Augusta and Eleanor were coming to visit me in Tasiilaq and I was beyond excited. I couldn’t wait to show them my temporary home, but we also wanted to go sailing together to experience a different side of East Greenland. So before they came, I tried to arrange for a boat trip through the Sermilik Icefjord to the tiny village of Tiniteqilaaq. I contacted a few people before we were offered the trip for the price of 3000 DKK in all, which is a steal considering it usually costs 5000+ DKK for that trip. So I arranged to meet with our guide Enok at 7 AM on a Sunday, the day after the girls would arrive.
We woke up to a beautiful day. No clouds, no wind, just sun and a blue sky. Perfect sailing weather. Enok was at the dock when we got there, and soon after, Aqqaluk from Ittoqqortoormiit joined us. We set off into the fjord, sailing past Qaqqartivakajik mountain and into the vast ocean with icebergs in the near distance. We sat outside for a while to enjoy the view and the sun, but we soon got cold so we had to go in, and then Enok sped up!
As we came closer to Sermilik, the icebergs got bigger and we were constantly on the lookout for seals and whales. We sailed close by the ice sheet as we entered the Sermilik Icefjord. It was amazing to see it up close from a boat. We saw a seal in the distance shortly after entering the icefjord, but we weren’t able to get close to it. At one point, we had to fight our way through pack ice and I was afraid we wouldn’t make it to the village. But apart from the ice, the conditions were perfect and the still wind ensured the most incredible reflections of the mountains.
Shortly after making it through the pack ice, the guys spotted another seal and this one we were able to get quite close to!
Just before we got to Tiniteqilaaq, we had another THREE seal spottings with 2-8 seals each time! We saw a group swimming in front of us and one jumped up as we sailed past it, giving us the perfect photo opportunity! That was an incredible experience, one I’ll never forget.
Once we got close to Tiniteqilaaq, there was so much ice that we had to fight our way through again. We were so close to the village, and yet so far. But after many struggles, we did eventually manage to get there! The trip out had taken just under 3,5 hours.
We arranged for the guys to pick us up at 2 PM so we’d have 3,5 hours to explore the village. They went hunting in the meantime.
Tiniteqilaaq is a tiny village, home to just 150 souls. It’s located about 40 kilometers north of Tasiilaq, surrounded by icebergs in the Sermilik Icefjord. I can’t imagine a more beautiful location for a village!
The first thing we noticed when we stepped on the ground was the snow. It looked like shattered glass or small crystals, beautiful and sparkly! I’ve literally never seen Augusta so excited before!
Unfortunately, Eleanor trod through some thin ice a few minutes after we got on land, and her foot got really wet and went numb. So we tried all the doors of buildings that looked public to get some heat to her foot, but since it was Sunday, nothing was open. I had wanted to explore the church and the tiny shop, Pilersuisoq, to see what supplies they have there, but that will have to wait for another visit. We took our time to explore the tiny beautiful village and its two tiny graveyards, and eventually Eleanors foot got better.
From the smallest graveyard, located on a hill above the village, we started hiking. Unfortunately, we couldn’t go far out of fear for polar bears, so we just hiked up to a house or holiday home by a cairn on top of a hill.
From there, we had an incredible view of the tiny village with the enormous icebergs of Sermilik as a breathtaking backdrop. I swear, Tiniteqilaaq is one of the most beautiful villages I’ve ever seen. I can’t believe it’s not more popular for tourists! I actually can’t believe that the East in general isn’t more popular. I mean – look how gorgeous it is!
We still had some time left, so we hiked slowly back to the village and explored it some more, taking lots of talking breaks in between.
It was nice to have such a long time in the village as tours like that usually just allow 30 minutes or an hour in the village, but we got to choose ourselves on this trip!
The guys picked us up at the arranged time, having shot just one seal in the 3,5 hours they’d been hunting. I guess the ones we saw on the way over were hiding!
We sailed home to Tasiilaq in the most beautiful sunset colours. Despite being cold, we constantly went out to take pictures until the sun finally set at 3.30 PM.
It had been an absolutely incredible day, my favourite in East Greenland by far, and one of the best this year. I had Enok and Aqqaluk to thank for that, and especially Eleanor and Augusta for being the perfect travel buddies. If it hadn’t been for them, I never would’ve been able to afford this trip, so I would’ve stayed put in Tasiilaq for the entire 11 weeks. I’m so grateful that we got to do this trip together!
Leave a Comment