I have a special series of episodes that I’ll be sharing this week about Greenland! In fact, I am calling it Greenland week because, inclusive of this episode, I have two other episodes that I’ll post. You might be wondering why I am sharing about Greenland when I normally talk about Iceland and the answer is simple. Both countries have amazing nature, and you can get directly to Greenland from Iceland in a short period of time.
So, if you have ever wanted to visit Greenland or you are intrigued about the idea of going there, you are in for a treat this week. I visited Nuuk, Greenland, which is the capital of the country, in mid-February of this year and had an amazing time. I visited East Greenland, specifically Kulusuk, Tasiilaq, and the interior of the country back in 2018 for 9-days.
That was an incredible experience that made me curious about Nuuk because East Greenland is like stepping back in time. I consider it a time capsule that gives you a glimpse into a much simpler way of living. Plus, the towns are quite small. For example, around 200 people live in Kulusuk. On the other hand, Nuuk is a modern city that kind of made me feel like I was back in Iceland.
How this Episode about Greenland is Set Up
The way I have set this episode up is that I will share some insight about Iceland vs Greenland. Not in a competitive way but more so about each destination and their unique aspects. You’ll find that they have some things in common. After that, I will share my experience in Nuuk and the things I was so fortunate to do. This can give you an idea of things to enjoy if you decide to travel there.
What is Greenland Week?
The two other episodes about Greenland are interviews I did with two awesome women. One is Aká, a Greenlandic activist working to reclaim the cultural in Greenland after the country had been colonized by the Danish for hundreds of years. She is also a strong advocate of Greenland becoming an independent country. Currently, it is considered a district of Denmark.
The other interview is with Josepha, she is a Greenlander that grew up in Nuuk, and has lived in Denmark and Iceland. She’s multi-talented and has guided all over Greenland. She shares her insight about fun things to do there, mask dancing (a tradition) that Greenlandic people have been reincorporating back into their culture, and more.
Before jumping into differences & similarities of Iceland and Greenland, I would like to thank the sponsors of this episode, which are Visit Greenland and Visit Nuuk.
A special shout out to Josepha, who coordinated this whole trip for me. I highly recommend following her on Instagram, where she is child_of_the_arctic
Follow Visit Greenland
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Iceland vs Greenland
Land Mass of Each Country
- Iceland – 103,000 square kilometers (39,768.5 square miles)
- Greenland – 2.16 million square kilometers (836,330 miles)
- Both are islands but Greenland is considered the largest island in the world.
Land mass of each capital area
- Reykjavik – 273 square kilometers (105 square miles)
- Nuuk – 690 square kilometers (about 266 square miles)
Ice coverage in Iceland & Greenland
- Over 80% of Greenland in ice while only about 11% of Iceland is covered in ice. Similar to Greenland, about 80% of Iceland is uninhabited. The highlands of Iceland is what makes up most of that uninhabited land.
Population in the whole country
- Iceland – 387,800 (as of January 20th, 2023)
- Greenland – 56,500 people.
Population in Each Capital
- Nuuk has 19,261 in the capital area
- Reykjavik has 245,000 people in the capital area (about two thirds of the country). There are 4 times as many people living in Reykjavik than in the whole of Greenland
Geographical Location
- While Greenland is technically on the North American continent, meaning the North American tectonic plate, it has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for over 1,000 years. About two thirds of Greenland lies within the Artic Circle. Nuuk is about 240 kilometers (149 miles) south of the Artic Circle.
- Iceland straddles the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. The Mid-Atlantic Ridge, which is the world’s largest
Animals
Iceland
- Whales
- Arctic foxes
- Birds
- Horses
- Sheep
- Fish
- Seals
- Arctic reindeer
- Icelandic sheep dog
Greenland
- Musk ox
- Arctic hare
- Walrus
- Arctic fox
- Arctic wolf
- Arctic reindeer
- Greenland dog
- Sheep
- Seals
- Whales
- Caribou
- Greenland shark
- Birds
Languages Spoken
- Greenland
- Greenlandic, Danish, English
- Iceland
- Icelandic, English and you might see some signs in Polish
Weather in Winter and Summer
Iceland
- Summer in Iceland can range from 5 degrees Celsius (41 Fahrenheit) to 20 degrees Celsius. To be fair, the average high is more like 16 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit)
- The average winter temperatures here can be from -5 (23 Fahrenheit) upwards to +5 degrees Celsius (41 Fahrenheit)
Greenland
- Greenlandic summers are a little cooler than Iceland. It’s expected that the temperatures will not go above 10 degrees Celsius. However, it can and has happened that the temperatures went upwards of 70 degrees Fahrenheit there. That is a rare occurrence so don’t bank on that happening.
- During winter, the temperatures can drop down to -20 degrees Celsius (-4 degree Fahrenheit) or even lower. Layering up is serious business in Greenland and my lopapeysa, along with my layering system came in handy. Also, handwarmers were a must for me on my trip and I’m pretty sure they kept my fingers from falling off.
Day Light Hours
Greenland & Iceland
- Similar to Iceland, winter means long, dark days in Greenland. The shortest day is about 4 hours and 22 minutes in December
- During the summer, they also have the midnight sun. Every May 25th to July 25th, the sun stays visible throughout the day and evening. The longest day is June 21st, or the summer solstice and
Main Industries in Iceland and Greenland
Iceland
- Tourism, aluminum smelting and fisheries
Greenland
- Fishing
Insects
For the most part, you don’t have to worry that much about insects in Iceland. Recently, we have had some issues with small biting flies in the country during summer and you will for sure need a fly net in the Mývatn in north Iceland but that is pretty much it.
Greenland, on the other hand, is known for its arctic mosquitos that show up in abundance during June and July. A mosquito net is a must and strong repellent.
Currency
In Greenland, the currency is the Danish Krone, while in Iceland, the currency is the Icelandic Kronur
Transportation – Getting between Towns
Greenland
- While there are plenty of roads to drive on in Nuuk, there are no roads that connect towns in Greenland
- Helicopter, plane, boat
Iceland
- You can easily drive between towns in Iceland
Both Ruled by the Danish
- Denmark ruled Greenland as a colony for over 300 years. While it is no longer considered a colony, it is very much part of the Danish kingdom, as I mentioned earlier.
- Iceland was ruled by Denmark from 1380 to 1944, which is over 500 years. I have spoken about this in other episodes.
My trip to Nuuk, Greenland
I feel so fortunate to have experienced Nuuk last month. After visiting, I just knew that I would like to come back, preferably during the summer. One fascinating thing to point out is that you can only directly fly to Greenland from Denmark or Iceland. Being based in Iceland meant that I am and others who live here or visit, can hop on a plane and be in Greenland within a few hours. Literally, it takes about 3 hours to get to Nuuk from Keflavik international airport.
Originally, I was supposed to arrive in Nuuk on Saturday, February 11th and leave on the 18th. However, there was a terrible windstorm in Iceland that resulted in all flights being cancelled. My flight was then rescheduled for Monday, February 13th but there was also a small storm that led to delays and rescheduled flights. I ended up arriving in Nuuk at 5:00 PM on Valentine’s Day. Due to my schedule back in Iceland, I had to keep the departure day of the 18th on a flight that left at 9:00 in the morning.
That left me with 3 days to pack in as much activity as I could, and I definitely did that!
The plane had about 37 seats, so definitely not a large aircraft. I thought it was so cool to see the snow-covered mountains, and glacier from the window of the plane. When I left Iceland, there was no snow on the ground, so it was a stark difference to arrive in Nuuk, where there was a thick layer of snow everywhere.
When you get off the plane, you walk from the aircraft to the terminal building. It was -15 degrees Fahrenheit, so I could feel the cold right away but it was refreshing. Plus, I was totally prepared. Because this is such a small airport, and there weren’t many people on the plane, it was funny to see my luggage come out on what I think is the smallest luggage conveyor belt I’ve ever encountered.
Accommodations in Greenland
I stayed at the Hotel Aurora, a lovely hotel in Nuuk that leans into the theme of the northern lights. During the day, the building has the color of the aurora visible (blue, green and purple). The room included a nice sized bathroom, a queen-sized bed, and a loft area with another big bed. That space could work well for four adults or a family. They have complimentary breakfast every day as well. I informed them that I was plant-based and they told me it was more than fine for me to store some food in their fridge, if I wanted to.
After arriving to my hotel at about 6 PM, I changed my clothes and ran out to meet Josepha and her family for dinner at Killut. To be fair, I did eat before I went over there because they didn’t have any plant-based items on the menu for their Valentine’s Day dinner, but I still enjoyed the company.
The next day, I decided to have breakfast at Pascucci, a restaurant in Nuuk City Center, which is a mall in the downtown Nuuk area. I had the vegan falafel salad and it was so good! I liked the vegan food there so much that I ended up going there a few times during my stay.
Eating Plant-Based (Vegan) Meals While in Nuuk, Greenland
I also shopped in the food markets and was pleasantly surprised to see a variety of fruits, vegetables, nuts, and so on like in Iceland. I wasn’t lacking that much for choice and I instantly felt very comfortable because I knew there were things I could eat. Now, I didn’t have a place to cook things, so I ate a lot of raw veggies, salads, nuts, and other food that I brought with me. I had packed protein shakes, and meals from Huel, a vegan food company that makes meals that only need to soak in hot water for 5 minutes before eating.
I know it doesn’t sound it but the food is actually tasty. Because I had been to Greenland before, I knew that it wasn’t the most vegan-friendly place, meaning restaurants don’t have that many vegan options. However, I did just fine with what I brought and when I ate out.
Hot Tub & Spa in Nuuk
Along with doing the interviews that I spoke about earlier in this episode, I also did some other fun activities.
I had a lovely time at the hot tub and spa run by Inuk Hostel, which is owned by Inuk Travel. They have a hot tub and sauna with an incredible view. I enjoyed soaking in there for part of my afternoon. After the soak, I ate at their café, which also has gorgeous views of the water and snow-covered mountains in the distance. Following that experience, I was fortunate to get a driving tour of Nuuk by Magnus, one of the employees at Visit Greenland. He provided some insight on how much Nuuk has changed over the last 30 years.
There is a lot of construction going on there and it’s amazing to see the colorful building sitting on the hillsides. In contrast to that, you also have many new developments. I was surprised to see the number of high-rise buildings. On the evening of my first full day, I interviewed Aká and then went back to Hotel Aurora to prepare for the next day because I was going on a boat trip!
Getting Around Nuuk, Greenland
I have to note that I could have easily walked around Nuuk to many of the locations I wanted to go, but there were a decent amount of times that I took taxis becasue it was cold and I was tired. On average, I paid about $9 to $12 per taxi ride. I didn’t think it was that bad. Food, on the other hand, was way more expensive. There are also public buses, which are more affordable. Just know that you have to pay cash to ride.
For instance, my falafel salad was about $26 I was very full after eating it but it’s a decent amount to pay. Except for what they catch in the sea, all other food in Greenland is imported. I found it really cool to see Icelandic produce being sold in Greenlandic food markets. The price of veggies was expensive too. I easily paid $2.87 for a cucumber! Way less expensive in Iceland.
Boat Trip to Qoornoq Island
My second full day started out with a boat tour to Qoornoq island with Nuuk Water Taxi. This island was a fishing settlement for many years until the inhabitants were made to leave the island because workers were needed in Nuuk. The settlement was abandoned for many years before the houses were turned into summer homes.
Well, there were some people living on the island but it was mostly orphans that had been sent away for not behaving well. This is at least what the tour guide told us. It had snowed heavily some days before we arrived, so walking around the island was an adventure.
Thankfully, I had on very good winter boots and thick wool socks. They kept my feet warm and dry as we trudged through the sometimes almost knee-deep snow. Our location was the abandoned fish processing building. It is eerily beautiful and there is even a swing inside it that I enjoyed swinging on. After touring the island and getting back on the boat, we stopped by a gorgeous frozen waterfall before heading back to Nuuk.
We didn’t see any whales this time but we did see an incredible eagle. This was my first time getting a good view of an eagle. It was perched on a mountain and at first glance you could easily mistake it for a person because of its size.
Random share – It has happened that small dogs, like chihuahuas, have been snatched up by eagles in Nuuk. Their owners sometimes put jackets on them that have spikes to try and protect their small furry friends from becoming an eagle’s next meal.
I arrived back to Nuuk in late afternoon, and decided to get some food at Pascucci and then head back to the hotel. I ended up having dinner at Josepha’s.
My Last Full Day in Nuuk
My last full day in Nuuk started with my interview of Jospeha. She has a young child, so we had to find time during the day when her child was at day care to chat. After that, I headed to the art museum and the National Museum to learn more about Greenlandic culture. Both museums are awesome and have incredible archives. I highly recommend both.
One highlight from the art museum for me was seeing the cravings done in the walrus skull and tusks. It was so intricate and beautiful. At the National Museum of Greenland, I especially loved seeing the national outfits on display and the Inuit mummies!
Yes, there are Inuit mummies on display that look so surreal. I could have stayed in the National Museum for hours but I had other activities to do, like filming outside, and grabbing some cool souvenirs for my family at Anori Art.
Meeting a Greenlandic Shaman
One surprise part of my day that made this whole trip even more magical was meeting a Greenlandic Shaman. Her name is Rakel. She explained a bit about her journey to embrace her Shamanic roots, which had been silenced for many years due to colonization. Here is a clip of her talking about her experience.
After that, we went on a drum journey together. In short, a drum journey is when she plays her drum in a rhythmic way that puts the listener in a trance and you have visions. It was fascinating, to say the least, and an experience I will never forget for the rest of my life. Please note, thee were no drugs involved. If going on a drum journey is of interest to you, check out her Instagram and website.
The very last thing I did was meet with my friend Ella. She also grew up in Nuuk. She lived in Iceland for some time and we became friends while working at the same company in Reykjavik. It was a lovely way to finish the evening.
Special Thanks to Visit Greenland & Visit Nuuk
Thank you again to Visit Greenland and Visit Nuuk for sponsoring this adventure and podcast episode.
Random Fact of the Episode
All the cities have old Danish names that was used before, and the Danish name for Nuuk is Godthåb (the good hope, which is why when you fly to Nuuk the code for the city is GOH).
Icelandic Word of the Episode
Grænland
Greenlandic Word of the Episode
Inuit – plural
Inuk – singular
