Exploring colorful Ilulissat! (Greenland's third largest town) 🇬🇱 🇩🇰

[@yvonnejansen1449]

I’m heading to Greenland from Australia in February 2024, thanks for posting! I have my ice cleats ready from visiting Québec this last February. I think it might be colder than -5 when I go, luckily I love the cold!

[@DrifterDave]

Amazing! I hope you have an incredible time! If you have any questions feel free to ask. I’ll be posting more Greenland content through June, so stay tuned! And yes, bring your ice cleats 😂🇬🇱🇩🇰

[@greenlandbackcountry7560]

We had -25 in January no rubber boots needed. Good Sorel or Baffin boots, but you can rent them in town ☝🏻

[@martingrosse]

I spent a week in the room next to yours 🙂Imagine the view around the start of midnight sun! You can watch sunset/sunrise from the balcony (just behind the northern peninsula) and the light is incredible

[@DrifterDave]

Amazing! I'll have to head back for a summertime trip at some point 👍

[@Abbittibbi]

When the highlight of your town is the grocery store and the postal office, it cannot be exactly a tourist destination. The kind of place I'd visit in a hurry, so I'm very glad to watch this video, and have to say thank you for it.

[@DrifterDave]

Very true! I love small towns like Ilulissat that are unpretentious and slow-paced. And the natural beauty of the icefjord and the icebergs that surround the town are remarkable (they’ll be featured in next week’s vlog!) 🇬🇱🇩🇰

[@DodgersTrips]

Enjoyed your film Dave. I'm hoping to go myself next month.

[@DrifterDave]

You definitely should!

[@monicaotmili]

Hi Dave, cool video, I love ilulissat and I do agree this town is deffinitely worth to visit! :-) Just a few misconceptions to be corrected, Ilulissat is actually the third biggest Greenlandic city, the second one is Sisimiut. You came in the off-season so I can understand it could seem barely few tourists come here, but acfually the city is very popular, if you want to come in July or August the only chance is to book acommodation months in advance. 🙃 Also big cruise ships with thousands of passengers are landing during summer, so one day the city can have almost doubled population, which causes some negative efects for the local community too... In summer season visitors can try kayaking between the icebergs with a local guide, do some hiking around the town with fantastic views or go dogsledging in winter. For those who would like to stay away from touristy things and feel more local atmosfere, just visit Naleraq when live music is performed. 🙂 Some changes happened since your stay, the lovely Books and Coffee is currently closed down and it seems it won't reopen. 😓 The figure you see in 4:11 is Immap Ukuaa, called also Sassuma Arnaa, The Mother of the Sea, central figure of Greenlandic myths and Inuit cosmology, here portrayed by Danish author Aage Gitz-Johansen.

[@DrifterDave]

Thank you for sharing this valuable information. I stand corrected. My comments about Greenland being a niche destination ring true for North Americans, however - which is my main audience. I don’t know a soul who has ever been there or even has talked about it - it’s largely unknown and incorrectly assumed to be mostly uninhabited and people assume it’s just ice and there’s nothing to see or do there. That’s why I released this video - to highlight the beauty that Europeans are beginning to discover, but that remains largely off of any North American’s travel itinerary.

[@monicaotmili]

@@DrifterDave Oh yes, many people just have no idea about Greenland and that there are people with unique culture, even in Europe :-)

[@RobbieTravels]

Awesome visit, Dave! I don't think I will visit Greenland soon, so it is nice to see it through your eyes.😁

[@DrifterDave]

Thanks! More Greenland content coming soon 😎🇬🇱

[@VladfishTheMagnificent]

Great video!! Greenland has long been on my list of places to visit.

[@DrifterDave]

Definitely GO! My trip to Greenland was one of the true great adventures of my life, and I can’t wait to go back. There’s no where else like it on Earth. Amazing place ❄️🇬🇱

[@SimplyKireina]

Thank you for the video. Visiting Ilulissat next month Which month did you visit? Trying to figure out what to pack🤪

[@DrifterDave]

You are going to have a great time! Amazing place. I visited in October, when temperatures are mild (about 4C). I'm sure it's a bit different this time of year! Dress in layers, and bring appropriate winter gear, as the winds can be fierce in Greenland.

[@SimplyKireina]

@@DrifterDave , thank you for response! How was your phone/internet connection?

[@DrifterDave]

No complaints! I had reasonably strong 4G/LTE the entire time I was on the island. If you're taking the ferry, the connection can be hit and miss but you can buy wifi vouchers for the dead zones. Hope your trip goes well!

[@tomchristian2400]

I'm glad I saw this video. I've wanted to see Greenland for a long time. Now I don't want to waste my time and money going there. It looks depressing and boring. But I'm not trying denigrate Green land. Really. This video was good. I got to see what it's like there and experience a little bit of it through this video. And I didn't have to go there and be disappointed.

[@DrifterDave]

It's definitely not a location for everyone! I personally love the solitude and off-the-beaten-path nature of the place. If you have time, check out my video of the Disko Bay iceberg cruise (also in Ilulissat) - it's incredible, and easily worth the trip even if the towns don't impress you. Thanks for watching!

[@jay1970]

Were you able to get any boat tours around ice fjords and Eqi glacier around this time?

[@DrifterDave]

Next vlog! 👍

[@jay1970]

@@DrifterDave waiting.

[@DrifterDave]

Premiere tomorrow at 11 AM Eastern Time!

[@DrifterDave]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/mKfchIqKprCKjs0

[@jay1970]

Thanks you sir. I’m getting ready for my second trip this September.

[@billwareagle7047]

We will be in Greenland June and July 2025, your video is so informative we are planning on visiting llulissat

[@DrifterDave]

Thank you for the kind words and I hope you enjoy your time in Ilulissat!

[@jv4200]

Good job. You may wanna put the Greenland flag on the thumbnail, though

[@DrifterDave]

I was thinking the same thing - or both 👍

[@NathanDavidsen]

I live in there

[@DrifterDave]

@@NathanDavidsen Amazing! Lucky 😎

[@NathanDavidsen]

@@DrifterDave cold

[@DrifterDave]

Haha!

[@kepckatherinec805]

Knud is pronounced like “ nude,” not “nud.”

[@DrifterDave]

Likely the Anglicisation of his name - I've never had a teacher or college professor here pronounce it as "nude". It's always pronounced as the English name variant "nud" in Canada.

[@isak6782]

And the K is not silent!

[@greenlandbackcountry7560]

Better get local guide to get right information about place you make vlog about ! It is 3 rd largest town in Greenland ☝🏻 It is winter price in the hotel ! Everything will doubled up for accommodation in Ilulissat in summer time ! So do not expect that price in summer ☝🏻

[@DrifterDave]

Look at the title of the vlog - it clearly says it's the third largest town. And yes, I'm aware that I travelled in the off-season and prices are much higher in the summer - that's why I went in autumn.

[@Gert-DK]

Danmark are pumping billions of kroner into Grønland each year. I guess that's why the prices can be on a reasonable level. Kayak in Greenlandic is qajaq. Kajak is Danish. It is a Greenlandic invention according to the web. There is actually only roads in the cities. You can't drive from town to town. Here you need the dogs or helicopter. Nice video.

[@DrifterDave]

Interesting, thanks for the info. Yes, I meant that Greenland has paved roads in its cities, but in Nunavut all cities and towns have rough muddy roads, and it’s evident that Denmark has invested in Greenland whereas the Canadian government has ignored Nunavut 👍

[@Gert-DK]

@@DrifterDave I mentioned the roads, so Mr. and Mrs. Johnson from Texas, knew they can't rent a car and drive around in Greenland.

[@DrifterDave]

@@Gert-DK It’s an important point to note! 🙏

[@WilliamNaujaat]

Little correction, the qajaq is a Inuit invention, across the Arctic from Alaska to Greenland, what I find interesting is Greenland gets a lot less money from Denmark compared to what Nunavut gets from the government of Canada and yet in Greenland they stretch their funds and seem to make it work better than how we do things here in Canada for less. I think we have a lot of wastage in our funding in Nunavut. Two different government systems and one is much more efficient than the other.

[@DrifterDave]

@@WilliamNaujaat I think part of what makes Greenland so successful is that it’s ports do not freeze in the winter, meaning goods can be shipped in year round. Greater access to food and other essential items, inexpensive travel on the coastal ferry, and an overall sense of responsibility among its populace have seemed to give Greenland an an edge over Nunavut.

[@saturahman7510]

Nobody lives there, öh ööööööööööööööö !

[@DrifterDave]

It’s an amazing place!

[@saturahman7510]

Almost like here in Mikkeli, eastern-Finland.

[@DrifterDave]

Would love to visit sometime and check it out!