To the ice sheet: A boat trip deep into the Nuuk Fjord

On a foggy and windstill September day, we set off at 8 AM for a seven-hour boat trip that would take us deep into the Nuuk Fjord, all the way to the edge of the ice sheet that covers approximately 80 % of the country.

One good thing about foggy weather is the lack of wind which means that the water will be still. The opportunity for beautiful reflection photos was definitely there! But we all hoped it would turn out clearer so we could actually see the beautiful landscapes that we were sailing by.

As we sailed further and further into the Nuuk Fjord, the weather started clearing up, revealing a bright blue sky and the most beautiful reflections in the calm water. I realized then that we had chosen the perfect day to sail out there.

We were on our way to the Narsap Sermia glacier, the glacier that produces all the icebergs that float past Nuuk, that we see everyday from our kitchen windows.

The further into the fjord we got, the more icebergs we saw floating by in complete silence. And they were enormous. But according to our captain, the icebergs here are peanuts compared to the ones in Ilulissat up north.

The trip out to the glacier took approximately 2,5 hours of fast sailing through the fjord by the hundreds of icebergs. I sat outside for most of the ride enjoying the view with the cold air blowing in my covered-up face. THIS is life.

And there it finally was. The glacier. The icebergs had become bigger, and I began to fear that we would have our own Titanic moment. But our lovely captain knew exactly what he was doing. He was trying to get us as close to the glacier as possible and we actually ended up just a few kilometers from it, which was only possible because of the perfectly calm weather.

Much like the rest of the Arctic ice sheet, the glacier has melted a lot in recent years because of global warming. We could actually see the lines on the mountains where the glacier used to come up to, which is scary. Our guide told us that the locals are noticing the changes in the global climate more and more as their winters are getting milder and their summers wetter.

After eating some lunch by the glacier, it was time to head back to Nuuk, but not without one more adventure.

About an hours sailing from the capital lies the small abandoned village of Qoornoq, which we were given 10 minutes to explore by foot. The area is known to have been inhabited since 2200 BC by the people of the Saqqaq culture, the first immigrants to Greenland, and all the way up to 1972 when the last permanent resident left the village. Today, the well-kept houses are used as summer houses for residents in Nuuk.

When I posted a picture of Qoornoq on Facebook, my former Faroese teacher Heini commented, telling me of the two years he spent there during the time when the village was being abandoned. He was there as a teacher and his wife as a nurse. When they first arrived, 60 people lived in the village, but during the two years the amount of people halved. The temperature of the ocean had gone down, leaving no fish in the fjord to catch, and because there were so few people left in the village, the shop had to close. The Danish government stopped sending teachers to the village when the amount of children in school was fewer than 18, and they also stopped sending nurses. Eventually, the Danish government had cut off all supplies for the people of Qoornoq, indirectly forcing them to move to the capital, in their plot to urbanize the people of Greenland.

His story touched me deeply and I feel so terrible on behalf of the Danish government for forcing the life out of too many small Greenlandic villages.

Unfortunately, we only had time for a short walk around the village and then it was time to sail back home to Nuuk. An hour later, we arrived in the capital, tired and happy after a long and spectacular day in the calm and icy fjord.

Travelling to the Narsap Sermia glacier and Qoornoq

• We went with Tupilak Travels with a ticket price of 1800 DKK per person.
• The start and end point is Tidevandstrappen (the Tidal Stairs) at the Atlantic Harbour (beneath the big red building).
• Remember warm clothing as it’s very cold and windy on the boat.
• I requested a vegan meal but was given a sandwich with ordinary mayo. So if you’re vegan, bring your own food.
• Remember your camera and enjoy!