Greenland
Pitorqeq

Discover travel destinations of travelers writing a travel journal on FindPenguins.
Travelers at this place
    • Day 8

      Trekking Along the Icefjord

      August 5, 2022 in Greenland ⋅ ☁️ 46 °F

      There are four popular trails to hike in Ilulissat … each providing a different perspective of the Ilulissat Icefjord (Ilulissat Kangerlua in Greenlandic).

      The 25-mile long fjord begins at the Greenland Ice Sheet and ends at Disko Bay. Way up at the head of the fjord is Sermeq Kujalleq (aka Jakobshavn Glacier) … a fast moving, active river of ice. It is this glacier — combined with the amazing scenery in the area — that has put the Ilulissat Icefjord on the UNESCO World Heritage Site List.

      There are no views of the glacier from where the town is located … nor from the trails. All the visible ice — for miles and miles and miles — consists of bergs that have calved off the glacier. Some 20 BILLION tons per year according to the Wikipedia article I read. Another mind boggling number from the same source says that some of the icebergs are up to 3,300 feet (1 km) in height! No wonder they are grounded and remain in the fjord until such time as they break up and can free themselves. Due to the way the currents run, it is believed that the iceberg that caused the demise of Titanic came from this fjord.

      When we visited Ilulissat in 2013, we walked through town to the boardwalk that runs down to the Icefjord for views that I still have a hard time comprehending … even after seeing them again today. On that occasion, we returned to town via the blue and red trails … coming across Thule skeletal remains that our historian Laurie pointed out along the way.

      (The story of our 2013 hike — in words and images — is at this link …http://2totravel.blogspot.com/2013/12/ilulissat….)

      This time, we wanted to do something different. So, we opted for the yellow route. Instead of taking the shuttle arranged by Quark to the newly constructed Ice Center at the junction of the trails, we decided to hike the path in reverse by walking through town …. thanks, Fabrice, for showing us the short cut.

      The downside to our plan was that we dawdled so much on the trail that we never had time to go into the Ice Center. On the other hand, had we gone to the center by starting at that end of the trail, we might not have managed to complete the hike. Definitely a dilemma.

      It wasn’t so much the distance that delayed us — about 2.5 miles with the walk to the trailhead near the power plant tacked on. Nor was the rocky terrain that had us crawling over and around boulders and rocks a problem. Even the elevation gain was a non-issue. It was the jaw-dropping scenery that kept stopping our forward progress!

      We’re back on the ship now. But our day is not over yet …
      Read more

    • Day 12

      Ilulissat/Discobucht

      August 27, 2023 in Greenland ⋅ 🌧 6 °C

      Bis zuletzt war das Bangen da, aus Eisberggründen, nicht Ilulissat (dän. Jacobshavn) anzusteuern. Doch nun liegen wir mit 2 Expeditionsschiffen vor dem Ort und Wale begrüßten uns auch schon🤗. Um 9:15 Uhr holen uns einheimische Boote direkt von der Amadea ab und unser Ausflug "Bootsfahrt zum Eisfjord" kann starten. Es ist unglaublich, wir steigen in das Einheimischen Boot, dann geht es los. Erst düsen wir schnell Richtung Eisberge, stoppen plötzlich und halten inne, da uns ein Wal umkreist. Dann geht es weiter in die Eisbergwelt und wir können es nicht fassen, wie mächtig diese Eisberge, voll mit bis zu 30000 Jahre altem Süßwasser, majestätisch vor uns schwimmen. Wir sind demütig, happy und verfolgen, die ständig wechselnde Szenerie. Wir sehen Eisberge kalben und Robben schwimmen. Die riesigen Eisberge, glänzend durch die Sonnenstrahlen, ziehen an uns vorbei und es ist unglaublich und völlig fremd für unsere Wahrnehmung, einfach schön. Dann, nach 2h geht es zurück und der Guide fährt nochmals alle Eisbergbuchten ab, bevor wir mit Tender booten an Land gehen. Abends gibt es dann Whiskey mit Gletscher Eis, etwas dekadent, aber trotzdem nicht zu fassen, was man da auf die Zunge bekommt. Leider regnet es sehr stark und die Party wird abgebrochen, das Eis konserviert und wir gehen, überwältigt der irren Eindrücke ins Bett😘Read more

    • Day 3

      Ilulissat-Eisfjord

      August 13, 2022 in Greenland ⋅ ⛅ 7 °C

      Mir war das gar nicht so bewusst. Aber das Highlight unserer Reise liegt ja quasi um die Ecke von Ilulissat.

      Der Ilulissat-Eisfjord ist der Kanal, durch welchen das vom Ilulissat-Gletscher (Sermeq Kujalleq auf Grönländisch) kalbende Eis das Meer erreicht. Der Ilulissat-Gletscher ist einer der aktivsten und sich am schnellsten bewegenden Gletscher der Welt und wird seit über 250 Jahren von Wissenschaftlern untersucht, um dabei zu helfen, den Klimawandel besser zu verstehen.

      Und ist einfach wunderschön!
      Read more

    • Day 3

      Ice Calving and Tidal Waves

      June 22, 2023 in Greenland ⋅ ☁️ 2 °C

      Not having the original video, I've screen recorded this from Nigel Danson's Instagram story. Make sure the sound is on and you play it from the beginning.

      You don't see it in the video here, but the drones saw ice debris landing around our boat. Fortunately nothing landed on us.

      I think he's correct, this is a very memorable event from the trip to Greenland. Unique and scary all in one. Totally amazing. Loved it.
      Read more

    • Day 9

      Die "Yellow Route"

      August 19, 2022 in Greenland ⋅ ☀️ 6 °C

      Am letzen Tag wollten wir noch mal wandern gehen. Zunächst die „YELLOW ROUTE“ und zum Center, dann mal schauen.
      Es gibt in Ilulissat los, runter zum Kraftwerk und dann der Küste lang. Immer die großen Eisberge vor uns.
      Beim letzten Abstieg zum UNESCO Fjörd konnten wir schon die Wale hören. Sie waren wieder da. Und wie! Bei der Tour gestern konnten wir in dem Gebiet einige sehen, jetzt von Land mit aller Zeit und keine Nebengeräusche war das noch mal von ganz anderer Qualität. Ein Traum.
      Lust zu einem Caffe hat uns dann doch ins Icefjord Center getrieben. Wir sind dann aber wieder zurück zu den Walen.
      Das war der krönende Abschluss einer unglaublichen Reise.
      Read more

    • Day 3

      The First Boat Trip

      June 22, 2023 in Greenland ⋅ ☁️ 2 °C

      During the week there were four boat trips scheduled to allow us to get up close and personal with the icebergs. There were two days allocated for these 4hr excursions and each had a daytime sailing then an evening departure at 9pm.

      Our boat was called Lisa, as you can see, and our first trip left at 11am. It's not a big boat but it is ideal for twelve photographers and its small upper deck was ideal for those wanting to fly drones. I was surprised that not only Nigel and Jeroen (our workshop leaders) had them, but also four of the group, so potentilly up to six drones could be in the air. In reality this never happened because flights were coordinated and the most that were in the air at once was actually four.

      Lisa headed out of the harbour and turned south towards the area we had photographed from land last night, but now we were quite a way from there and trying to make sense of what we were seeing. Yes, I know we were surrounded by icebergs, of every size imaginable, but how to you make photographs from what appears to be a jumbled mess?

      As Lisa motored deeper into the iceflow the bergs became bigger and we started to find order in the disarray around us. It was definitely hard as compositions would appear and disappear in seconds as the boat moved slowly through the drifting ice. I took loads of photos but it was rather overwhelming if I'm honest. More practice was definitely needed.
      Read more

    • Day 3

      An Unexpected Event

      June 22, 2023 in Greenland ⋅ ☁️ 2 °C

      We had all settled into things after a while and I definitely started to see images worth taking. I'm sure loads weren't of course, but I'm confident some were worth it ... hopefully, with luck! 😄

      You can see from the photos here that even these phone images have a more considered look to them, but what's with the first photo, which appears similar to the last one in this footprint?

      This iceberg is very special because not long after I took these two photographs, with my phone and my camera, something totally unexpected happened.

      Look carefully at the right hand edge of the iceberg, it looks like a face maybe. Look at the side and you see some cracks which most icebergs have. Nothing special then?

      At first there was a loud crack then the face of the iceberg fell away to the sound of crashing ice. We all tried to photograph it - we had our cameras to hand of course - and luckily some were able to video the event. There were even two drones in the air. It was spectacular and we felt so lucky to have seen it so close. Then the mood changed.

      That tumbling ice caused tidal waves which were now racing towards us. The first wave wasn't too bad, but then the second very large and dark wave appeared which, in all honesty, was extremely scary. A few of the group felt our time was up.

      It was quite scary but I could see our skipper turning the boat so it would ride the wave, and it did. My video at the end of this footprint records things just after the waves passed through and you can hear the relief in the comments, so make sure the sound is on.

      I can only add one video to a footprint so in the next footprint you can see a video showing the waves pass through.
      Read more

    • Day 7

      Evening Walk

      June 26, 2023 in Greenland ⋅ ⛅ 3 °C

      After our meal the light was still looking good so the plan was to hike to the rocks where we went on the first day, but further on so we could see more icebergs coming from the Icefjord. The photos in this footprint show the group on location with some taking photos, some flying their drones, but all taking time to relax and admire the beautiful scene laid out before us. We were all starting to feel tired after so many long days.

      It was another late one. Nigel Danson left to go and take video for his YouTube channel then others drifted away when they were tired. I left well after 2am leaving three hunting for a whale using a drone. They succeeded too, but it did mean they had virtually no sleep that night.

      I walked back on my own, taking a few photos on the way given the light was still amazing. It was so quiet walking through Illulisatt to the hotel (last two photos) and it was after 3am when I got to bed, with the final day being a long one too.

      It's hard working doing photography, but then I suspect you have no sympathy. 😂
      Read more

    • Day 104

      Der Eisfjord von Ilulissat

      August 23, 2019 in Greenland ⋅ ⛅ 7 °C

      Westgrönland. Der Eisfjord ist durch das immer schnellere Abschmelzen des Gletschers nahezu komplett mit Eisbergen gefüllt. Die ragten rund 70 Meter hoch aus dem Wasser raus. Das sind nur rund 10% der Gesamthöhe dieser Riesen Schiffsversenker.Read more

    • Day 4

      Morning Board Walk

      June 23, 2023 in Greenland ⋅ ☁️ 3 °C

      We were late to bed, perhaps 2.30am or so and sleep was welcome I must say.

      Breakfast was at 9.30am and afterwards we grabbed our camera gear and took taxis across town to this board walk that takes you over rocky and boggy ground to the coast. This was much further around the southern headland than our first walk with an excellent view across the Icefjord. If you follow the fjord to the left you arrive at one of the tongues from the massive ice sheet that covers much of Greenland. This is where all these icebergs originated but that is quite a way from here though.

      Once we arrived on the rocks at the end of the board walk there was time to pick out compositions, whilst those with drones flew them to see what they could find. Still no whales though.

      The weather was very pleasant and the views stunning and I found it an excellent opportunity to relax and simply appreciate where I was. Unbelievable really.
      Read more

    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Pitorqeq

    Join us:

    FindPenguins for iOSFindPenguins for Android