Narsarsuaq, Southern Greenland

After leaving Nuuk in Greenland, we had a day sailing before reaching our next port Narsarsuaq in Southern Greenland. Narsarsuaq is a village based around an airport, which was built in 1941 by the US military, now used commercially. Most flights into Southern Greenland fly into here. 

Narsarsuaq lies at the end of a fjord

The dock was too small for our relatively small cruise ship so we had to anchor and use tenders. From there it was about 1.6 km to the town, there was a free shuttle van, although I walked the first time I went in. The airport runway, seen from the walk in -

Some of the first buildings I saw -

The supermarket and the hospital -

A lot of people think there are no trees in Narsaruaq, but in fact there is a small arboretum -

There were also plenty of wild flowers in August -

I looked for the trail up Signal Hill through the Arboretum but it looked very steep and muddy initially so I didn’t investigate. Onto the museum. This was free for cruise ship pax, normally 60 DKK. Much of the museum was about the war, the Bluie West One airfield was built on a glacial moraine. Construction by the U.S. Army began in June 1941 and the first plane landed there in Jan 1942. The museum also had a good natural history section. 

Statue outside of Erik the Red on his horse, bending over to lift his son Leif up on his horse. His wife Tjodhilde holds the horse by its head. Erik the Red was the first Viking to discover Greenland. He was from Norway. His son Leif is said to be the first Viking to discover North America. The settlement across the fjord, Qassiarsuk, is where Erik the Red made his home so has a lot of associated history.

I had a look at the airport. Narsarsuaq has 140 (170) inhabitants in summer, most work at the airport. There are 3 mechanics for the airport, only 10 cars in town. There is a thriving tourism industry - wildlife, gemstones, glacier tours and airfield museum. I was surprised how busy the airport was during the time we were there. There was one international flight to Copenhagen.

Then set off along the road heading for the glacier, but it was too far. I had seen it from the ship in the morning.

Annoying there were signs to the glacier and the Flower Valley, but there was no indication of distance. I knew from my phone map that the glacier was quite a way and that I was making little progress towards it. I walked along the road. When I came to a path up the ridge I carried on along the road towards the lake. But I didn't even reach that before giving up.

Saw lots of wildflowers, harebells etc, and some lichen. Even a few more trees -

A redwing -

lichen -

We were scheduled to sail 6.30 so I was relaxing and planning an early dinner when at 5.45 I realised we were moving. Got warm clothes on and dashed out as I wanted to see the Qooroq Ice Fjord. All the tours to the fjord today had been waitlisted. 

The Greenland ice cap produces around 250 million tonnes of ice a year, with icebergs calving from the glaciers. The Qooroq Glacier is one of the most active, expelling around 200,000 tonnes of ice a day, filling the fjord with icebergs.

There was light rain. The water was so blue.

Unfortunately we couldn’t see the glacier up the Qooroq ice fjord, but saw all the ice at the entrance.

It was a pretty sail out with lots of little icebergs, some very blue.

Icebergs - blue colour is due to air content. If there are lots of bubbles they appear white. An absence of bubbles = blue colour.

I went in to warm up and rest my feet after my long walk today. I was watching the cam on TV, then had to dash out as a big berg approached. We passed the Tunulliarfik fjord which was full of ice, the town of Narsaq is there, and uranium in the hills behind. Angakkok Cave is marked on my map.

See my blog on Greenland caves.