The Official Tourism and Business Site of Greenland
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Narsarsuaq
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The gateway to South Greenland
Narsarsuaq means “the great plain” and in a country as mountainous as Greenland with only a few large flat areas, it was only natural to establish South Greenland’s international airport here. Narsarsuaq was founded in 1941 as an American airbase just 9 km (5½ miles) away from the ice sheet – or around 3-4 hours on foot through the fertile “Flower Valley”, where South Greenlandic sheep-farmers grow grass for winter fodder.
Activities around Narsarsuaq
From Narsarsuaq an obvious excursion is to take a sailing trip to the Qooroq Fjord, where it is possible to sail close to the glacier that occasionally produces large icebergs. On the other side of Eriks Fjord lies the sheep-holding station Qassiarsuk, where you can see historical Norse ruins and reconstructions of a Norse longhouse as well as Tjodhilde’s Church. Kayaks and mountain bikes can be hired in Narsarsuaq and the town is an excellent starting point for hiking and angling trips.
Surrounded by mountains and glaciers
Around 150 people live and work in the airport area, where there is also a hotel, hostel, shop, café and a nursing clinic. The mountains that surround the great plain are up to 500 metres (1,640 feet) high, but it is not necessary to go so high up to enjoy the breath-taking view of the ice sheet’s glaciers. The runway itself is in fact almost a direct extension of these ice floes.
How do I get to Narsarsuaq?
Narsarsuaq is the hub of all air traffic to and from South Greenland with several weekly flights to Denmark in the summer with Air Greenland. During the summer months there are also two weekly departures from Iceland with Air Iceland. Onward transport to towns and settlements in South Greenland is by ship or Air Greenland's helicopter, including a regular service to Narsaq and Qaqortoq, as well as seasonal tourist boat connections to the settlements of Qassiarsuk and Igaliku (contact the local tourist office for details). From Narsarsuaq there are also connections to the rest of Greenland with Air Greenland’s fixed-wing aircraft and Arctic Umiaq Line’s passenger ship.
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Click here for a map of Narsarsuaq in pdf (requires Acrobat Reader).
Narsarsuaq weather:
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