Greenland Sights

For tourist visits Greenland 2 main seasons: summer - June-September and riding a Husky - February-May. Horseback Husky is possible only to the north of the Arctic Circle (north of Sisimiut) and in East Greenland. Summer skiing on the Husky is only possible on the glacier in the Disko Bay.

Greenland and the northern region, already referred to many centuries of Latin-style - "Ultima Thule", the remaining land of fantastic opportunities for both extreme forms of recreation and sport as well as a great place eco-tourism. The vast tundra, glittering array of ice and huge glaciers, which is "born of the iceberg right in front while the few tourists year-round opportunities for ice-klambinga, snowboarding and skiing, a unique (albeit meager) nature, rich with live sea creatures, silent Inuit their unique culture and fantastic adaptability to local conditions cruelest - is constantly attracts more and more tourists.

Best time to visit the country - during the polar "white nights" between May and July. For the winter holidays is best suited April.
Greenland - the largest island in the world (2,175,600 km 2, more just Australia, but it is - the continent), but to get here is possible only through one of the three international airports.

Ausiait known for its leather handicrafts and traditional embroidery. Kasigianguit (or Kristianshob) has an excellent museum with one of the most extensive collection of relics of the period "Sakkak, Kugatsiak (" Pretty little foothill ") is a tiny multicolored fishing village, the place of hunting seals, and Kekertassuak (Godhavn) on Disko Island has an abundance of all attributes for the hunting of whales (this is one of the few places in the world where it is allowed) and the Arctic research station. Melville Gulf Coast in the west of Greenland is an almost continuous high ice cliff, probably the largest continuous ice massif in the northern hemisphere.

Godthab (Nuuk) - if you are not an anthropologist, this city can not provide a lot of entertainment to attract attention. There are few relics Hans egede (one of the first missionaries and public figures), but very little of the original architecture of Greenland. Most of the historical collections of the capital concentrated in the National Museum of Greenland. Dog-sledding, kayaking, Umiak, traditional instruments and a lot of Eskimo Inuit art and crafts represented in its halls, but the biggest attraction of the museum - Eskimo mummy (dated back more than 500 years of age) found Grumvold brothers in 1972 in a shallow grave in Kilakitsoka .

Kolonihaven - a pleasant exception Nuuk, a kind of Lego City. This picturesque fishing village of XVII-century in the heart of Nuuk. Nuuk The real attraction is its proximity to the venue of many excellent excursion into the interior and the incredible landscapes, opening from the top of the nearby mountains.

Qaqortoq (Yulianshob), which lies on the tip of the peninsula in the south of Greenland, is a clean and pleasant port city, founded at the site where people searched the lost colonists Hans egede. With a population of only 3,5 thousand inhabitants, the city is the center of the southern region of the country and its worth visiting in the summer, when the neighborhood literally "explode" with wild flowers. The pride of the city - a city square fountain - the only one in Greenland, decorated with brass plaques with the names of the city burghers on the basis (although many tablets "have fallen victim to souvenir hunters). Museum Qaqortoq is compulsory attendance - is one of the best museums in Greenland, demonstrating crafts of past and present inhabitants of the island. Sculpture of Stone and Man "- another highlight of the city, when it was created the natural formation of rocks used as material for a myriad of abstract forms and shapes.

Mainly Qaqortoq used as a starting point for hiking and dog sledding to the picturesque area "Peters Kane, Tasersuak around the lake or to a neighboring town Igalik.

Ruins Hvalsey lying on the coastal strip near Qaqortoq, are the most extensive and best preserved traces of Norwegian settlements in Greenland. Hvalsey even mentioned in the ancient Icelandic chronicle Flateyyarbik "as a place of burning witches at the beginning of XV-th century, as well as the only place where the marriage occurred between the Inuit and settlers.

Upernavik, located in the fjords of Baffin Sea about 800 km. to the north of the Arctic Circle - the most northern ferry in the world. As the locals say: "You do not even begin to know what cold, has not yet been in Upernavik. The town's name translates in a fairly amusing manner as "Spring Place". Given that the average summer temperature here is no more than +5 C, it is rather strange. Scientists say that when the first settlers chose this place, the climate was much milder, and therefore the name of his city if justified, with the onset of the same general cooling of climate, it has become one of the coldest inhabited places on the planet. Most residents are employed in the fishing industry, and hunting for polar bears, banned virtually everywhere in the world and an exceptional permission from the local residents - one of the few ways to feed a family for the majority of the inhabitants of Upernavik. Be sure to visit the Old Town Museum, which is also actually the oldest in Greenland. The book is full of museum visitors' autographs of many famous Arctic explorers. The exhibition includes kayaks of all kinds (including sea!), A complete collection of a variety of harpoons and other gadgets for whale hunting, knives and leather goods. In the implementation stage is development of a full exposition of the historical district. A three-hour trip from the highest peak Upernavik - Inuusuussak, to the northern tip of the island - Naayarsuit, will go through quite a magical landscape. Stones with a sprinkling of precious stones of all colors, the veins of natural graphite, the unique acoustics of the valleys, which allows the whisper spread over many miles - all this can be seen and felt here only.

Ilulissat (translated as "icebergs") fully justifies its name, as if staring at a mirror sea, replete with icebergs and floating ice, drifting just below the implacable gray skies. Ilulissat - one of the most popular tourist destinations in Greenland, totally "welded" with its long and colorful history. Archaeological excavations date the first settlements of people in these places in the period of 3500 years ago, that puts the Ilulissat in the list of the main areas of settlements of the ancient tribes. Local residents in their daily life is still guided by the ancient proverb: "Give me winter, give me dogs and you get everything else", and mainly engaged in fishing and the sea battle of the beast. Main attractions Ilulissat - Cold Museum and the Museum of Knut Rasmussen, with exhibitions devoted to his Arctic expeditions, as well as handicrafts exhibition Danish settlers and the Inuit. One of the temptations of the city - Ilulissat Aysford ( "ice fjord"), formed by a glacier Sermek Kudzhallek 5 km. wide and about 150 meters thick (this is the most powerful glacier outside Antarctica). In Aysforde so much ice that the only thing here is obviously not hvatatet, it is liquid water. Hiking trails are on the ice cave with sverkayushimi walls, the easiest and most enjoyable trip will lead to the ruins of Sermermiute and Holmes Bakke, where the population is going to Ilulissat on 13 January, to welcome the first sunrise after the long polar night.

Avanersuak (District Thule) is in the "realm of Ultima Thule in 1500 km. in the north of Nuuk, and is the most inaccessible area of the polar region of the world. Its opening is required by European travelers tremendous effort and cost. Even today Avanersuak difficult to access, impassable and not cheap. In addition to all his difficulties here is the U.S. air base and the tourists are not allowed to visit between 15 September and 15 April, and any foreigners visiting the air base of Thule, requires permission from the Air By joining "the United States, the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Danish Embassy. There are interesting eight days hiking between Kannaakom and Sorapalukom, including a tour of an exotic hunt walrus and living in a "needle". The most attractive 15-day hunt on sea ice with a visit to several villages, local people and get acquainted with their way of life.

Uummannaq previously been the center of the whaling industry and the Dutch settlement in the XVII-th century. Many of the ancient traditions are still alive among its inhabitants. Every spring, when detecting the first ship of the season, the entire village is going on the hill in the west of the city and the gun salutes three volleys, while welcoming the arriving ship. Uummannaq - chaotic city, stubbornly clinging to the hills of the walls of their buildings. Lack of land saved the city from the architecture of block houses Nuuk, and most families live in some ancestral homes, though not very pretty, but reliable. Museum Uummannaq is located in the territory of the old hospital. Whole room is devoted to the ill-fated expedition of the German scientist Alfred Weiner. There is also a small exhibition devoted to archeology and history of these places, the mummy of Kilakitsoka, devices and weapons for hunting whales. "Western House" - this is an old building, which served as a warehouse of whale oil. Castle of Santa Claus in the two-hour walk from the city center has long been in competition with other countries for the right to be the residence of the popular character. The cave, located a little further along the coast, known in local folklore as the "Grotto trolls, and even more intriguing than the" Santa's house.

Mountain Uummannaq - the natural formation of strikingly beautiful and most unusual flowers that have ever seen on Earth. Gore is an ancient gneiss base of the continental shield, towering up in the alternation of black, white and red layers of rocks, changing shades of color at a time, depending on the lighting. Although the mountain looks totally unavailable, several expeditions still climbed to the top, but for most visitors simply view this unique natural formation, the only analogue which is only a mountain of Uluru in Australia.

Lake Motzenfeld attracts attention with its surovymii conditions, but his efforts are worth the visit to this force. Long in the shape angle of the lake, surrounded by towering peaks at 1600 m of ice and fed by two majestic glaciers. On the way to the lake you can visit the dramatically beautiful valley Koororssuak in place between the gigantic peaks Illerfissalik and Suusukutaussa and Koorkup Kuua river, which flows from Lake Motzenfeld.

Kulusuk - a small island, a simple point near the east coast of Greenland, but many believe it is - the perfect place for an introduction to the island. Its international airport makes Kulusuk easily accessible for flights from Reykjavik. First impressions of Kulusuk - a tiny village clinging to the rocky island just above the level of lead-gray shiny sea with numerous icebergs, and with dramatic mountain peaks in the background. Many local residents still live by hunting. What is quite interesting is the fact that Kulusuk remains relatively free of Western influence, despite the constant influx of tourists. Ironically, many of the guests of the island on their arrival immediately seek to visit the beautiful cemetery of the island, which is decorated with plastic flowers and how-to "rise up" against all his views are absolutely silent icy Arctic landscape. The islanders are continuously arrange for tourists informal technology demonstration kayaking and dance performances, but all submissions immediately revoked if the performers at this moment suddenly choose to go hunting. Walking along the shore through the tundra, covered with carpets of arctic flowers and the glacier, or hike to a haunted mountain lake before going to the city, or "cruise" on small fishing vessels along the picturesque coastline - these are the best ways to get acquainted with the place.

Mountain trout north of Anmassalika in south-eastern Greenland reaches a height of 3360 meters, the highest point - Mount Gunnbern (3700 m) lies in the northern part of the country. The length of the island from north to south - 2690 km., The greatest width - 1300 km. Total area - 2176 sq.. km.

Business Card Greenland - aurora (the so-called "Aurora Borealis"), which you can watch almost all year round. Polar mirages ( "Fata Morgana"), which in these high latitudes of the show is sometimes so fantastic pictures of majestic sailing ships or cities surrounded by lush greenery that unsophisticated tourists literally "eyes climb on his forehead."