Sisimiut - Greenland's next largest town - has it all: A lively culture, good colleges and, last but not least, nature on land, in water and in the air.

Af Marianne Langvardt

Clean, bone-dry air. This is your first impression of Greenland following the four hour flight from Copenhagen. After a short stop in the Atlantic airport in Kangerlussuaq, the journey continues with a small regional flight to Sisimiut.

Greenland's next largest town, with 6,000 inhabitants and 1,300 sled dogs, is a charming college town with a vast nature and plenty of opportunities for hikes in the summer, and in the winter snow scooter trips at full pelt, or the calmer tempo of dog sledding, not to mention the wonderful ski run in the hinterland.  There is plenty of culture on offer in the town's new culture house 'Taseralik' and courses at Sisimiut Language School, the Building and Construction School and the Centre for Arctic Technology, ARTEK.

Skiing, both alpine and cross-country, is a popular sport in Sisimiut, where the ski club SSP Langrend built its own club house at the Nalunnguarfiup Tasia lake out of bricks of burnt clay from  Kangerlussuaq. Most  'sisimiormiutts' own a pair of skies and love the 10 km long run behind the town. If you arrive in Sisimiut at the end of March or beginning of April, you will be among hoards of tourists. They come to take part in the annual - also the world's toughest and most beautiful - 160 km long cross-country race, the Arctic Circle Race.

Suggestions for a three day programme

A few good days filled with plenty of culture, nature and cosy 'kaffemiks' awaits you. Summer or winter you need to be prepared for the fact that in Greenland the weather determines what you do, from the hurricane winds to complete stillness, from 25 degrees winter frost or more to 20 degrees summer warmth and fog, from the winter northern lights to the daylight moonshine. In Greenland the extreme elements rule, so let the weather determine your wardrobe and accept that this is part of the experience itself.

Day 1 - bus tour, tupilaks and museum visit

Start your experience in Sisimiut with a bus tour round the town. You will get a good impression of Sisimiut from the bus, especially when a passenger suddenly shouts 'Whale!' and everyone rushes to the side that faces the sea. The trip starts at the old heliport (the helicopter landing pad). On the way through the town there is a short stop at 'brættet', the town's local market. This is where whalers and fishermen sell their meat from the whales, musk oxen, reindeer and fish - and the sightly spooky Atlantic wolfish and redfish with their eyes on stalks. It is in Sisimiut that you will also witness the strange sight of Icelandic horses trotting full steam ahead along the road to the airport, and the sea eagles perched on the mountain 'Palasip Qaqqaa'. The bus passes the town's highest look-out point, which has an impressive view towards the south.
Season: All year round
Organiser: World of Greenland - Arctic Circle

Artist workshop

By now you will need to stretch your legs, so take a trip down Aqqusinersuaq, the hill leading to the harbour, to the artists' workshop at Umiarsualivimmut at the beautiful former Royal Greenlandic Trade warehouse. Here the air is often thick with dust from the burning of legs or walrus and narwhal teeth, which the artists drill, scrape and sharpen to transform into pretty bracelets, 'tupilak' and other jewellery. This is where you can find jewellery and decorative items at relatively cheap prices and of course directly from the artists themselves. You also see how the artists work with the different materials and have a chance to chat with the artists working that day.
Season: All year round.

Museum

En route from the artists' workshop, take the back road up the steps behind the workshop past the Seamen's Home to the red wooden houses with the wood chips on the roof at Jukkorsuup Aqq. 6. This is home to the museum with its seven small, pretty red and yellow houses, from the old colonial manager's residence on two floors, to the missionary building and the tiny, charming peat house. You can either order a tour or have a wander round the houses by yourself.
Period: All year round.

Day 2 - whales, kaffemiks and fresh mountain air

Weather permitting, make sure you go on a whale safari. It is an amazing experience to sail out on the Davis Strait's vast, deep water in the relatively small, authorised passenger boats, and to suddenly spot something that looks like a fountain. This is the whale's spout and shortly afterwards the whale will flip its tail and dive. This trip allows you to kill two birds with one stone as the boat also docks at the deserted settlement of Assaqutaq, with its colonial buildings (now used for summer camps), fishing factory and beautiful old church.
Season: May - September
Organiser: World of Greenland - Arctic Circle

Greenlandic Kaffemik

After the rigours of your boat trip, you can enjoy a well-prepared 'kaffemik' with a wide choice of cakes and maybe, if pre-ordered, a real Greenlandic dinner - reindeer, musk ox, salmon, trout or maybe reindeer soup. A kaffemik is also a great opportunity to try dried fish and meat, experience the chatter around the kitchen table, which can be about anything from politics and where Greenland is going, to big oil adventures, or simply about what has been going on in the town that day.
Season: All year round.
Organiser: World of Greenland - Arctic Circle

A trip in the mountains

After a good kaffemik or dinner with friendly locals, it is time for a trip out in the mountains. In the summer in particular, the midnight sun ensures that days and nights are light, which means all you have to do is don your hiking boots. Take the route to the airport and turn right by the river. Here is Palasip Qaqqaa mountain, and good clear paths guide you to the top. The view of Sisimiut from the summit is outstanding. From here you can watch the small passenger planes take off and land, and the whalers and fishermen's miniscule dinghies make their way in and out of the harbour entry. In winter you can enjoy the ski runs behind Sisimiut and ski hire is available from Lars K. S. Olsen. Cross-country skis, alpine skis, ski clothes and snowboards are all available to hire. Contact Lars K. S. Olsen on tel: 00299 52 77 52.

Day 3 - Dinner at sea, sled trip and the culture house

Winter at sea is quite special as the light changes in the evening and the sea birds settle. A couple of seals might pop their heads above the water for a quick peek, and then disappear again. After a couple of hours of sailing and fresh air on deck, a platter of Greenlandic delicacies sourced from both land and sea is served in the lounge with a glass of white wine or water. Dessert is the reflection of the northern lights dancing in your steaming hot cup of Greenlandic coffee. If you are lucky, you will also see plenty of green northern lights glimmering in the sky.
Season: December-May
Organiser: World of Greenland - Arctic Circle

Dog sledding

Do not deprive yourself of the whistling sound of sledges through snow behind 10-14 dashing dogs on their way into the mountain massif behind Sisimiut. First you drive to the look-out point in Qiterlinnguaq, from where you can see over Kangerluarsuk Tulleq (the First Fiord), and southwards, over the town and Nasaasaq Peak. From here the journey continues down the steep north mountain side and along the fjord ice to the bottom of Kangerluarsuk Tulleq.  Day trips are available between January and April, but you will need to jump off and run a bit to keep warm. However a two hour trip to Majoriaq and back again is also an option.

Neither the weather nor the seasons determine whether you can experience dog sledding or not. You will be able to visit a dog sled site in all seasons, and enjoy running your fingers through the dogs' thick fur and giving them a pat, while listening to a whaler tell you all about the great life of a dog sledder. You might get to meet a dog sled driver at a dog site, but you can also arrange a visit.
Day trips. Season: December-May
Organiser: World of Greenland - Arctic Circle

Taseralik - a popular summer destination

Have lunch in the Taseralik Café culture house and enjoy the view towards the mountains. The cafe, which is located behind the enormous glass partition and where you feel like you are sailing on the lake outside, offers a substantial lunch menu consisting of locally sourced products and healthy food.  There is no fat fryer here, just home-baked bread and salmon or Greenland halibut sandwiches. After lunch, why not enjoy a cup of coffee with home-baked cakes. The culture house, named after the island of Taseralik, a former summer destination where Greenlanders used to go to relax and have fun, is another pride of Sismiut. The culture house was founded in March 2008 and is home to many fun and exciting events in Sisimiut.
Season: All year round.

Visit a settlement

Unless it is icy mid winter and the fjords and harbour entry are frozen, then try to get to visit a settlement with one of Royal Arctic's settlement transporters. You can visit both Sarfannguaq and Itilleq. It is a wonderful day trip at a really calm and gentle pace, if the weather is good. The small supply ship docks at the settlements while it is unloaded, and if you are at Sarfannguaq, then take the steps up to the pretty little church from where the view across the water and mountain is quite breathtaking. Once you have got your breath back, follow the pretty paths past the school and up over the top of the mountain. Here where the plateau is flat is the churchyard with the many white crosses decorated with flower wreaths. The sports ground is right next to it. Contact the Royal Arctic Harbour service on tel: 86 79 20

The inland ice

Do not leave Greenland without having stood on the ice cap. In Kangerlussuaq a 4-wheel drive takes tourists through a beautiful and diverse area, past the Russel Glacier and a fantastic moraine landscape, until you set foot on the frozen inland ice and look through the green-blue surface with its spider's web of cracks and fissures. Along the way you will see ice walls several metres high in all sorts of colours. To and from the ice is a chance of spotting reindeer, musk oxen and, depending on the season, many different species of birds and flowers.
Season: All year round.
Organiser: World of Greenland - Arctic Circle