Nuuk and nature

Hidden ice fjord Get to know Greenland.

Nuuk, Greenland, 63° N, +15° C, 10/8, 11:59

TEXT AND PHOTOS: Benjamin Hardman

Sailing into the hidden ice fjord revealed some truly interesting sides of Nuuk’s history. Old fishing cabins and abandoned settlements line the inner fjord edges, some of which have been left standing for over a thousand years.

At the convergence point of multiple fjords, whales swim within the flowing tidal movements in search of food. With depths up to 600 metres (almost 2,000 feet), it can be daunting yet somewhat exhilarating to stand out on the back of the boat and look down into the deep blue sub-Arctic waters.

Heading deeper into the fjord, we approached the first of many monstrous icebergs that make their way out to sea from Greenland’s Ice Cap. Floating over extremely calm waters, we listened as massive chunks of ice calved from the face of the glacier, echoing through the ice-ridden waters. Surrounded by such pure elements of nature, we left feeling deeply connected to the hidden ice fjord.