Tasiilaq Community Guidelines

The wild side of Greenland

The largest town in Eastern Greenland is the gateway to pretty much every kind of experience Greenland offers.

The town, despite only having 2,000 inhabitants, is the gateway to a plethora of summer adventures on foot, in kayak, by boat or in the air. The winter adventures include dog sledding, skiing, heliskiing and snowmobiling.

East Greenland, and specifically Tasiilaq, is viewed as the “front side” of Greenland or the “face towards the world” by many visitors. The region has nearly 50 years of experience with tourism and regular flight connections to Reykjavik via the airport in Kulusuk which ensure Tasiilaq’s accessibility to the outside world.

Everything seems a little bigger in Tasiilaq. The mountains, the distances, the adventures, and the challenges that loom and beckon in both summer and winter.

The hiking, climbing expeditions, kayak adventures, whale watching, settlement visits, summer boat tours to the ice fjord called Sermilik , as well as the cultural events in the town itself, all mix with a layer of local culture, that gets its energy from the numbers of people from the settlements, who come into town throughout the summer.

Artistic life in East Greenland is characterized by a continuation of craft traditions used in earlier times to decorate household tools, masks or weapons used for hunting.

Current arts and crafts draw on a wide range of regional creative expressions, and the East Greenlandic tupilak figurines are especially known for their quality in design and form, not only in Greenland, but internationally as well.

Our tips to you:

  • We do not have a tradition of bargaining but sell our products at the same price to any costumer all year long.
  • Please visit the charming handicraft workshop with the sign ‘STUNK’ on the front and watch the artisans create their art.
  • From the post office you can send your 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. However, they do accept payment for purchases using most credit cards.
  • There are no places to buy wifi. It will be good idea to have data on your phone.

Tasiilaq Community Guidelines

  • Chat with locals, we are friendly, but please ask before photographing, and please respect privacy and do not take pictures of children without consent.
  • Our dogs are beautiful and engaging but please do not feed them or get too close. They are for work, not play or petting, you can only approach the dogs with the owner.
  • Beware of traffic when walking around town. Please use the sidewalk whenever available.
  • Help us keep our beautiful nature clean by using our garbage bins, and please do not leave any trace.
  • Our beautiful atmospheric museum area is a must see for any visitor. Please remember that entry into the building requires a ticket.
  • We have many attractive shops and Inuit inspired products. We invite you to shop locally. Be aware that you might need a certificate with your purchase. We do not have VAT in Greenland.
  • Most shops accept credit cards and a few accept foreign currency.
  • Our souvenir shops are very aware of export laws:
    – No restriction of export with products made of reindeer, musk ox, wood and soapstone.
    – Read more at www.naalakkersuisut.gl/cites

Places to see

1. Destination East Greenland (tourist information)
2. Police Station
3. Hospital
4. Post office
5. Church
6. Museum
7. Heliport
8. Community hall

 

Header photo: Photo: Mads Pihl, Visit Greenland