Greenland

Nuuk (65°N, population 19,000 — the world’s smallest national capital, on a rocky peninsula where two fjords meet the Davis Strait) — the National Museum of Greenland (the finest collection of Arctic archaeology anywhere: the Qilakitsoq mummies, 8 Greenlandic Inuit found perfectly preserved in a rock crevice in 1972, dating from 1475, with their clothing intact) and the old colonial district of Nuuk with its painted wooden houses.

The Qilakitsoq mummies — 8 Greenlandic Inuit individuals (6 women and 2 children) found in 1972 in a rock crevice near Uummannaq, preserved by Arctic cold and desiccation for 500 years — are the most important archaeological find in Greenland. Their clothing (complete sealskin and bird-skin garments) is the finest surviving example of Greenlandic Inuit tailoring.

Nuuk Fjord (one of the largest fjord systems in the world, extending 200km inland from the city) by kayak or zodiac — beluga whales and harbour porpoises in the outer fjord, the red gneiss cliffs of the inner fjord, sea eagles perching on cliff ledges and the silence of a fjord system entirely without roads or settlements beyond the capital.

Greenland has no road connections between its towns — all inter-settlement travel is by boat, helicopter or small aircraft. The total road network is approximately 150km (all within individual towns). The island’s interior is covered by the Greenland ice sheet (1.7 million km², the second-largest ice body on earth after Antarctica) which makes land connections impossible.

1h flight from Nuuk. Ilulissat (68°N, population 4,500) — the Ilulissat Icefjord (UNESCO World Heritage — the calving glacier Sermeq Kujalleq produces 10% of all Greenlandic icebergs, about 35 km³ of ice per year — the most productive glacier in the Northern Hemisphere, calving icebergs the size of skyscrapers that run aground in the shallow fjord and drift slowly into Disko Bay).

Sermeq Kujalleq (Jakobshavn Isbrae) is one of the world’s fastest-moving glaciers — advancing 20–46m per day, or approximately 40km per year. It calves approximately 35 km³ of ice into the fjord annually. The iceberg that sank the Titanic in 1912 is believed to have originated from Sermeq Kujalleq, drifting south into the transatlantic shipping lanes over 2–3 years.

The Sermermiut Trail (a 5km loop from Ilulissat to the edge of the icefjord — the icebergs beached at the fjord mouth, some 100m tall and 500m long, visible from a boardwalk 50m above) and the humpback whales in Disko Bay (Disko Bay has one of the largest seasonal concentrations of humpback whales in the North Atlantic, feeding on the Arctic krill bloom from July to September).

The icebergs beached at the mouth of the Ilulissat Icefjord have been there for up to 15 years — grounded on the shallow sill at the fjord entrance, calved from Sermeq Kujalleq but unable to drift out into Disko Bay until they melt sufficiently to float free. Some are 15 storeys tall; the parts visible above water represent only 10% of their total volume.

3h ferry from Ilulissat. Disko Island (Qeqertarsuaq — 8,578km², the largest island in the Arctic Ocean outside the main Arctic archipelagos, with basalt cliffs, hot springs at the village of Qeqertarsuaq, a herd of musk ox in the interior and the most diverse flora in Greenland — 350 plant species in a landscape that is ice-free year-round due to volcanic heat).

Disko Island has hot springs (the Qeqertarsuaq springs reach 18°C — warm by Arctic standards) caused by geothermal activity from the island’s basaltic volcanic origins. The springs sustain a micro-ecosystem of warmth-tolerant plants and insects; the island has the highest plant diversity in Greenland.

2h flight from Ilulissat. Kulusuk (East Greenland — the most remote inhabited coast in Greenland, accessible only by air or boat, with the finest dog-sledding in the world in winter and the most dramatic fjord scenery in Greenland in summer — the Blosseville Coast fjords, the Ammassalik Island pack ice and the traditional Tunumiit Inuit culture).

The Tunumiit people of East Greenland (the Ammassalik Inuit) had their first contact with Europeans in 1884 — one of the last inhabited areas on earth to be “discovered” by outsiders. Their culture, including the qajaq (kayak) skills, drum dancing and the tupilak (carved bone figurines representing spirit helpers/enemies) is the most intact surviving Greenlandic Inuit tradition.

Return flight to Nuuk. The Greenlandic national dish: suaasat (seal, whale or reindeer meat slow-cooked with rice and onion in a broth — the most important traditional food in Greenland) at the Hereford Beefstouw restaurant in Nuuk, which also serves the finest steak in Greenland alongside local specialties. Fly from Nuuk (GOH) via Reykjavik (KEF) or Copenhagen (CPH).

Mattak (raw narwhal or beluga whale skin and blubber, cut into cubes and eaten raw or pickled in brine) is the defining traditional delicacy of Greenland, still regularly eaten by Greenlandic hunters and served at cultural events. The skin contains more vitamin C per gram than oranges — an essential nutrient in an environment with no fresh fruits or vegetables for most of the year.