I recently returned from a trip to Greenland and it was one of my top 5 best experiences ever! Planning a trip a Greenland may seem daunting but it’s really not that difficult. This post covers how to plan a trip to Greenland and also includes my best tips and tricks.
How to Plan a Trip to Greenland
Step 1 – Research What you Want to do
You can visit Greenland any time of the year and have plenty to do depending on your interests. Summer has the most amount of activities but Greenland also has winter activities if that peaks your interest.
Examples of Summer Activities
- Whale Watching
- Hiking
- Sailing in the mid-night sun
- Kayaking
Examples of Winter Activities
- Northern lights
- Dog sledging
- Ice fishing
- Snowmobiling
HERE are all the things you can do in Ilulissat if you are going there!
Step 2 – Research Where you Want to Go
Greenland is broadly divided into North, South, East and West. Most of the tourism is in the West of Greenland. Ilulissat is perhaps the most popular place and the considered the capital for tourism. Depending on step 1, you may want to select one or two places to visit.
Tip – Unless you have a lot of time on your hands, I do not recommend going to a lot of places. Distances are vast and you may end up spending time on a boat or plane to get from place to place.
Step 3 – Decide on the Number of Days
Step 3 on this list of how to plan a trip to Greenland is to decide on how many days you want to spend there. This will of course depend on what you want to do and where you want to go (from step 1 and 2 above), how much time you have and your budget.
Tip – You need at least 4 days if you are visiting Ilulissat. Another things to factor in is cost. Greenland is expensive. The 5 days I spent put a good dent in my bank account.
Step 5 – Decide When to Go
High season in Greenland is from June to August. These months bring the longest days (24 hours of daylight) and more options. Flights are more frequent to Greenland in the summer than winter months in general. I recommend deciding on a date range as oppose to locking yourself in with dates. (i.e., first two weeks of July as opposed to July 6th to July 11th)
Tip – If you are flexible with a date range, this will give you more freedom to choose the cheapest accommodation and flight options.
Step 6 – Check Flights
There are more flights into Greenland in the summer than in the winter. There are 2 airlines that fly into Greenland. They are – Air Greenland and Iceland Airlines. Air Greenland has a few more options and flies in from Copenhagen. While Iceland Airlines fly in from Reykjavik. Air Greenland flies almost daily in the summer but you have to connect to the rest of the island through Kangerlussuaq. Iceland Airlines do not fly daily but do have direct flights to Ilulissat from Reykjavik.
NEW – United Airlines will have non-stop flights to Nuuk from Newark, USA in the summer of 2025.
Tip – Check out your flight options but don’t book until you do step 7 of this how to plan a trip to Greenland guide.
Step 7 – Check Accommodation
Depending on where you are going in Greenland, accommodation may be limited. A place like Ilulissat will have more options but they too can run out and get booked up during high season, so you got to move fast here. Your options at Ilulissat for example, range from hotels to B&Bs. Hotels of course are a lot more expensive, especially the ones with views.
Step 8 – Book Both Together
Now that you have your flight and accommodation picked out, you should book both at the same time. Generally people tend to book flights and then hotels a lot later (I currently am sitting on 2 flights than I have not booked hotels for!). But, for Greenland, you have to make sure you do both simultaneously.
Step 9 – Make Your Itinerary
Now that you have your flight times and accommodation and have a general idea of what you want to do, you should make your itinerary by slotting in what you want to do on each day. To do this, first search for a tour provider like World of Greenland, Disko Line Explorer or Albatros Arctic Circle and select the tours you want to do and then slot them for the days you are there.
Tip – It’s not a bad idea to book tours ahead of time if you are going during high season. If you do this, my biggest tip is to book with 1 provider instead of multiple. This way if they need to change things around due to weather or number of participants, then the burden to rebook you and manage the tour itinerary is on them.
Step 10 – Pack
Greenland summers are still cold and range around 30’s to 50’s F. You will still have to pack warm clothing. If you live in the northern hemisphere, it means you will have to pull out your winter clothing from you closet or attic ha! I will write a post for what to pack for Greenland soon.
Tip – Pack Merino wool clothing that will keep you warm and dry all day and night.
Have you been to Iceland? If not, check out my blog posts HERE!
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