Qaanaaq Thule, Greenland
Greenland
Frequently Asked Questions
There is no pier and no terminal: Zodiacs put passengers ashore on the dark sand beach at the foot of the first houses. Waterproof boots earn their place.
At 77 degrees north, more than 1,000 kilometres above the Arctic Circle, on a gentle slope between the sea and the ice sheet. It is one of the northernmost communities on the planet, with about 600 residents.
Because the people of the Thule district had to leave their land when the American air base further south was expanded. The village is recent, even though human presence in the region goes back centuries.
The people of northwest Greenland, who speak their own dialect and maintain one of the last hunting cultures of the Arctic. Depending on the season, narwhal, seal and walrus are still hunted by kayak or sled.
The village itself, laid out over a few streets, and the Knud Rasmussen house museum: a wooden house from 1910 re-erected here, from which the explorer launched his seven Thule expeditions. Arrowheads, hunting tools and fur clothing tell ten centuries of human presence.
The tundra opens beyond the last houses onto scree slopes. Climb a little and the view reaches Inglefield Fjord and its tabular icebergs. Follow the ship guides' instructions: this is bear country.
No. From late April to late August it never drops below the horizon. Hours lose their meaning, and the streets sometimes come alive in the middle of the "night," when low light gilds the façades.
No. These are working animals, not pets: you do not approach them and you do not pet them. The rule applies throughout Greenland.
Yes, Danish kroner for craft work. There is a well-stocked grocery store and a post office, but no conventional tourist infrastructure.
For those who come for the encounter rather than for comfort. There is nothing to consume here, the slopes are steep in places, and the welcome carries the reserve of a community that lives first and foremost for itself.
