Denmark

Ilulissat Icefjord

WHS Score 4.12
rate
Votes 19 Average 4.68
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Votes for Ilulissat Icefjord

4.0

  • Harald T.
  • Mikko
  • Roger Ourset

4.5

  • Digits
  • Els Slots
  • Harry Mitsidis
  • Mihai Dascalu
  • Peter Lööv
  • Thomas Buechler

5.0

  • ALS
  • Daniel C-Hazard
  • George Evangelou
  • George Gdanski
  • Mstrebl1990
  • Piotr Wasil
  • Roccobot
  • Timothy C Easton
  • Wojciech Fedoruk
  • Zoë Sheng

The Ilulissat Icefjord is the outlet of the pre-eminent glacier in the northern hemisphere, globally only surpassed by Antarctica in terms of size and calving.

The site consists of Sermeq Kujalleq, the most productive glacier draining the inland icecap on Greenland, and the iceberg-filled tidal fjord named Kangia. The glacier has been a long-time object of scientific study and has significantly added to the understanding of ice-cap glaciology, climate change and related geomorphic processes.

Community Perspective: this stunningly beautiful area can be explored on foot, by boat or by helicopter, and it takes several days to take in its many features. Be aware that this destination doesn’t come cheap. And that the spectacularly calving Eqi glacier mentioned in some of the reviews is outside of the core zone.

Site Info

Official Information
Full Name
Ilulissat Icefjord (ID: 1149)
Country
Denmark
Status
Inscribed 2004 Site history
History of Ilulissat Icefjord
2004: Revision
Formerly on T List as Isfjord (Jakobshavn) [Disko Bay] (2003)
2004: Inscribed
Inscribed
WHS Type
Natural
Criteria
  • vii
  • viii
Links
UNESCO
whc.unesco.org
All Links
UNESCO.org
Related Resources
News Article
  • Dec. 27, 2023 scitechdaily.com — Scientists Discover “Special” New Seal Species in the Arctic
  • Nov. 2, 2023 miragenews.com — Unique Ringed Seals Found in Ilulissat Icefjord
  • July 23, 2012 stuff.co.nz — 'Iceberg tsunami' nearly takes out tourist boat at Ilulissat

Community Information

  • Community Category
  • Natural landscape: Glaciation
Travel Information
No travel information
Recent Connections
View all (17) .
Connections of Ilulissat Icefjord
Geography
  • Atlantic Ocean
    Ilulissat debouches into either Baffin Bay or Davis Strait.
  • Fjords
  • Dependent territories
    Part of Greenland, an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark.
  • Glaciers
    AB review "The size of the site is 4,024 km2, comprising 3,199 km2 of glacier ice," The Icefjord is the sea mouth of Sermeq Kujalleq, one of the few glaciers through which the ice of the Greenland ice cap reaches the sea." ..."The annual calving through Ilulissat Icefjord of over 40 cu. km of ice is 10% of the production of the Greenland ice cap and more than any other glacier outside Antarctica"
  • Full White Nights
  • Arctic
Ecology
  • Bears
    polar bears Ursus maritimus are very rare visitors (UNEP-WCMC)
  • Icebergs
  • Whales
    fin and minke whales Balaenoptera physalis (EN) and B. acutorostrata occur in summer at the fjord mouth with very occasional blue and bowhead whales B. musculus (EN) and Balaena mysticetus (EN). (UNEP-WCMC)
  • Seals
    bearded seal, hooded seal, harbour seal, ringed seal
World Heritage Process
Human Activity
WHS on Other Lists
Timeline
  • Holocene
    Here the seabed has been pushed up into a submarine hill several hundred meters high, which marks the position of the glacier front approx. 9000 years ago

    See www.ilulissaticefjord.com

News
scitechdaily.com 12/27/2023
Scientists Discover “Special” New …
miragenews.com 11/02/2023
Unique Ringed Seals Found in Iluli…
stuff.co.nz 07/23/2012
'Iceberg tsunami' nearly takes out…

Community Reviews

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First published: 02/06/22.

Digits

Ilulissat Icefjord

Ilulissat Icefjord (Inscribed)

Ilulissat Icefjord by Digits

We visited Ilulissat for a two day-one night stay in July 2017. An unexpected opening for a trip arose and, in what was a sad sign of the times, we said we had better go to Greenland while the ice was still there.

We arrived by plane from Reykjavik. The experience of simply flying over Greenland was something else - the ice-capped mountains, the glaciers calving into the sea, the never ending white blanket, the blue pools of water that sometimes accumulated on top of the ice, the then amazing sight of land with no ice covering at all! The plane then banked directly over the mouth of the icefjord on its approach to the tiny airport, with the majestic icebergs of Disko Bay on view in all their glory.

Arriving by taxi near midday, we amused ourselves by taking a walk at the harbour, passing the ubiquitous Irish pub, having a musk ox burger at a cafe and eyeing up the guns for sale over the counter in the local Spar shop. After some minutes at the small local Knud Rasmussen Museum (including a depressing display about how far back the glacier has retreated in recent years), we walked through the colourful houses built into the hillsides with their stilts and amongst the cotton growing wild in the town towards the mouth of the icefjord.

After clambering over the rocks, we sat for ages largely by ourselves in the sunlight and watched the multi-shaded wall …

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First published: 02/07/19.

Zoë Sheng

Ilulissat Icefjord

Ilulissat Icefjord (Inscribed)

Ilulissat Icefjord by Zoë Sheng

"I have seen things you people wouldn't believe" is the only quote that comes to mind when I look at the epic, 40km long, blindingly white and ever-moving, ever-changing, ever-glorious Ilulissat Icefjord aka Sermeq Kujalleq.

I don't usually dish out 5 stars but this is almost worth a six! I saw many places in the world, many glaciers too and even the multitudes at Vatnajökull National Park just two days prior did not prepare me for this. Just look at this mammoth on the satellite images! Ok, so enough about this *drinks coffee to calm down*, first off it doesn't come cheap to come to Ilulissat. The cheapest fare from Reykjavik set me back 400 Euros plus the domestic flights to get around Greenland, and of course a return to Reykjavik (although Copenhagen is another good choice if you are heading for Europe instead if North America). Hotels are expensive, kind of like staying in Copenhagen, groceries are maybe the most expensive I have ever seen (even higher than Norway) and forget about a budget meal dining option. I cooked myself to compensate for all the costs but my "cheap-o" guest house wouldn't pick me up from the airport for free. Anyhow, so you dished out all that to make it to Ilulissat, good for you.

I saw the fjord from the plane. Foggy but clear enough to get some shots with my camera. The first thing you will see in the bay are floating icebergs. The ever …

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First published: 25/09/15.

John Booth

Ilulissat Icefjord

Ilulissat Icefjord (Inscribed)

Ilulissat Icefjord by john booth

Reaching Ilulissat appeared to be a daunting task until I discovered Air Iceland's direct flights from Reyjavik (Iceland)'s City airport. The airline arranged my accommodation and transfers as well.

Once there everything is close by, within walking distance, which is just as well as there is no public transport.

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First published: 27/09/12.

Anonymous

Ilulissat Icefjord

Ilulissat Icefjord (Inscribed)

Ilulissat Icefjord by Els Slots

I visited Ilulissat in August 2012 & was blown away by natures stunning beauty here.

Over the 4 days spent here, I was very lucky with the weather, not a cloud in the sky for that period.

Sunset sailing in the sea was magnificent, it’s not just the sheer size of these icebergs that have calved from the glacier that is breath-taking, but the colours emitted/reflected during the sunset period. Depending on the wind direction, the harbour in Ilulissat can be frozen or clear, but using the boat as an icebreaker to get out into the sea is also quite an experience. Some people may say that one iceberg resembles another & once you have seen one, you have seen them all. Far from the truth. Each is different!

Around the mouth of the icefjord in Ilulissat is a great place to spend a day hiking. The volcanic mountains themselves are very impressive with the summer fauna in full colour, but again it’s hard to take you eyes off the huge icebergs floating in the water right beside you!

Another day was spent travelling to the Eqi glacier, further up Disko bay. Again this is a very special place, due to the tranquillity of the place & the noise emitted from the calving process along with the displacement of water as these huge chunks of ice cascade from the top of the glacier face into the crystal clear water below. Some of the avalanches are massive & even though the …

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First published: 26/07/06.

Els Slots

Ilulissat Icefjord

Ilulissat Icefjord (Inscribed)

Ilulissat Icefjord by Els Slots

Some WHS take about an hour to explore, others days or even weeks. To really enjoy the enormous Kangia Icefjord near Ilulissat in Greenland one has to spend there about 3 or 4 days. The area that has been designated includes both the floating icebergs, the massive ice pack still in the fjord and some of the surrounding lands. From Ilulissat town there are many ways of transportation to get a good look at the Icefjord. It was even possible to see the floating icebergs from the window of my hotel room, a good sight to start every day.

My first real good look at the Icefjord was during a walking tour through the Sermermiut Valley. The day had started out sunny, but the closer we got to the ice the more foggy and cloudy it became. Finally, at the edge of the glacier, I could only see the smaller pieces of ice floating near the coast. Also quite interesting to see because of their different sizes, colours and shapes. We were leaving (with the idea to come here again on a brighter day) when one of our group looked over her shoulder and called out that the fog started to dissipate. A memorable spectacle unfolded before our eyes: one by one the large icebergs protruded from the fog and showed themselves (see the large photo above). The biggest ones are the size of mountains, with sharp peaks.

On another day, I went on a boat tour to …

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