A Day Visiting Qassiarsuk In Greenland – Hand Luggage Only

After our day in the Greenlandic Hot Springs of Uunartoq and a good night’s sleep onboard Ocean Albatros, we finally made it to Qassiarsuk (Brattahlíð). This is one of the first settlements of Erik The Red, who was banished from Iceland centuries ago. In fact, it was the first permanent settlement by European settlers that explored the Arctic region.

To this day, there is a presence in the area, and its place in Greeland is preserved for generations to come, not least because it is a UNESCO World Heritage site. This all made visiting Qassiarsuk in Greenland a must while on our expedition. 

We anchored bright and early, around 7 a.m., with the Greenland sun beaming down over the still seas surrounding the coastline. Within a matter of minutes after getting up, we were raring to go. Well, after a quick breakfast and freshly-brewed coffee that is.

Now, one of the easiest ways of visiting Qassiarsuk in Greenland is by Zodiac. If you’re unfamiliar, it’s a small rubber boat that can get much closer to shore than bigger ships.

Ocean Albatros has a heap of Zodiacs onboard, and they are winched down when guests are due to make landfall. This makes it really easy to visit smaller and harder-to-reach places that big ships can’t get to. They literally open up whole new areas to explore, especially in countries like Greenland, where harbours are at a minimum.

We boarded our zodiac from Ocean Albatros and headed towards the small jetty in Qassiarsuk. There’s no large-scale harbour or any other way to get to Qassiarsuk – just this small jetty, which leads straight into Qassiarsuk itself.

It’s a tiny town, more of a community of around 15 houses. This, on the face of it, sounds pretty vanilla, but trust me, it made it extra special. It felt so special to be visiting such a small but historically important place – it really didn’t matter about the size or the amount of people around.

Visiting Qassiarsuk in Greenland is all about the quieter pace of life, and it really felt like that as soon as we arrived. Plus, that’s the beauty of Greenland, after all.

It’s one of the least-populated countries in the whole world. Each landfall you make in far-flung regions feels like an authentic expedition. You’re discovering new places you may never have considered…