An excellent choice

For many guests, just getting to Ittoqqortoormiit is in itself an adventure, as the town is almost as far as one can get from any other inhabited area in Greenland.
The closest neighbor is the world’s largest national park with the Danish Sirius Patrol as the only human presence in a vast landscape dominated by small game, birds, polar bears, muskox, reindeer, walrus and 18 000 kilometers of rugged, pathless coastline.

Even though the sea ice blocks ship access to the town for about nine months of the year, Ittoqqortoormiit has nevertheless become an important cruise destination for small expeditionary vessels exploring the nature, wildlife and culture of Northeastern Greenland.

Hunting and fishing at sea are the only ways the community can survive; in addition, the sea ice is like a road providing new routes through the countryside. During early spring, when the sea ice is still thick and the sun is high in the sky, many of the local people will go out for a weekend on dog sledding or snowmobile trips.
For the duration of the spring season, tent camps and camping life are the norm. Visitors have the opportunity to experience this seasonal lifestyle when going out on the land with local guides.

During the short but intense summer period, kayaks are available for rent. Both short trips and long hauls through the ice-filled strait by Ittoqqortoormiit provide access to the uninhabited settlements of Cape Hope and Cape Tobin, as well as to the inviting albeit somewhat chilly beach at Walrus Bay.

Cape Tobin is also known by its Greenlandic name, Uunartoq, meaning “that which one burns oneself on” because it is the location of the warmest hot spring in Greenland. The water temperature in the spring is 62 degrees Celsius.

Tips for you:

• Our museum does not have opening hours, so please do not hesitate to ask Nanu Travel to open it.
• Our weather balloon is launched every single day at 11:00 and 23:00 at TELE-POST. If you wish to see the balloon be there 15 minutes before, so that you can observe the balloon getting filled. The balloon is launched in order to forecast weather patterns for Europe.
• At the post office, you can send postcards to your loved ones and buy stamps. The post office does not exchange currency and does not accept payment in any currency except Danish Kroner in cash. However, they do accept payment for purchases using most credit cards.
• Majoriaq art shop is a learning center for adults. They make handicrafts that can be bought here.
• There are no places to buy wifi. It is a good idea to have data on your phone.

Ittoqqortoormiit Community Guidelines

• Please ask before photographing inside homes or locals, some are camera shy.
• Do not feed or pet the dogs, they are for work, not pets.
• Our ATVs are cool, and you are welcome to take photos, but please do not touch them or sit on them. Ask the owner first.
• Step off the road when people are passing by with their vehicles.
• Leave only your footprints in nature, take your trash with you.
• Buy and taste the local muskox meat, or other Greenlandic food to experience our culture, while supporting our hunters.
• Go on a 2 km hike to Qinngaaiva (Walrus Bay) and see the historical and archaeological site. The site is a cultural site, so please enjoy it from a respectful distance.
• When our hunters are working, it can be very exciting, but please try not to stand in their way.

Export legislation:

• CITES permit may be required for export of some items. You can obtain CITES at the places that sell these products.
• Read more at www.naalakkersuisut.gl/cites.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Places to go

1. Tourist office
2. Weather station
3. Pilersuisoq Store
4. Art Shop
5. Guesthouse
6. Police
7. Local administration
8. Hospital
9. Church
10. Museum
11. School
12. Memorial: Ejnar Mikkelsen
13. Memorial Pourqoui-Pas
14. Old graveyards
15. Sporthall
16. Heliport
17. Cemetery
18. Football Field
19. Public service building
20. Ngiiu Kiosk
21. Sled dogs
22. Gas station
23. Elderly house

 

Header photo: Photo: Frank Petersen, Visit Greenland