Iceland Greenland Glaciers

Greenland's Three Most Impressive Natural Sights

Lane A
by Lane Atteridge

January 16, 2019

2 minute read

It's often joked that Greenland is misnamed because not much is green on this icy island-country. But that doesn't mean there's no natural beauty to be found. In fact, it seems to be an artistic rendering in ice, snow, and sea. Everywhere you go in Greenland, you can find some new stunning visual that you never thought possible and it's all made of gleaming white ice.

These are just three of our favourite things to see in Greenland:

Kangerlussuaq Fjord

kangerlussuaq Fjord

Marking the border between Queen Ingrid Land and King Frederick IX Land, Kangerlussuaq Fjord stretches 120 miles. That makes it the longest fjord in western Greenland. But it's not the length of the fjord that makes it such a stunning sight ¬- it's the colour. Meltwaters carry alluvial sediments from the nearby ice sheet, giving the waters of the fjord a glistening emerald colour at the fjord head. The surreal beauty of Greenland is on full display here, almost as if you were looking over an alien landscape.

Eqip Sermia Glacier

Eqip Sermia Glacier Greenland

Permanently locked in snow and ice, the landscape around the Eqip Sermia Glacier is as harsh as it is beautiful. There, off the western shores of Greenland, the Eqip Sermia Glacier rises from the waters like a gleaming white wall of frost. As spectacular as that is, the glacier here is one of the only places in the world where you can see a chunk of this massive ice flow break off and drop into the waters below, a rare sight known as "glacier calving."

Ilulissat Icefjord

Ilulissat icebergs in midnight sun

The Ilulissat Icefjord is 25 miles of glacial activity, and one of the most active producers of icebergs in the world. 20 billion tons of icebergs flow out of the Ilussat Icefjord every year, some as tall as 3,91 metres. The fjord itself is a spectacle, and you can pass by an iceberg that is floating slowly out of the mouth of the fjord and will wander south, making it further south than New York City. This place is also home to another unique natural wonder - the ethereal Aurora Borealis.

Greenland has no lack of natural wonders to explore, even beyond these three. It's a uniquely rugged place, and at first glance it may look harsh. But, beyond the cold, there is a stunning, almost unearthly beauty that can't be denied.

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