Kulusuk: Church, Ice and Northern Lights

Kulusuk combines a distinctive church history with good chances of seeing the winter Northern Lights, as well as activities on the water and in the ice. Cultural discoveries and excursions in the surrounding area offer different focuses for your trip. When choosing a holiday apartment, you can consider whether you want to focus primarily on the town’s history, the winter sky, or longer hikes and tours.

A church with a story built from ship’s planks

The church in Kulusuk was built around 1922 from the wood of a Danish fishing ship that had run aground near the settlement. The ship’s crew carried out the work. Details inside also recall how it was built: a model of the ship whose wood was used for the construction hangs from the ceiling. Geometric stained-glass windows, donated by a German glassworks owner, and Greenlandic design elements shape the church; seal skin can be found at the altar. The building’s history and furnishings bring together several specific stories in one place.

Museum and cultural history

A small, family-run museum preserves numerous artefacts. The owners bring them to life through their engaging storytelling. Visits must be arranged with the owners. This offers a special opportunity to look beyond the individual objects to the stories associated with them.

The history of drum dancing offers another cultural context, this time with a broader geographical scope: during the early colonial period, missionaries banned drum dancing in East Greenland. Milka Miilikka Kuitse continued to dance in order to preserve the tradition. This story belongs to East Greenland and should not be attributed to Kulusuk alone.

Winter skies and outdoor activities

In winter, Kulusuk offers good chances of seeing the Northern Lights because of its very low light pollution. If you plan your trip for this time of year, you can give this aspect of the town particular consideration. Hiking options range from day hikes to guided or unguided long-distance treks lasting more than a week.

Nearby options also include exploring ice caves in a glacier on the nearby island of Apusiaajik. A short introductory excursion crosses the frozen fjord to the Apusiaajik Glacier. The routes and tours therefore differ both in duration and in destination: a day trip is an option alongside longer hikes, and the glacier can be experienced through either a short introductory excursion or an ice-cave exploration.

Boat trips go to nearby glaciers and icebergs. This adds excursions on the water to hikes and explorations on foot. When choosing accommodation, the planned mix of cultural experiences, winter viewing and tours in the surrounding area can therefore be a helpful starting point—without assuming that every experience takes the same amount of time or involves the same mode of transport.

Arrival and boat connections

There is a tourist pier near the airport with boat connections to Tasiilaq and other settlements in the area. The pier is a useful landmark if your trip also includes boat connections. Check the current departure times before planning. Together with the tours described, these connections show that trip planning can involve not only activities in the town but also journeys across the water.

For a stay with shorter excursions, the church, museum and a day hike can bring together different interests. If you have more time for the surrounding area, you could instead consider longer-distance hikes or several tours.

Discover more destinations: Paamiut, Tasiilaq.

See the main travel overview: Kommuneqarfik Sermersooq.