How To Get To Greenland From Us

Earlier this week, President Trump floated the idea of purchasing Greenland. Nosotros're not going to dignify that strange piece of American history with too many words, just if you're curious on the legality or logistics of his fantasy, Political leader wrote an interesting piece on the precedent for sovereign land purchases. In brief: self-determination is a thing at present, and countries can't purchase autonomous regions without the express blessing of the people living there.

It'due south no wonder the emotions of Greenlanders ran the total amusement-to-anger spectrum this week. Imagine if some other country casually described purchasing the United States. The colonial era is over; Greenland isn't Denmark's to sell. Trump'due south dismissal of Danish Prime Government minister Mette Frederiksen is all the more ludicrous in this light.

Greenland might not be for sale, but information technology is open up for business organisation, as a proud state with an economy on the ascension. It overcame its overly told misnomer joke (Why's it called Greenland if lxxx% of the country is covered in ice?) somewhere back in the early 2000s, when Republic of iceland took off, and now Arctic/sub-Arctic tourism has fully hitting the mainstream. But Greenland is more than the melting glaciers you read nigh in CNN news alerts (although that's undoubtedly a big part of the conversation), and it's now a legitimate option for those looking to take a trip to the earth'southward largest island. The Trump saga has merely accelerated its coming out party.

Information technology's worth pointing out here that two years ago, Trump threatened "burn down and the fury like the earth has never seen" against North Korea. The dictatorship responded in kind, with a very specific threat: "enveloping burn down at the areas around Guam with [a] medium-to-long-range strategic ballistic rocket." While conventional wisdom would propose potential annihilation and tourism don't mesh, the American territory's tourism numbers are up to well-nigh 750,000 people a year. The lesson here is that no Trump news is bad news, at least where tourism is concerned. It's already happening with Greenland — the country's official tourism site crashed terminal calendar week, and according to Kayak, searches on flights to Greenland were upward 204% this week.

People — Americans, especially — are clearly interested in visiting Greenland. Merely how the hell exercise y'all get in that location, anyway? When'south the right fourth dimension of twelvemonth to become? And as great as multi-colored homes side by side to glaciers expect, is in that location anything else to do? Detect answers to those questions, and a few others, below.

GETTING In that location

At that place are just two airlines that fly to Greenland. One is called Air Greenland and flies year-round from Copenhagen to Kangerlussuaq, a municipality at the end of a fjord in western Greenland. Air Greenland also operates a few seasonal flights, which include: Copenhagen to Narsarsuaq (a town in southern Greenland), Keflavík (Iceland's international airport) to Nuuk (Greenland'southward capital), and Keflavík to Ilulissat (a town style upwardly at that place on the west coast). The other airline that services Greenland is Air Iceland Connect. It flies twelvemonth-round from Reykjavik Domestic Aerodrome to both coasts of Greenland — Kulusuk on the due east, Nuuk on the due west. Air Republic of iceland can likewise hook you upward on seasonal flights to Narsarsuaq, Ilulissat and Kangerlussuaq.

If you're coming from usa, at that place isn't really i best choice. Flights to Greenland are long, sporadic and pricy. Expect multiple layovers each way, and around $2,000 all told for a round-trip flight. If you lot just pop "New York to Nuuk" into Kayak, for case, some results will ship you to Düsseldorf on the mode to Copenhagen, and to London on the style back to New York. It'southward probably too belatedly in the flavour to fit this trip into 2019. And so book an early circular-trip flight to Iceland for next summertime. The circular-trip from Reykjavík to Nuuk should be in the $700 range, and if you book early plenty, you can become a round-trip from the States to Iceland for around $400.

You also don't have to accept a plane. Cruises to Greenland are expensive but becoming more common. Tour operators like Intrepid Travel, Arctic Umiaq Line and Disko Line volition bring you on viii-day-expeditions to tour fishing villages, whale or iceberg-picket, and explore the western fjords. If you have the money and lack the patience to juggle a stressful itinerary, this is your motility.

WHILE You lot'RE In that location

Simply and so you don't get in with any misconceptions, Greenland is more 800,000 square miles, and home to merely 60,000 people. Weather condition reports are unreliable this close to the Chill, and there aren't any roads (or trains) to connect different towns. If y'all want to move around the state, it'll accept to be via a network of boats, helicopters and modest planes. For our money (well, your money), information technology's wise to make the capital city of Nuuk your launchpad and so program day-trips from at that place to appoint with the stupefying natural environs. Most of the cruises will accept you lot covered on solar day-to-mean solar day excursions, merely if you lot're planning this by yourself, you really don't want to bite off more than you can chew.

Nuuk is currently enjoying a mini cultural renaissance; it's now home to the biennial "Nordic Kulturfestival," an arts center called Katuaq that hosts theater performances and exhibitions, and off-shell museums similar the Nuuk Lokalmuseum, which features local art in an old boat-repair shop. None of these sites are the Whitney, but that'due south non exactly the point. The mere fact that you can take in some fine art on the aforementioned landmass that'south abode to the world's largest national park (Northeast Greenland Park) is cool plenty.

Equally for getting out and experiencing the outdoors, there's a hike that starts in the suburb of Qinngorput which, thankfully, you can flag a bus to attain. It should accept around four hours, is a great selection for novice hikers, and is best attempted betwixt the months of May and September (kind of a theme for Greenland visits). If y'all're able to handle a tougher outing, hire a guide and scale Nuuk'south biggest mountain, Ukkusissat. The views are killer. Every bit for getting in the water, get yourself on a "fjord safari." Many operators take boats out between Nuuk and the isle of Sermitsiaq, where you're likely to see whales, eagles, waterfalls and glaciers.

On that last point: at some signal in your trip, you volition see melting glaciers. As we noted in our contempo slice on climate change tourism, this is a reality in the Chill, and every bit tempting every bit information technology may be to disseminate photos of ice-bluish coastlines, it's important to also exist mindful of your role in affecting the area. Unfortunately, there isn't an obvious solution here. The transportation needed to reach Greenland also (if indirectly) affects the wellness of the region. If yous're going to visit the state, look for means to start the carbon cost of that trip, and make an effort to educate yourself on issues in the surface area.

And whatever y'all practise, don't walk around looking for For Sale signs.