.

When we talk about buildings, they are always small constructions, in fact, I seem to remember that I did not see a single building three stories high.

Qassiursaq camp and Viking settlements

Qassiarsuq It is the most important area in history viking the country.

This is where Eric the Red and son Leif eriksson (whose name has been taken by hostel) developed the first settlement viking from greenland.

In addition, the remains of the first Christian church in America are visited; Next to them is where the town church and the replica of what the original is believed to be is currently located.

Right next to it, and after passing the local school where there are currently 5 children enrolled, you reach the part of the history Inuit o Eskimo.

The inuit They were mainly nomadic, but they created settlements over the centuries and still preserve Qassiursaq an old house from that era.

It must be said that there is much of the history of the Inuit that has not been discovered yet, since there were several moments of extinctions and depopulations that meant that there was very little information.

Kayaking between glaciers in Nunataaq

An hour and a half after a beautiful trekking from the camp Qassiursaq, there is another of the camps of Polar Lands.

From here is where one of the activities that we liked the most and that left us absolutely in love with Greenland.

After fully equipping you and informing us of everything you need to know to browse kayak safely through those waters, we throw ourselves at the foot of one of the thousands of glacial tongues to row between icebergs, a unique experience.

It is an activity that everyone can do, not at all dangerous, since between glaciers the water in the fjords is usually absolutely calm.

It is impressive to row listening to the sound of your paddles pushing the water, while the sounds of the icebergs turning over or fracturing.

This experience alone is worth it in itself to justify a trip to greenland.

Narsaq and its colorful houses

After returning to camp Qassiursaq, we take the suitcase to go towards the glacier from which Ramon Larramendi began one of his arctic expeditions.

This is where we will spend three nights sleeping in domes, in the true style of great adventurers, one hour by boat from the nearest town.

But to get there we must first go through Narsak to supply ourselves for the next few days, since in the camp we are isolated and surrounded only by nature.

Narsak It is one of the large towns of Greenland with just over 1.500 inhabitants, a typical Fisher's town full of houses of different colors.

The house colors They have an explanation, and it is that originally they were decorated in different colors depending on the type of house in question.

Thus, each different color identified schools, supermarkets, shops or residential houses, in such a way that just by seeing its color you could know what type of building it was.

This pattern is repeated in all Greenland towns, so don't worry about whether or not you are going to see towns with colorful houses, because it is certain that you will see them during your trip.

En Narsak There are shops and supermarkets where you should buy everything you may need or need, including beers.

From here you reach the maximum possible disconnection, three days in which you will forget about your cell phone, unless it is to take some photos, since you will not be able to recharge it since there is no electricity.

Camp next to a glacier in Greenland

When you find yourself in the Halibut Camp Located at the foot of a glacier, you have a feeling very similar to being camping, but surrounded by one of the most impressive landscapes you will ever see.

A base camp created by Polar Lands, whose image may seem similar to the one that illustrates what future expeditions to Mars will be like.

From here several excursions are made during the day in the two days spent in the camp.

El Halibut Camp It is made up of several stores called domes, with a capacity of four people, and other larger tents where groups meet to dine.

You won't find showers here, although if you want you can wash and brush your teeth with the river water, although it is quite cold.

There are bathrooms enabled for larger waters, which have a treatment to make them biodegradable and thus avoid destroying the environment.

Hiking between glaciers in Greenland

The first day we had a great trekking between lakes, walking between ancient glacial tongues and areas where they live caribou in absolute freedom.

The idea is to walk through unique landscapes, along paths where only the caribou, until reaching a high area from where you can see the glacier on which you will walk the next day.

It's a trekking which we loved, since despite the rain we had during the four hours of hiking, it was a very special feeling to walk through areas covered with moss.

The layer of moss is so thick that you had the sensation of walking on a trampoline.

On these excursions we always eat a picnic at one of the viewpoints that the guides look for for the occasion.

Trekking on a glacier in Greenland

Of course, another of the star excursions in entering the glacier of thousands of kilometers and walking a few meters to live the experience.

It is the activity that best reflects the adventurous origin of Polar Lands.

After getting on the boat, we get as close as possible to a tongue of the glacier that breaks into the fjord, where walls of ice up to 30 meters high can be seen.

We disembark in a safe area and walk to the area where we access the glacier.

You enter more or less through the same area every year, but the guides told us that due to global warming, access to the glacier is increasingly farther away since it is receding.

Since the ice changes every day because the glacier is in continuous movement, the guide is in charge of making decisions in everything related to safety.

Upon arrival they give you the equipment you need to grip the ice perfectly and explain how to use the crampons, If it is the first time you use them.

You just have to bring normal thermal clothing, sunglasses and sunscreen, since the sun reflects off the glacier and can burn your retina.

It is an unforgettable experience.

Visit Igaliku, the bishops' village in Greenland

We left the camp after spending some unforgettable days, and we got back on the boat to head to our last destination, which is two hours away by boat from said camp.

After leaving the boat and making a short trekking To cross a hill, a small town with very few houses appears before our eyes, which is located in a beautiful enclave.

Igaliku It is one of the towns Vikings most important from a historical point of view, where the headquarters of the Bishopric of Greenland.

There you can visit the remains of the christian cathedral that they built in the town.

From here we return to spend the night at the first camp, in Qassiursaq , to take the boat again to go to the airport and return home having enjoyed an unforgettable trip.