3 minute read
Bird’s-eye view: The frozen fairytale of Ilulissat
TRAVEL Greenland
Winter above the Arctic Circle
Following winter solstice, the return of the sun is a cherished sight in Ilulissat.
TEXT AND PHOTOS: Benjamin Hardman
Situated 350 km (217 miles) north of the Arctic Circle in the West of Greenland, at the edge of the north’s largest ice cap, visitors to this beautiful town and its surrounding wilderness areas in the winter will be dazzled by the frozen ice fjord oasis known as Disko Bay.
02
01 Pushing through the sea ice on the way to the icebergs of Disko Bay. 02 A pack of Greenland sled dogs taking a break on their way to a fishing hut. 03 Northern lights over an iceberg in the backcountry. 04 A puppy running around in Ilulissat.
03 04
Throughout the winter months, towering icebergs from the nearby Sermeq Kujalleq outlet glacier will become locked in the winter sea ice, slowly releasing into the ice fjord as the sun returns in late January. By this time, a boat trip into the pockets of open water will allow you to get up close to the icebergs, giving you a true sense of their immense size. No matter how many times you take a boat trip out in Disko Bay, there will always be something new to photograph. The ever-changing weather around the glacier create dynamic lighting conditions over the ice; it’s simply a dream for photographers.
To gain an even deeper experience at winter in the Arctic, one may choose to head towards the inland ice. Traversing the frozen lakes and rocky valleys by dog sled or snowmobile, you’ll arrive at a lookout point at the tail end of the ice fjord, where you’ll get the opportunity to witness just how frozen a landscape can be. The backcountry landscape is stark and wide open, and the feeling of remoteness will be amplified when sitting on the sled with your musher and a team of Greenland dogs, working in cohesion with the snowy terrain. The sense of community can really be seen out there with the local fishermen always greeting each other in passing. It’s such an interesting way of life, and working in these often extreme conditions shows their incredible strength and resilience to the cold.
To complete your winter experience in Greenland, there’s nothing that can bring you closer to your surroundings than immersing yourself in the wonders of the Igloo Lodge. Situated along the fisherman’s route just outside of Ilulissat, you’ll have the opportunity to spend a night sleeping inside an igloo. After a nice day of activities, your experience will begin in a wooden cabin situated nearby the igloos, where your hosts will prepare a traditional dinner inside their cabin, giving you a chance to warm up before heading off to sleep. You may even get a glance of the aurora borealis after your meal, with the clear and dark skies in all directions completely free of light pollution. It will then be time to rug up and begin your night in the elements. With enough space inside for two people and rectangular ice bricks creating a solid structure above you, your warmth and comfort inside will come from a thick reindeer hide placed beneath a winter sleeping bag, as well as from a few small candles, which strangely enough can actually warm up the room by several degrees.
Feeling the cold, crisp air above the polar circle will bring a special energy to your time in the north; there is a sense of purity there that is hard to find anywhere else. These experiences, from seeing towering icebergs to traversing the backcountry on a dog sled, will make for an unforgettable trip to the Arctic.
GETTING THERE:
Ilulissat
Reykjavík
Air Iceland Connect flies between Reykjavik and Ilulissat from March to April and June to September, twice a week in spring and autumn and up to six times a week in summer.
