Hiking in Ilulissat amongst humpback whales and a calving iceberg

Two days on the ferry from Nuuk to Ilulissat had come to an end, and ahead of us awaited four days of adventure in the city of icebergs in the North of Greenland.

On our first day, we decided to go for a long hike to the Ilulissat Icefjord, a 40 km long fjord full of icebergs that runs from the ice sheet to just south of the city. At its eastern end is the Ilulissat Glacier, which is the most productive glacier in the Northern Hemisphere, with 20 billion tonnes of icebergs calving off every year. It’s even said to be the birthplace of the iceberg that collided with the RMS Titanic in 1912.

The weather was dry, yet windy and cloudy, but we didn’t let that stop us. We had decided to go for the  Blue Trail, a seven kilometer marked trail that would take us to Sermermiut, an ancient Inuit settlement with an amazing view of the icefjord, and further inland before going back to the east end of the city.

The hike begins at the Old Heliport, which is now being used to keep sled dogs, and then follows the blue dots and painted rocks throughout. We spent a lot of time before the hike even started taking pictures of the hundreds of cute Greenlandic dogs, including some adorable tiny puppies!

Starting to feel cold, we had to pull ourselves away from the dogs and continue the hike. The first part of the hike was really easy, as it simply went along a low wooden bridge all the way out to Sermermiut. On the way out there, we met a large group that were on a tour, most of whom I recognized from the ferry ride. I have nothing against people wanting to go on tours, but this one seemed like a rip-off, considering how easy the walk was, and the fact that they turned around when they got to Sermermiut.

I had read about some well preserved inuit graves near the ancient settlement that you can still look down into, but unfortunately, we had no luck in finding those. They aren’t marked anywhere, so you have to know the area in order to find them. But the settlement itself was interesting to see. The area has been inhabited since the Saqqaq Culture, the earliest peoples of Greenland, from 2400 BC and up to 1850 AD when the last resident moved to Ilulissat and left Sermermiut abandoned. A few overgrown ruins from the earliest times are still preserved to this day.

A few meters up a rocky hill from the settlement, we got the first view over the vast icefjord. It was absolutely amazing. I can’t even describe it with words – you should honestly go there to see it for yourself, I promise it will be worth every penny!

From then on, the hike continued along a more rugged trail up and down icy rocks, staying by the side of the icefjord for many kilometers. At one point, when Charlotte and I were walking behind the others, Ali suddenly started shouting. At first I was worried, but then I realized why. Rushing to get to them, Charlotte and I spotted it in the ocean. The giant of the ocean – a humpback whale! And then I saw that there was not just one, but TWO whales! They were amazing to watch!

We tried to pick up the pace a little, so we could keep up with the whales, but they were too fast. We saw them once more in the distance and then they were out of sight, but never out of mind. I can’t believe how lucky we were – I’d now seen three whales in just two days, and before coming to Greenland I hadn’t seen any!

But our luck for the day wasn’t out. A few moments later, something even more incredible happened. We heard a loud noise, sounding like a plane, but it was not coming from the sky, it was coming from the ocean. And then we noticed it – it was one of the icebergs calving! Never in my life had I thought I would see that, and we even saw the entire process, from the first calvings to the deformation of the iceberg, to the complete destruction of the iceberg and then how it started growing again afterwards. It was magnificent.

We were later told that it’s an extremely rare thing to see, especially considering how enormous the iceberg was. I couldn’t believe our luck.

After the iceberg had come to its end, it was time have our lunch with the last view of the beautiful icefjord, before heading inland.

The hike continued through a more rugged landscape with ice-covered lakes, snow-covered earth and icicles hanging from the mountains. This was clearly a place that the sun didn’t get to very often. The trail had become harder as well, as we were now going steep uphill on slippery rocks, before having to go steep downhill again. We were overly thrilled when we finally saw the city again after four hours of hiking, but then again I was sad to see this beautiful hike come to an end. It was truly one of the prettiest hikes I’ve ever been on.

Just as it was about to end, the most magical thing happened. It started snowing! Three magical things in one day – it seemed too good to be true!

The hike ended at the eastern part of the city, from where we had another 20-minute walk back to our accommodation. All in all, we walked about 10 kilometers that day, which took us about five hours. It was an amazing hike that I would absolutely love to do again, but I especially loved it because of the lucky circumstances. I mean, how lucky can you be to see whales AND a calving iceberg in one day!? I felt like the luckiest person in the world at that very moment.

How to hike the Blue Trail in Ilulissat

Start at the Old Heliport and follow the blue painted dots from there. It’s easy to find your way if you follow the trail. Remember warm clothing and good hiking boots. And bring snacks – it’s a long hike!

If you only want to go to the icefjord and back, you can just hike to Sermermiut and stop there and then head back. The trip takes about 1-1,5 hours. Don’t spend your money on a tour, as it’s really easy to find by yourself.

Expect to spend 4-5 hours on the entire trail including photo breaks. It’s not a tough hike, apart from the end part which is quite steep and can be icy.

Remember your camera and binoculars for whale spotting!