Ilulissat
In mid May 2015 we joined a Better-Moments photography workshop in Ilulissat, Greenland. Why Ilulissat? In August 2013 we were on a small-ship expedition visiting Baffin Island in Canada and parts of Greenland. One of the intended stops on this trip was Ilulissat. Iulissat’s claim to fame is the nearby ice fjord and Jakobshavn Glacier. The organizers of our expedition had arranged an unusually large number of activities for the passengers during the planned stop in Ilulissat, including a boat tour to see the icebergs in Ilulissat Icefjord and a sight-seeing flight over the glacier. Unfortunately the night before we arrived the wind pushed a lot of ice into the harbor. The captain and ice pilot thought that it might be possible to put the passengers ashore but if the ship stopped the risk of the wind pushing more ice into the harbor entrapping the ship would be too great. So we changed plans and headed to nearby Disko Island for an afternoon of kayaking. This is expedition travel—be flexible, be safe and remember that mother nature is in control.
While we were sailing slowly through the pack ice toward open water and Disko Island, a commercial passenger flight arrived at Ilulissat. It became obvious that the most reliable way to get to Ilulissa is by air, not by ship. Given the large number of activities that had been planned for us it seemed that Ilulissat should be on our list of places to visit. It took some research but we eventually found the trip to Ilulissat with Better-Moments that included a helicopter flight over the ice, a boat cruise through the ice and a boat trip to the nearby village of Oqaatsut.
Greenland is the largest island in the world and is a territory of Denmark. In Greenland there are no roads connecting the towns which are all situated along the coast. One has to either fly or sail to get around. The only practical way fly to Ilulissat is to first fly to Copenhagen (Denmark) then onto Kangerlussuaq, the main air transport hub for Greenland. From Kangerlussuaq there are flights to Ilulissat five days a week. This means that to get to Ilulissat we first flew over Greenland to Denmark, spent a couple of nights in Copenhagen and then flew back over Greenland to Kangerlussuag. When we counted, in 2015 we flew over Greenland 8 times while transporting ourselves to varies destinations. Getting from home to Ilulissat and back represents 4 of the 8.
The town of Ilulissat is located on the west coast of Greenland, about 1/3 the way up from the southern tip. The Ilulissat Icefjord is just south of the town and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004. Jakobshavn Glacier, the most productive glacier in the northern hemisphere, empties into the ice fjord. It produces icebergs large and tall with some over 3,000 feet in total height (above and below water). It is plausible that the iceberg that sunk the Titanic began its journey here. The 2014 census counted around 4,500 inhabitants in Ilulissat making it the third largest city in Greenland. It is also thought that they have as many dogs as people. Fishing has historically been the predominant industry but recently tourism has taken over as the main source of income.
In May day light gets long so it provided ample time to photograph as long as sleep deprivation did not hit you. During the week that we were there the temperature hovered around freezing. The weather can change from sun to snow within minutes adding another element to the photos. Our last night there was also the first night of the midnight sun--a fine way to end our sojourn in Ilulissat.
Winnie's picks.
Ralph's picks.
Ilulissat Cityscape.
Photo Team and Activities.
Finally, some pictures from Copenhagen on the way to and from Ilulissat.
Our group in Ilulissat...
|