Settlements in this sparsely inhabited region are almost entirely limited to the Ammassalik area. Tasiilaq is the largest community and the administration centre. Reached by helicopter transfer from the airport at Kulusuk, it has become the centre for husky dog sledging trips in the spring. Huskies are often tethered outside the colourful wooden homes of the local people and their howls leave no doubt as to what part of the world you are in. In both Tasiilaq and Kulusuk, as well as in the outlying settlements, traditional fishing and hunting methods are still used and some of the best bone and soap carving in the country is practised.
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| The scenery is, in a word, stunning, whether you choose to visit in the spring or in summer when the pack ice has melted and the fjords are filled with icebergs of all shapes and sizes. Easily reached by air from Iceland, a visit to East Greenland makes an excellent add-on to an Iceland holiday. It is also a splendid destination in its own right, or it can be combined with a visit to West Greenland. |
The West Coast of Greenland is the centre for the fishing industry and the location of the country’s capital, Nuuk, but it is the acclaimed Disko Bay that is the draw for visitors. Its incredible calving glaciers include the most productive in the world, which advances 30 metres every 24 hours. Some of its icebergs can be several kilometres in length and, eroded by the elements, assume weird and wonderful shapes that are a magnet for photographers.
The Disko Bay has been a centre of Inuit settlement for thousands of years and many valuable archaeological finds have been made there, including 3,500 year old remains at Sermermiut, the famous Ice Fjord view point. The bay still supports a number of Greenlandic villages, among them Saqqaq and Rodebay, where visitors can observe the traditional hunting and fishing way of life. Centre for the region is Greenland’s fourth largest town, Ilulissat, whose history dates back to 1742, when it became a summer mission. Originally called Jakobshavn, after an influential merchant, it was later birthplace to explorer Knud Rasmussen. Now an important fishing town and centre for shrimp processing, Ilulissat has a museum, two hotels and some good walks in its dramatic surrounds.
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Iceland
