On our second day in Ilulissat, Ali and Maria went out on a boat trip for a few hours, so Charlotte and I decided to spend that time going for a hike; the best activity to do in a place like Ilulissat! The weather was beautiful and clear that day, so clear that we could see all the way to the Disko Island, located over 50 km away.
We set off at 2 PM and headed to the Old Heliport, where most of the hikes in Ilulissat begin. But we couldn’t go there without petting some of the hundreds of cute dogs first. I wanted to bring one home so badly!
Charlotte and I had decided that we wanted to hike all the marked trails around Ilulissat, so for that day, we had chosen to do the second longest one, the yellow trail, after hiking the longest one with Ali and Maria the day before.
The yellow trail is a short hike, just 2,7 km, that goes around the 96 meter high “mountain” of Kingittoq. It’s supposed to take 1,5-2 hours, but it actually felt much shorter. It was a really easy hike that first took us to a graveyard situated beautifully in the valley with a view to the famous icefjord. Afterwards, it required a little climbing to get to the highest point of the hike, where the view to the icefjord was unimaginably beautiful. I am so in love with Greenland.
Shortly after, we came to a point where we started walking around the mountain, stopping every now and then to take funny photos of our shadows. Suddenly, much before we had expected it, we could see the city. The hike was very short indeed. We decided to take a moment to relax and enjoy the incredible views before heading back to civilization.
Despite the shortness of the hike, it was very beautiful, but I must admit that I enjoyed the longer blue trail more. But I was glad that we had decided to hike them all, as it felt so sad to leave the view of the icefjord behind, so I constantly wanted to go back there.
How to hike the yellow trail in Ilulissat
It’s a lovely and easy hike, although it’s very short. We spent 2,5 hours including the time it took us to get to the starting point and back to our accommodation. But we took many photo breaks, so it can easily be done in less time. There is no climbing involved, just walking on rocks. In the winter time, those rocks might be slippery. Remember warm clothing, good hiking boots and a camera to capture the beauty of the icefjord!
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