Kangerlussuaq: The first meeting with Greenland

Full of anticipation, I looked out of the window as we were approaching Kangerlussuaq, the first stop on my 5-month adventure on Greenland, already bringing me 50 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle on my first day. Kangerlussuaq is home to the biggest airport in the country and is therefore the place that most overseas flights land, and then passengers will take smaller planes out to the other villages. With its colourful houses situated in a low valley surrounded by snow-capped mountains, Kangerlussuaq is the perfect introduction to Greenland.

When I booked the tickets, I decided that I wanted to spend some time in Kangerlussuaq before heading to Nuuk. I could’ve caught a flight straight away when I landed, but it seemed strange not to see the village that I was touching down in first. So I decided to catch the latest flight that day leaving at 16.35, allowing me four hours to explore the village.

When researching Kangerlussuaq, which I stupidly did after booking the ticket, I quickly realized that four hours was not going to be enough. Being the only village on Greenland to have road connection to the ice sheet, Kangerlussuaq is simply not “done” on such a short stopover. So even before coming there, I knew I would have to go back. But for my first visit to Kangerlussuaq, I decided to just chill and explore the village thoroughly to get to know it. And then I would come back later for all the adventures!

Kangerlussuaq is a small village, home to about 500 people. The village was founded in 1941 by the United States Army Air Forces. Back then, the settlement was known as Bluie-West-8 and later Sondrestrom Air Base. Because Germany occupied Denmark during the Second World War, it left Greenland as an unoccupied territory of an occupied nation, which was under threat of seizure by Canada or Great Britain. But to prevent this from happening, USA assumed security for Greenland by building bases throughout the country.

After the war had ended, Denmark regained control of the base in 1950, but because of the threats of the Cold War, a new agreement was made for the US to reopen the base in 1951, where it served as a Distant Early Warning Line base. Following the fall of the Soviet Union, the US Air Force personnel left the base in 1992, and it then came under Greenlandic Home Rule and was renamed to Kangerlussuaq. Today, the airport is used for international flights and the settlement and its population is almost entirely reliant on the airport and tourist industry. There has been some talk of moving the international airport to Greenland’s capital, Nuuk, which would probably leave Kangerlussuaq abandoned.

As soon as I arrived in Kangerlussuaq, I rented a locker for the day to store my stuff which set me back 40 DKK and then headed out into the streets of Kangerlussuaq. First up was a visit to the only supermarket in town, Pilersuisoq, which is located right outside the airport. I was surprised to see hunting equipment as the first thing on display in the shop, haha! I looked around for vegan food and was surprised to find both soy and rice milk! I didn’t buy anything as I wanted to wait until I got to Nuuk, but it made me happy to know that I wouldn’t starve while on Greenland.

I also spent a little time looking through two handicraft shops just outside the airport. One of them had some beautiful tuttupit rock necklaces on display. They were quite expensive at 799 DKK each, but I think I might get myself one for Christmas! According to the lady in the shop, that type of rock is very rare and can only be found in South Greenland and on the Kola Peninsula in Russia, so it would be a unique piece of jewellery to own.

Kangerlussuaq is very colourful. Most of the houses are painted in bright colours, and you rarely find two houses with the same colour next to each other. But Kangerlussuaq has more beauty to it than just its colourful architecture. While walking along the road around the airport grounds, I found immense natural beauty to all sides.

The village was built on the east end of the Kangerlussuaq Fjord, where the earth around the Qinnguata Kuussua river is mainly alluvium with large quicksand plains. I decided to walk down to the river and was surprised to encounter quicksand straight away! I even got my foot stuck for a little while, but I managed to get it out – after taking a photo, of course ;).

In complete solitude, I broke into song and felt how the fresh air filled my lungs. I was happy. This was pure happiness. I was finally on Greenland, something I’d been looking forward to for a long time, and I was loving it from the very first second.

I walked along the stone hard sand for a bit before going up onto the road again and following it down to a bridge which was named in memorial after Jack T. Perry, who died while attempting to navigate the river on August 15th 1976.

I stood on the bridge for a while, staring out into the far distance. The river flowing beneath me was like music to my cold ears.

The only plan that I had for the day, other than walk around the village, was to visit the small museum. But unfortunately, when I got there, the lady was taking the flags down and told me she had to close it due to illness. Oh well, another one for the list when I get back!

Instead, I walked back to the river and sat there for a while, staring out at the vast landscapes while the sun warmed up my cold face. A beautiful ending to my first trip to Kangerlussuaq.

Afterwards, it was time to head back to the airport to collect my stuff and catch my flight to Nuuk, where my 5-month Greenlandic living experience finally begun.