Greenland, a vast land of mountains, glaciers and fjords, provides an array of wild arctic locations and stark contrasts throughout the year, from the ice, snow and Aurora Borealis of winter to the midnight sun, vibrant tundra and open waters of summer.
ICECAP
Greenland’s icecap is the second largest mass of ice on earth (next to Antarctica). The Inland Ice offers many thousands of square kilometres of relatively level snowfields and, depending on location and season, can be accessed by boat or helicopter. There are many excellent locations to film and photograph moulins, vertical shafts that can drop hundreds of metres below the surface. We can provide safety and rigging to facilitate filming as well as remote-location camps.
GREENLAND'S GLACIERS
Some of the largest glaciers on earth, our coastline is inundated with ice that flows from inland through the coastal mountains to reach the ocean in calving faces that break into the fjords. We have set up a number of camps to capture process. There are also numerous moulin locations within hours of our lodge.
AURORA BOREALIS
Our lodge is situated at the northerly latitude where Auroral activity is often most intense. Frequent clear night skies and a lack of light pollution create optimum conditions between late August and mid-April.
ICE CAVES
A short boat journey from our lodge, we have access to a complex of sub-glacial ice caves, bored out by the meltwaters of spring. Access is relatively easy and extends from the outer reaches where light penetrates the overlying ice to almost complete darkness in the depths of the caves. Our IFMGA alpine mountain guides carefully manage safety.
ICEBERGS
Greenland's glaciers are some of the most active in the Northern Hemisphere, calving vast numbers of icebergs into the surrounding seas. The fjords and ocean around the lodge are filled with ice of all sizes. Our boats provide a filming platform either from the water or to access nearby land. It is also possible to film in the cold months when we travel by dogsled or snowmobile to access icebergs.
SEA ICE
East Greenland's fjords are frozen between December and May. The ice of winter, and spring, in particular, is a dynamic environment where ringed seals pup, polar bears hunt and the Inuit community can travel by dog sled. Filming out in the fjords is an exacting process that requires careful planning and a strong focus on safety.
FJORDS AND MOUNTAINS
Greenland's east coast is riven by fjords and dominated by imposing glaciated alpine mountain ranges that extend from the shoreline far inland. Arctic summer is defined by a short intense period of growth when the inland valleys become green and flowers blossom. During this period, lakes and streams are freed of ice, allowing arctic char to make their annual journey to the sea.
WILDLIFE
East Greenland’s waters and land are populated by a wide array of arctic fauna and flora. Cetaceans - fin, sei, humpback, minke, orca, cachalot, pilot, narwhal - feed in the nutrient-rich waters of summer. Arctic foxes are active throughout the year. Polar bears hunt in coastal pack ice. There is an array of birdlife in spring and summer both on land and at sea, whilst in winter, a few species stay on.
COMMUNITY
East Greenland is home to the Tunumiit, a small Inuit community who live in a handful of settlements scattered around the fjords. Subsistence hunting is an important part of life here, following the seasons and movements of sea mammals and fish. Dog sledding continues to be a vital means of travel whilst boats are relied upon in summer.
MARCH - MAY
Classic dog sledding season, the sea ice is at its strongest and greatest extend within this period. Expect cold clear days but also fierce snowstorms. The Aurora Borealis is often seen until mid-April. Daylight hours: 10 hrs in early March; 19 hrs in mid-May.
JUNE - AUGUST
Long hours of light, generally stable weather and increasingly easy travel makes this season a good time to film. Pack ice in the fjords lessens as the season progresses; the snow-line retreats higher up the mountains, initiating a short but intense growing period on lower-lying ground. Daylight hours: over 21 hrs in early June; 15 hrs in late August.
SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER
Lengthening nights and the onset of autumnal storms. The first thin film of ice starts to form in the inner fjords and rain falls as snow on the higher mountains. Longer hours of darkness allow the Aurora Borealis to be seen. Daylight hours: 14 hrs 40 mins in early September; 7 hrs 45 mins in late October.
NOVEMBER - FEBRUARY
We would only recommend filming during this period for very specific projects. Conditions are particularly challenging with low daylight hours and regular extreme weather that can adversely affect travel. Daylight hours: 6 hrs in mid-November; 7 hrs 20 mins in mid-February.
A traditional wooden cabin we have built ourselves over the years, our lodge is nestled in the tiny Inuit village of Kulusuk, home to 200 people.
A comfortable and practical base to explore East Greenland, our lodge provides cabin bedrooms, running water, hot showers, and flushing toilets, a rare thing in this cold climate. There’s a drying area for kit, ample charging capacity and a comfortable sitting room and dining area. Cut off by sea ice six months of the year, our stores and freezers are well supplied to provide a plentiful and varied menu. Whenever possible, we eat locally caught fish, from salmon to arctic char, cod and halibut.
To come visit us on this remote coastline, we’re best reached via Iceland, only 1 hr 40 mins away by turbo prop-plane.
Keflavik, Iceland’s international airport is a hub for North America and Europe and also the starting point for flights to our local airstrip in Kulusuk.
Seats on these Icelandair-operated flights are in short supply and book out early. Whilst we don’t organise flights ourselves, travel agent VR Travel aims to reserve tickets for all our trips and can assist with international connections. You can also book direct with Icelandair.
