The end of the world in Greenland

The town of Ittoqqortoormiit has about 370 people, located between the world’s largest national park Northeast Greenland to the north and the planet’s largest fjord system to the south.

There are no direct flights to the town, visitors must take a boat from Reykjavik or Akureyri in Iceland to Nerlerit Inaat airport, Greenland, then take a helicopter, boat or snowmobile about 40 km to reach Ittoqqortoormiit. Due to its remote location, Ittoqqortoormiit is known as “the end of the world”.

In recent years, Ittoqqortoormiit has promoted itself as a destination for adventure seekers, where visitors can sail through the ice, hike on the tundra, see icebergs and explore a part of the world that few people on the planet have the chance to see.

“When the police waved goodbye as I passed by on a snowmobile, I no longer felt like an explorer, but like a resident of this small community,” said Kevin Hall, a British tourist.

Ittoqqortoormiit is so small that it takes visitors about 30 minutes on foot to explore it all and this place has no means of transportation such as cars or motorbikes. The town has brightly painted houses that stand out against the dense white snow. Packs of dogs were chained to empty sleds that looked like an Arctic taxi station, while the sleds whizzed across the white snow.

The town consists of a church, a small travel agency, a police station, bars, motels, a helipad and a small supermarket called Pilersuisoq that is supplied by two trains per season. Wandering through the sparsely stocked aisles, Kevin was surprised at the expensive prices of the items. He wondered how locals, in a place with so few jobs, could afford such high prices. Outside, polar bear pelts hanging from scaffolding near many of the houses reminded Kevin of the community’s origins.

In 2025, the town will turn 100 years old, but in recent years, the population has continuously declined, as young people leave the village for the cities to study or pursue other careers, instead of continuing the hunting tradition of their ancestors. Rising temperatures cause surrounding sea ice to freeze later and melt earlier.

Located above the Arctic Circle at 70 degrees North, about 800 km from the nearest town, Ittoqqortoormiit’s “backyard” is a pristine, icy wilderness – home to polar bears, musk oxen and millions of seabirds nesting on icebergs. Sea ice leaves the village isolated for nine months each year, but is also a “way of life” for Inuit residents, who travel across the ice by dog ​​sled to hunt.

Kevin Hall commented that Ittoqqortoormiit’s adventure into the wilderness, beyond his comfort zone, was one of the harshest experiences he had ever encountered.

Kevin spent 5 days living on sea ice with temperatures dropping to -40 degrees Celsius at times, traveling by dog ​​sled, sleeping in small hunting huts with no beds, no running water, no heating or amenities. At one point, he traveled at a speed of 45 km/h on a snowmobile in the middle of a blinding snowstorm with wind gusts of up to 80 km/h.

The first night, Kevin’s group set up camp in small tents near the airport, the temperature dropped to minus 30 degrees Celsius and deeper. The tour guide sawed cod frozen in the snow like a carpenter sawing wood and then boiled it in a pan of melted ice water to make dinner. Kevin praised the fish dish as delicious, even though it had many bones. But what he cares about most are the experiences that lie ahead. “I have never experienced such cold,” he said as he huddled in his tent, the strong wind whipping and the dogs howling as the Arctic fox passed by. As the temperature continued to drop, Kevin’s legs began to shrink.

During this trip, in addition to taking photos capturing a rare glimpse of the landscape in one of the most remote places on Earth, Kevin also witnessed the daily lives of the people here – people struggling to adapt to a rapidly changing world.

After breakfast, two local guides Danielsen and Tuko began loading supplies into the vehicle. They turned dog sleds into storage containers, filled them with shopping bags, coolers, camera suitcases, dog food and more, then tied everything together with rope.

Each sled carries two people, with a guide sitting at the front controlling the dogs. In the following days, each vehicle with 12 Greenland sled dogs carried a load weighing more than 450 kg and ran 25 km every day.

One morning, after eating toast heated by skewering it on a knife blade and then heating it on the stove, Danielsen pointed toward the mountains west of Ittoqqortoormiit, where musk oxen had just appeared. Everyone was eager to run out to see this famous and rare animal.

The third night, they spent the night at Danielsen’s hut – painted bright blue and with just enough space for a small sofa, chair, sink, stove and toilet. The most impressive detail is the hook used to cut meat, dangling from the ceiling. Danielsen works as a guide to increase his income, while hunting is truly his passion, profession and ancestral tradition. According to local law, hunters are not allowed to sell meat or skin from their prey, nor can they export it abroad, including musk oxen. Instead, meat was used solely to provide food and clothing for the family, just as previous generations had done.

After dinner, Danielsen showed Kevin a photo on his phone of his father taken next to a polar bear carcass along with photos of Danielsen hunting bears. As global temperatures have increased over the past several decades, polar bears have been forced to change their migration routes, moving closer to communities like Ittoqqortoormiit, creating a real danger for both humans and the animals themselves.

Leaving Danielsen’s hut, the group continued their journey 20 km east. Kevin was overwhelmed by the wild natural scenery in this place. Under the mist, the sun’s rays began to dance on the blue sea ice. He passed by towering icebergs and bursting compressed ice blocks, carved by nature like works of art. At night, in complete darkness free from light pollution, aurora borealis regularly dance across the sky on clear nights of fall and winter. This phenomenon, known locally as arsarnerit or “ball players”, is associated with hunting, as the Inuit believe they are the spirits of children playing with a walrus skull.

After 5 days of exhausting travel, Kevin arrived at Kap Hope, a small settlement of about 20 old huts, located 14 km west of Ittoqqortoormiit, with views stretching across the vast sea ice. Exhausted and bitterly cold, all six people spread out their sleeping bags in a cabin.

The next morning, when Danielsen pressed his binoculars to his eyes and looked out through the small window, he suddenly shouted: “Polar bear! Polar bear!” then pointed into the distance. Kevin’s heart pounded at the thought of being able to photograph the largest land carnivore on the planet and known as the “Arctic ghost” thanks to its white fur blending into the snow.

At the end of the exploration trip, Kevin returned to town and it took some time to get used to the lifestyle of the people here. He rested here for three days before flying back home.

According to Visit Greenland, the island government’s tourism promotion website, Ittoqqortoormiit has a restaurant called Orormersiarderdarpi Grill Café. Meals for guests participating in guided tours are often included in the tour package. Visitors can camp within town limits and rent camping equipment from local vendors. Visitors should not camp outside of town unless they are carrying a gun because polar bears have appeared more in residential areas in recent years.