Under the midnight sun: iceberg viewing in Ilulissat

Under the midnight sun: iceberg viewing in Ilulissat

Iceberg viewing in Ilulissat is best done at night, not by moonlight but under the Arctic's infamous midnight sun

Ilulissat is the Greenland you always imagined. Located at the mouth of the 40km wide Jakobshavn Glacier (Sermeq Kujalleq), itself supported by a vast ice fjord, Ilulissat is one of the most astonishing landscapes on earth, with its colorful houses in the picturesque, iceberg-studded Disko Bay.

Throw in plenty of sled dogs (and their cacophonous howls) and you have a destination that lives up to expectations in spectacular style. It's easy to see why Greenland's third largest city is Greenland's most popular tourist destination.

I had spent my first two days in Ilulissat hiking around the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Ilulissat Icefjord, from which the Jakobshavn Glacier extends. Beyond the Icefjord, inland to the east, is the vast Greenland ice sheet (or ice cap), the vast mass of ice that covers 1,710,000 km2 of Greenland - about 80% of its total land surface.

Ilulissat, a Greenlandic word for "icebergs," sees a staggering 35 billion tons (46 km3) of ice carve their way through the surrounding waters each year after calving from the glacier in what is known as an "ice stream." Annually, over 10% of all Greenland icebergs calve from the Ilulissat Icefjord via the Jakobshavn Glacier. This is more than any other glacier outside of Antarctica.

The ice flow is one of the fastest (40 m per day) and most active in the world. The combination of a huge ice sheet and fast-moving glacier calving into an iceberg-covered fjord is a phenomenon unique to Greenland and Antarctica.

Unsurprisingly, the most popular activity in Ilulissat is iceberg viewing, usually on one of the many boats that ply Disko Bay. The best option is to join a midnight sun iceberg sightseeing tour with World of Greenland.

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The midnight sun is a natural phenomenon that only occurs in the summer months in places north of the Arctic Circle or south of the Arctic Circle. During these periods the Sun remains visible at local midnight. In Ilulissat, 350 km north of the Arctic Circle, the midnight sun lasts from May 21st to July 24th.

Iceberg sightseeing tours depart throughout the day, but to see the giant icebergs under the midnight sun, tours must depart later in the evening. I met my group at the World of Greenland office in the city center at 9:45 p.m. We were taken by minibus to the quay where we boarded our ship and headed out to sea.

We drove out of town and slowed down as we reached the more active parts of the glacier. The day before I had visited the Eqi Glacier, so I saw many gigantic ice walls. Gliding leisurely between the icebergs of the Icefjord while the sun rolled over the horizon was a completely different experience.

Gone were the stark contrasts of the bright white glacier between the pristine water and the bright blue sky. Instead, colors swirled together in a palette of evening light. The icebergs picked up and reflected the hue of the sky, while the water reflected everything in its calm facade.

alt=”During my iceberg viewing in Ilulissat, thick fog rolled in”>Atlas & BootsA deep, thick fog rolled in

In the silence and stillness, it looked like an artist's canvas of pastel and watercolor: idyllic and surreal.

The peace was disturbed only by the thinly rippled wake of our boat and the breaching of a humpback whale that joined us in the bay. As we drifted gently along, a low, thick mist rolled in, adding another layer to the composition.

Two single-masted sloops with crimson sails arrived, cutting through the fog and dancing among the mountain ranges that loomed beside them. The scene continued to play out: the humpback whale returned, now accompanied by a seal, as the boat turned back towards town.

Passengers crowded around the deck, hugging hot drinks and burying themselves in their scarves, barely making a sound except for occasional exclamations as the whale broke the surface.

alt=”midnight sun iceberg visit ilulissat sailboat “>Atlas & BootsA single-masted sloop next to a huge iceberg

Midnight came and went and the colors changed from pastel swirls to darker ambers and purples. The wild and eerie combination of rock, sea and ice under a never-setting sun was nothing short of surreal for those of us from more prosaic climes.

The rainbow-colored houses of Ilulissat appeared again on the horizon. As the night grew colder, fewer and fewer passengers stayed on deck, preferring instead to sit inside and watch the scenery pass by through the windows.

The temperature dropped, but the sky didn't darken. In fact, it started to brighten. After all, it was early morning and we were approaching dawn – if there is such a thing in the land of the midnight sun.

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• alt=“kleiner eisberg, den ich während meiner eisbergbesichtigung in ilulissat gesehen habe“>
• alt=“ein buckelwal, den ich während meiner eisbergbesichtigung in ilulissat gesehen habe“>

Iceberg viewing in Ilulissat: the essentials

What: Iceberg viewing under the midnight sun in Ilulissat, Greenland.

Where: Ilulissat is slowly starting to meet demand with a growing selection of accommodation options. My visit in the peak month of July was a last minute decision, so most hotels were fully booked. With few options left, I stayed at Ilulissat Apartment, a basic self-catering apartment about a 10-minute walk from the center. Popular hotels include Hotel Hvide Falk, Hotel Arctic and Hotel Icefiord.

There are also a growing number of Airbnb options throughout the city. Click here to receive a discount on your first stay.

    Booking.com

When: The best time for an iceberg sightseeing tour is from mid-June to mid-September, although tours operate year-round. Officially, the midnight sun in Ilulissat lasts from May 21st to July 24th. This coincides with the best time to visit Ilulissat in general, as the weather is best for whale watching, hiking, kayaking and other activities in the area. However, it is also peak season with hotels and lodges selling out quickly, so it's best to book in advance.

How: I booked my iceberg sightseeing tour with World of Greenland at their main office in central Ilulissat. The excursions run several times a day throughout the year, but for midnight sightseeing book the 10:00 p.m. departure. The tour departs at 9:45 p.m. and lasts approximately 2.5 hours.

The price per adult is 695 DKK (100 USD) and includes tea and coffee throughout the trip.

Tours meet outside the main office, where minibuses meet customers and take them to the dock where the boats depart. After the tour, minibuses take customers to the offices or the main hotels in the city.

For more information and bookings, visit their website, email info@wog.gl, call +299 94 43 00 or drop by their office in the city between 8am and 6pm.

I flew from London to Kangerlussuaq via Copenhagen, Denmark. From there I booked a domestic flight to Ilulissat with Air Greenland, who essentially have a monopoly on domestic flights in Greenland. Book flights via Skyscanner.

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Guides for Greenland are hard to come by, but if you're planning on trekking, we recommend the Cicerone Guide to Trekking in Greenland.

Mission statement: Atlas & Boots

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