Dogsledding with a greenlandic musher - an authentic experience

Northern Lights and Icebergs

© Visit Greenland - Mads Pihl
Individual tour

Northern Lights and Icebergs

5 days in Ilulissat incl. visits to the UNESCO Ilulissat Icefjord

from €720

This adventure boasts the arctic winter highlights in and around Ilulissat in Disko Bay. A guided walk to UNESCO Ilulissat Icefjord starts things off the right way - visiting the massive icebergs you came here to see.

Next day, a local captain will take you by boat into freezing Disko Bay to bring you closer to the massive icebergs laying dormant in front of Ilulissat.

In the evening use clear arctic nights to hunt for the Northern Lights on your own. We will provide you with information from where and when you can witness them best.

A free day serves as a buffer day in case activities have to be moved due to weather or can be used to tweak your trip with our optional activities.

Rough summary

Day 1:

Arrival in Ilulissat

Day 2:

Guided walk to Ilulissat Icefjord. Night in Ilulissat

Day 3:

Iceberg Sailing to UNESCO Icefjord. Night in Ilulissat

Day 4:

Day at leisure in Ilulissat. Night in Ilulissat

Day 5:

End of the trip

Prices and dates

Price per person:

Package based on: Double Single
Guesthouse 725 985
3* hotel 770 1075
3* hotel with sea view 850 1235
4* hotel 860 1340
4* hotel with sea view 950 1525

Dates:

daily departures, February 1, 2024 – April 15, 2024 (available)

Further details

Price includes:

  • 2 hour guided walk to UNESCO Ilulissat Icefjord (Local guide)
  • 2 hour boat tour to UNESCO Ilulissat Icefjord (Local guide)
  • 4 nights in Ilulissat
  • Breakfast included when staying in hotel

Type of trip:

This pre-arranged adventure is an individual trip, meaning you are discovering Greenland on your own but joining selected guided group activities during your stay. You will receive comprehensive travel information such as where and when to meet for the activities

Minimum age:

12 years

Options

Feel free to add one or more of our tour options to make them part of your request.

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Leaving Ilulissat with the sled dogs

4h dog sledding tour (2 person per sledge)

  • Local guide
  • Ilulissat
  • Feb-Mar
  • 4h
  • €410
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Experience an adventurous dog sled ride in Ilulissat with this 4-hour option. The ride involves crossing a plain, climbing 350 altimeters up Big Akinnaq mountain, and sledding through the vast expanse of back-country. Enjoy a thrilling ride down Big Akinnaq with a breathtaking view of the town and Disko Bay. It's important to note that participants should be in good physical shape for the trip.
In front of giant icebergs near Ilulissat

Overnight in an Igloo & iceberg adventure

  • Ilulissat
  • Feb-Mar
  • 25h
  • €565
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Add this option to stay overnight at Igloo Lodge, a camp consisting of traditional igloos and a heated hut. We get there by snow cat. Lunch, dinner, breakfast and a high-performance winter sleeping bag are included. With a bit of luck Northern Lights as well (Feb-Mar). Once you have settled in, you will head out on an unforgettable snowmobile and snowshoe adventure (2.5 hours, moderate difficulty) to towering ice icebergs. Choosing the Igloo Lodge option will extend your program by one day.
Snowshoeing in Disko Bay

Tour to Oqaatsut incl. snowshoeing & lunch

  • Ilulissat
  • Mar-Apr 10th
  • 6h
  • €255
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This guided day trip takes visitors north of Ilulissat by boat to the small settlement of Oqaatsut, where they will be welcomed by hosts and equipped with snowshoes for a 1-1.5 hour hike. Along the way, our guide will take them to viewpoints to learn about the life and history of Oqaatsut. Afterwards, a delicious meal will be served at the H8 restaurant with local ingredients such as fish and meat, before returning to Ilulissat. This is an amazing way to explore an authentic settlement north of Ilulissat.
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Dog sledding in Disko Bay Ilulissat

1.5h dog sledding tour (2 person per sledge)

  • Local guide
  • Ilulissat
  • Feb-Apr 15th
  • 1.5 h
  • €265
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Enjoy the silence, enjoy the scenery, feel the connection to an age-old tradition and experience something extraordinary - dog sledding in Ilulissat. The route depends on the conditions, but most often we will drive in flat terrain out on the plain behind Ilulissat...so if you're looking for a basic and easy dogsledding trip, this is the one.
Igloo's beneath the Northern Lights in Greenland

Overnight in an Igloo & snowshoeing

  • Ilulissat
  • Feb-Mar
  • 25h
  • €470
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Add this option to stay overnight at Igloo Lodge, a camp consisting of traditional igloos and a heated hut. We get there by snow cat. Lunch, dinner, breakfast and a high-performance winter sleeping bag are included. With a bit of luck Northern Lights as well (Feb-Mar). Once you have settled in, you will head on a a snow shoe hike (1.5 hours, moderate difficulty) to a view point towards Ilulissat Icefjord, crowned with its fantastic vista. Choosing the Igloo Lodge option will extend your program by one day.
Dog sledding through fresh snow in Greenland

Overnight in an Igloo & dog sledding

  • Local guide
  • Ilulissat
  • Feb-Mar
  • 25h
  • €670
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Add this option to stay overnight at Igloo Lodge, a camp consisting of traditional igloos and a heated hut. We get there by snow cat. Lunch, dinner, breakfast and a high-performance winter sleeping bag are included. With a bit of luck Northern Lights as well (Feb-Mar). Once you have settled in, you will head out to experience sheer tranquility on a dog sled ride (1.5 hours, moderate difficulty) to a breathtaking viewpoint, shared only with those participating in this adventure. Choosing the Igloo Lodge option will extend your program by one day.
A local musher from Ilulissat

Tour to Oqaatsut incl. dog sledding & lunch

  • Local guide
  • Ilulissat
  • Mar-Apr 10th
  • 6h
  • €395
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This guided day tour takes you from Ilulissat Harbor by boat to the small settlement of Oqaatsut. From there you have the chance to cross the frozen bay on a sled with a local musher and his team of dogs, an ancient tradition still used today. At Restaurant H8, you will enjoy a delicious lunch made from local ingredients before returning back to Ilulissat by boat.
Snowmobiling near Ilulissat in Disko Bay in Greenland

Snowmobiling

  • Ilulissat
  • Feb-Apr 15th
  • 3h
  • €215
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Today, you will enjoy an amazing 3 hours snowmobiling ride from Ilulissat. We follow the old trail to the north, crossing lakes, frozen fjords and hills with breathtaking views of Disko Bay and Disko Island. Finally we cross the frozen sea to reach Oqaatsut where we have a break drinking coffee or tea, eat snacks and discover the traditional settlement. We ride back to Ilulissat taking a different route to explore the back country, visiting a spectacular frozen waterfall and the dramatic rock cliffs that dominate the scenery. Please note that the itinerary can be adjusted to weather & ice conditions. No previous experience but driving license is required. Minimum age is 18 years. We will provide all the equipment and teach all you need to know to ride completely safe with our experienced guide.
View of Ilulissat with Zion church and museum

Guided city walk Ilulissat

  • Ilulissat
  • Feb-Sep
  • 2h
  • €40
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On a city walk through Ilulissat your guide will show you the most important sites of this charming little town located next to the UNESCO Icefjord for instance the old part of town where the houses of the first Danish settlers are situated at the harbour as well as the Knud Rasmussen Museum and the old wooden church Zion. He will provide us with valuable insight into the history of Ilulissat and the Greenlandic culture.

Flight connections

Flights to Greenland are not included.
Fly to Ilulissat via Reykjavík/Iceland or Copenhagen/Denmark.
Return flight from 1250 EUR per person can be added to your package.

Open map

Detailed itinerary

Day 1: Arrival in Ilulissat

Welcome to Ilulissat - the town on the shore of the UNESCO Icefjord. Our recommendation is to keep this as a free day in case of possible flight delays. Use the day to explore the town and to settle and prepare for your adventures ahead. You will spend the night in Ilulissat.

Day 2: Guided walk to the Icefjord

It is a big day today. You came here to see glaciers and icebergs. And you do not mean the small ones, you mean the massive ones. Well this is what you are going to see today. Standing in front of the enormous Ilulissat Icefjord will make you feel small and humble. An endless amount of ice is pushing down from the glacier Sermeq Kujalleq towards the sea, where ice is calving constantly creating those majestic icebergs floating in Disko Bay. Here, at the Ilulissat Icefjord UNESCO World Heritage Site, you also stop at Sermermiut, an abandoned Inuit settlement, which had been used by Saqqaq, early Dorset and Thule cultures. Your guide provides you with exciting insights into Inuit culture.

On clear evenings we recommend that you go in search of the Northern Lights. Before your trip we will provide you with information on how and where you can best observe the mesmering lights of the Aurora Borealis.

Day 3: Iceberg Sailing to UNESCO Icefjord

Today will be pretty amazing, but also pretty cold. You will head out by boat and visit the gigantic floating icebergs, so wrap yourself up warmly and have your cameras locked and loaded. One of our experienced captains will take you out into partly frozen Disko Bay, getting you as close as safe to the fascinating icebergs. These icy giants have calved from the most productive glacier of the Northern Hemisphere, the Sermeq Kujalleq. It annually calves 35 km³ of ice into the UNESCO Icefjord - a sheer unimaginable amount. You will spend the night in Ilulissat.

Day 4: Day at leisure in Ilulissat

This day serves as a buffer day in case activities have to be moved due to weather or can be used to tweak your trip with our optional activities. You will spend the night in Ilulissat.

Day 5: End of trip

Today you could fly back or extend your stay with optional activities.

Remark

The Northern Lights are a natural phenomenon, thus we cannot guarantee that you will see them during your trip. However, if you are traveling in Greenland from end of August to end of March, chances are good that you will be able to observe them, but best deep in the winter (from mid November to mid March). If you travel in April it is unlikely to see the Northern Lights as days are already too bright.

What our customers say

von Anfang an super beraten gefühlt

Wir haben uns von Anfang an super beraten gefühlt. Die Reise wurde ganz individuell auf unsere Wünsche zugeschnitten und war von der Planung bis zur Umsetzung einfach nur perfekt organisiert. Wir waren stets gut informiert und hatten einen festen Ansprechpartner.
Die Aktivitäten auf Grönland haben alle wunderbar funktioniert und die Guides der einzelnen Touren haben uns mit ihrer Leidenschaft für dieses Land angesteckt. Es war eine absolut traumhafte und beeindruckende Reise! Wir können Greenland Tours nur weiterempfehlen!

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Carmen Schmid (Deutschland, March 2023)

Un voyage de noces merveilleux

Du fond du cœur un grand merci à vous. Vous avez su répondre exactement à nos souhaits. Un voyage de noces merveilleux, pas trop fatigant, et riches en découvertes. Vous aviez raison en me disant que nous serions « bichonnés » : partout des gens très patients avec notre anglais bredouillant, très serviables et souriants. Des gens si accueillants sur une terre si hostile… Jamais nous ne nous sommes sentis désemparés, tout était organisé à la lettre.

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Sabine et Luc Herbaut (France, February 2019)

a memorable journey

I must reiterate that my trip to Greenland was such a memorable journey and that many of my friends and followers are very keen on making this trip. I shall definitely recommend your company!

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Mihiri (Sri Lanka, March 2017)
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All adventure trips are undertaken on the responsibility of its participants. Greenland Tours does not assume any responsibility for accidents which are caused by its customers or can be traced to their own actions. Participants have to sign a waiver before undertaking all trips stating that they realise that all outdoor activities carry an inherent risk.