Greenland is a stunning and awesome place! And now it is also in the middle of geopolitical discussions and gets lots of media coverage! For years I have been travelling to East, South and West Greenland, in summer and in winter, and you can find lots of blogs about my travels to Greenland on my page. In 2025 I guided again a workshop, this time to Tasiilaq and the Sermilik Icefjord right opposite of Iceland on the eastern side of Greenland.

The eastern side of Greenland is much wilder, colder and much, much less populated than the west and the south. My guess is that about 2500 to 3000 people are living there, only at the coast and on a coastline of many thousand kilometers. Of these 80% live in a cluster of settlements around the "capital" of the east - Tasiilaq. Now you can imagine how "empty" or wild the east coast is compared to the west, where you find several towns of the size of Tasiilaq, literally hundreds of smaller settlements and the capital Nuuk with more than 20k inhabitants. A town in Greenland is called a town when it has more than 1000 inhabitants, in Germany this would be just a village.

The area around Tasiilaq is something like "Greenland in a nutshell". You have the typical villages with the colorful houses, you have decent access to the inland ice and its outlet glaciers giving birth to huge icebergs and you have steep, alpine mountains with valley glaciers calfing into narrow fjords. And all of that within an eight hour boat drive. Quite unique! However, you have only two hotels and a half a dozen guesthouses -and one tiny ice camp. And that was the place we stayed most of our time in Greenland.

Just to be sure and for a better understanding of Greenland, cars are useless in the east as they are in 99% of the west and south. No roads, no tracks. Transport is by boat or for longer distances planes and helicopter.

This picture does not look very greenlandic, no ice, no colorful houses, this cannot be Greenland - and it isn't.

Our little group met in Reykjavik the day before our flight from Keflavik to Kulusuk an island near Tasiilaq and one of  the two airstrips in eastern Greenland. I made my introductory talks during and after a nice meal in the harbour area of Reykjavik and all was fine. Weather did not look so bad either for our flight with a small prop airplane across the notorious Denmark Strait. The next early afternoon we left Reykjavik to Keflavik, checked in and waited for our flight. Together with us we have been a group of about 20 pax including a family with two small children. We left Keflavik more or less in time in the late afternoon. The flight was uneventfull and mostly cloudy, we could get only a few glimpses of the icebergs travelling south and the mountains of greenland. We started our descent, passed the first layer of clouds, landing gear was already out, when I spotted another layer of clouds, I can call it now ground fog. I thought for a second, that does not look good when the landing approach was aborted and the landing gear vanished again in the gondolas. Not so good, but we had hope. Back in the sun above the clouds, I realized very soon that the sun was always coming from the back, means from the west, we did not circle. Very bad I thought and after a while the captain told as, that to much fog was rolling in from the Denmark Strait, Greenland is Greenland. We had to return to Keflavik (as I told you, there are only two airstrips in the east, the other one is as dicy as Kulusuk and very far in the north, no option as an alternate airstrip....). I do not want to go into details, but on the next day the airport in Kulusuk was closed (Sunday) and we had to stay a full day in Iceland before we could try again. Greenland is Greenland! Icelandair's handling of the situation was very, very poor and unacceptable. It is not about that we could not land, saftey first, but the organization of our forced stay in Keflavik/Reykjavik was very bad indeed. It was about midnight when we had our rooms in Reykjavik, we settled at the bar for a drink and sandwiches from the cooler. I guess I was in bed around 01:00 am, or even a bit later.

Jürgen in Hamburg tried to organize a minibus for the day in Iceland and I tried to organize everything in Greenland. As we depended on boats licensed for pax I had to make sure, that the day after we have a boat as long as possible, at least as long as it takes to bring us to the Icecamp. Part of the communication happened at 04:00 am. I did not get much sleep.... But Jürgen managed to get a bus on short notice and I was told, that we have a boat. Later this morning I learnt that we have it from our arrival to late afternoon. Tasiilaq is small and I guess there are only 3 or 4 boats around which could bring us to the icecamp. Luckily it was already after season. And Greenland is Greenland and Greenlanders are used to deal with weather and other obstacles.

Our day in Iceland was unfortunatly very rainy, but we could at least see some nice spots before we checked in in our hotel in Keflavik. For the evening I organized a dinner in my favourite place in Keflavik and the mood and expectations started to rise again.

The next day the "exclusive" plane left late morning and we arrived in Kulusuk with sun and deep blue skys. However the promised transport from the airstrip to the jetty was not there, somebody made a mistake.... And it is a long walk with camera equipment and luggage down to the harbour. I sent my group down to the jetty with their cameras and tried to organize something in the airport. After I while I convinced the airport manager that it is a good idea to help us and to drive the luggage (and me) down to the jetty. I was faster at the jetty than the group. I started to doubt that the promises will come true and a boat will wait. But it was there and nearly all was good. We needed food for the day, but the promised food was forgotten. The group decided not to spend time in Tasiilaq to buy food and start with our adventure NOW. After a while I realized, that the boat deviated from the agreed direction. The skipper called somebody in Tasiilaq, who went shopping immendiately and brought a cooler full of food down to the harbour. Greenland is Greenland. The rest of the day was just splendid. Greenland as good as it can be! We had still 8 hours daylight with icebergs, glaciers and lots of photography!

Kudos to my group to keep the mood up in such a situation! It made my life lots easier.

I think this paragraph is the longest I have ever written without pictures in between. But I wanted to tell the story this way and in my memories it is just like that, one flow of envents, nothing in between.

The first part of our boat trip touched a bit of the bumpy Denmark Strait. Lots of icebergs passed by in the distance. I know it must have been hard for photographers, expecially if they are new to Greenland, not to get closer or to slow down the boat, but we had to cover some miles and much much more icebergs will pass our boats and Zodiacs before we will leave Greenland again. But it must have been hard, I know.... For lunch (now with plenty of food for a hungry and excited group) we stopped at a marvelous place, an old abandoned settlement right at the mouth of the icefjord. Very idyllic, lots of icebergs in the Denmark Strait and the icefjord and good food. Everything was good!

My plan was to cross the icefjord and to enter the Johan Petersen Fjord, cruise as far as possible towards the icecap, turn back, cross the icefjord again to arrive at the ice camp late afternoon latest early evening. I did not want to spend more time in Petersen, as northern lights had been predicted for this night. Moreover moving in our huts and to learn about the do's and dont's in the icecamp is much easier during daylight.

The cruise across the Icefjord and into Petersen Fjord was incredible. No wind, blazing sun, reflections and lots of ice, big icebergs and smaller chunks of ice everywhere. The very clear air was again something special, as the icecap is often obscured by haze, but this day everything was crystal clear. Eventually the ice got to dense to go further towards the end of the fjord and I decided (after the skipper told me that it would be not such a good idea to go further...) to stay for a while near Hahn glacier and to turn around to cruise slowly to our destination, the icecamp. I mean 5h ago we have left Kulusuk harbour and now we have been in such an environment!

The sun was still up when we arrived at the icecamp, where we have been welcomed by our hosts Kim and Anja, checked out the place and the infrastructure. Greenland greeted us even with some red clouds while the sun was setting over the icecap. What a first day in greenland, but the day was not over yet.....

We settled in, had our dinner in the "dining room" and after a while somebody shouted "Northern Ligths are up". The first day was not over yet!

The full moon was already rising, which gave everything an eerie, unnatural touch. I cannot remember, but I guess we stayed another two hours outside, some took pictures, some just looked. And then the day was over, literally as it was around midnight and we went to bed. It was a cold night, for some very cold. Everybody forgot to turn on the heaters in the huts. And it can get quite cold in Greenland during September.... Greenland is Greenland. But we all survived and we all made sure that the heaters are turned on when we went to bed during the next days. 

What a first day in Greenland!

From now on I do not follow the events in the icecamp chronolgical and focus more on some pictures from the landscape and from the icebergs. As we had been already close to the icecap, we stayed in the Sermilik Icefjord for the next days. Our boat for these days was a Zodiac, which is ideal for cruising these waters and to go ashore if necessary. For some of us it was the first time to sit in a Zodiac, but everybody accustomed quickly and all was fine. Photography was good with lots of icebergs in different shapes and during the shore excursions. I am sure everybody had a great time!

The size of the icebergs was from small chunks to realy really big!

The weather was ok to good, no rain and even more important no strong winds. We had several occasions with perfect reflections.

Icebergs are incredible and their infinite variety of shapes and colors never stop to impress. Icebergs are like drugs, if you watch them once, you always want to repeat this experience. And Greenland is the place for this experience!

Sometimes we cruised along the shoreline and twice we had shore excursions, which was adding another level of experience for the group. We managed to discover and explore the ruins of an old very small Inuit settlement, probably out of use for several hundred years (Kim knew about the location). But nobody knows for real when the last people left the huts. We also managed to scramble ashore on an small island surrounded by icebergs.  All very special experiences!

We did not have much wildlife around, seals are hunted and easily scared, but we saw and heard some humpback whales. They where not close enough and never stayed long enough to manage a shot of their flukes. But at least we got some gulls, which gathered on small icebergs....

Icebergs are great above the water, but to see the ice vanish in the water is again quite unique. You need very calm water, a reflection free situation and an suitable iceberg. These situations are always very special, expecially as you know, that they probably will never come back.

Finally I want to show you my two favourite iceberg pictures during our time in the camp, Both are not faked and not overprocessed. The big iceberg was a planned shot, we cruised this iceberg twice, as it was so special, and everybody should be prepared for theses shot. The light was very special, the clouds dramatic and the iceberg was unique. It needed a bit of postprocessing as light was a bit harsh and the dark parts of the ice had to be lifted.

My second choice is completely different. It was a lucky shot and it was a quite uninteresting piece of ice, if the light was not exactly is it was during this moment of this late evening. We did not have yet a good sunset to photograph the yellow red mountians glowing in the evening sun. It was our last chance, the group was already tired and some had been cold, but I tried it nevertheless. It was a reasonable chance, but I must admit not a big one. I aborted our attempt and we started to go fast to enjoy the warmth and cozyness of the camp after a long day out. I tried to spot some more icebergs for the way back, when I turned around for a moment , I just rised the camera, pressed the button and that was it.

The following picture shows the scenery when we turned back home, not bad, but not good enough for staying out longer, as the sun already started to vanish in the thick haze of the icecap

Finally our time in the icecamp came to an end, but we had been blessed with a second night with northern lights. This time much weaker, which is bad during full moon, but it was a bit further north than our first aurora, right above the icefjord. Quite nice, as in none of my stays there I had seen northern lights above the ice on the fjord! As it did come and go and was faint, I recommended not to scramble up the hill but to shoot it right form the camp. The results are quite nice, even it was faint. With a bit of postprocessing it came out quite well.

Our next destination was Tiniteqilaaq or in short Tinit, a small village of about 80 inhabitants in an awesome location. One side of the villages faces Sermilik icefjord the other steep, alpine and glaciated peaks. We stayed one night self catering in a very typical greenlandic house. No running water and no sewage. A water or sewage network would freeze during winter, and to bury the pipes would be extremely expensive as the bedrock and permafrost is never far away. You have to fetch water from a "water house" and the toilet is more what we would call chemical toilet.

According to the agreed plan we would have a boat until noon, Tinit is about 45min away and my dream was to venture further into the Sermilik icefjord. The further you go the steeper the mountains and the denser the ice. I never managed to go there. But as you learnt already Greenland is Greenland.

The day before leaving camp I asked Kim and Anja to call the skipper to agree on a 9ish departure. This would give as plenty of time. Moreover we had been the last guests in the icecamp and everything must be closed down for winter and an early departure would help our hosts as well. When I came back from the cruise I got the news that the skipper did not want to agree on a pick up time, for whatever reason and asked that I should call Lars, who was managing the boats. I climbed telegraph hill, where you have the most stable reception. Lars picked up. He told me, a storm is coming and they are not able to leave the harbor tomorrow. But he needs to check the forecast first for a final decision as soon as he will be back in Tasiilaq. Right now he was still on a boat. Interesting I thought, I had to make a plan!

We could go by Zodiac to Tinit, that was the easy part, but we needed sleeping bags, which should be brought by the very boat, which was meant to bring us to Tinit. I climbed down telegraph hill and discussed everything with Kim. My idea was to use the bedding from the camp and that Kim and Anja would drive us by Zodiac to Tinit. We did not have much luggage and two Zodiacs should be more than enough. As mentioned we had been the last guests and Lars could bring the bedding back to the camp whenever possible for the winter guests. We discussed it with Anja and she agreed as well. The plan B was ready, I just hoped that it would not rain, the wind forecasted for Tasiilaq, would not reach us, but the rain, who nows? Hard rain in a Zodiac is no fun! And the bedding would be wrapped in some plastic and not in real dry bags!

Now we had to wait for Lars and the weather forecast. At the agreed time I called from the kitchen/dining room/sitting room, where we all gathered. By now I had briefed the group about the situation. Lars picked up and told us that the storm will come a bit later and the boat will be at the camp at 9:00 and will bring us as quick as the ice allows to Tinit. The boat will leave Tinit as fast as possible to be back in Tasiilaq harbour before the storm will arrive. This looked good, but just in case we kept plan B as a backup. You never now.

But it was not necessary. The boat arrived the next morning before 9:00, we hopped on board and stowed our luggage and rushed to Tinit. All fine! By the way it did not rain, but some drops where falling the whole day. We have been lucky. The group liked the experience to stay a night in Tinit and to have nearly a full day there. The expedition further into Sermilik has to wait.

The day and night in Tinit allowed us to try to understand the way of living in a remote and "rural" part of Greenland. All participants welcomed this part of our tour, even if it meant to use a bucket toilet, to have no running water and to sleep on simple mattresses. By the way, the locals use a community building for having a shower. But the house had a good heating, a fully equipped kitchen (no running water of course) and a cosy place to sit and to talk. The local shop supplied us with the necessary food for the night and the next day. Nothing to complain about. We cooked on our own and it really was a group event, it really worked well. Somebody said "just like the times when I lived in a WG" (Wohngemeinschaft=shared flat). We had a good and interesting time in Tinit and it was an important part in understanding Greenland.

The landscape around Tinit is very photogenic, as you probably have seen by now. As the weather was a bit on the dark side and we had low tide, I decided for myself to focus a bit an the tidal zone. I had a good time. The group was free to move around and to soak up the atmosphere of rural Greenland. Nobody will forget our stay in Tinit.

After Tinit only one full day and the day of departure was left. The next day was another highlight, going by boat through the maze of channels to Karale and Knud Rasmussen Glaciers. The weather stayed dark and it drizzeled from time to time, which added a very interesting atmosphere to the pictures we took from the glaciers. This cruise was not about icebergs, it was about the glaciers and the alpine landscape of this area.

After cruising the channels (and a short stop in the next village as the skipper needed food....) we arrived at Knud Rasmussen glacier for our only landing today. In this area you find some arctic willows and other plants showing their autumn colors. It was a great scenery with a colorful foreground, the dark clouds enhanced the colors and the atmosphere and it was (still) dry. Marvellous!

The glacier must have calfed recently as there was lots of fresh new, blue ice in the water. The water sizzeled from the bubbles released into the water and the cracking of the ice. Even the light drizzling did not disturb anybody. Very atmospheric, very arctic and another greenladic experience

Next on the plan was a stop at Karale glacier and the glaciers in its vicinity. After the colors at Knud Rasmussen everybody was a bit exhausted. The glaciers around Karale could not compete with Knud Rasmussen today, but it was still very, very nice! See for yourself.

That was our last full day in Greenland, we sailed to Tasiilaq, checked in at the only hotel (quite nice by the way) and most of us just relaxed and enjoyed running hot water and a shower in our rooms again. Dinner was interesting, as there was a greenlandic birthday party in the restaurant. Some guests wore local traditional garments, speeches were delivered and presents where given. It was a nice last evening in Greenland.

Next morning was free to roam around Tasiilaq, but it rained quite a lot, only about noon it started to become dry. Most of us had some food at the local diner or visited the (small) museum while strolling around in the capital of the east. Mid afternoon a boat picked us up and it still was quite choppy from the strong winds. We had been safe and dry, but our luggage got some salty showers.

All flights back worked well, more or less in time. In Kulusuk we had some trouble with a slightly to heavy camera bag, but the flight itself was free of any further delays and we landed around 22:00 in Keflavik, collected our bags and walked to the airport hotel. We arrived exactly when they closed down the kitchen, but they offered us a choice of two dishes, which we happily accepted. The bar was open and we had our last drinks. The early morning flights from Iceland to Europe are always a hazzle, as the airport is very, very crowded. We dropped the bags very early, went back to the hotel for breakfast and to check out. 

The flights had been in time, each of us boarded the flights to their destinations and the tour was over. Despite all the "Greenlandic" situations I enjoyed the tour and the group, which was very curious about Greenland. We have seen a lot, have taken many pictures and made many very special experiences. Greenland is something very special!

Whats next? In January I will be back with a group on the Falkland Islands, hopefully without any delays on the long way south and in early summer I will guide a group on the Shetland Islands.

And Greenland? We are working on one or two options for special photography trips, which offer more than a "basic Ilullisat experience". The flights to Greenland are still a bit of a trouble as the airport in Nuuk is still not as good as we all hoped. Delays are more the rule and not an exception, which makes everything very difficult. Jürgen just published a new offering for and cruise along the west side of Greenland from Nuuk ti the high arctic on a ship with an high ice class, which will allow us to go even beyond Thule/Qanaaq. I includes all the awesome places like Uummannaq and Upernavik. And we are still working on a more land based option as well. Stay tuned.

Szentendre, October 2025

Wir sind jetzt wieder regelmäßig auf den Fototagen und Reisemessen unterwegs. Wenn Ihr wollt besucht uns, ich werde in Wien, Freiburg und Fürstenfeldbruck auch vor Ort sein. Die nächsten Messen sind:

Internationales Naturfotofestival Lünen: 24. - 26.10.2025

Photo + Adventure Wien: 08. - 09.11.2025

Fernweh Festival Erlangen: 14. - 16.11.2025

Fernweh Festival Göttingen: 17. - 18.01.2026

Mundologia Freiburg: 30.01. - 01.02.2026

Naturfototage Fürstenfeldbruck: 24. - 26.04.2026

Norddeutsche Naturfototage: 08. - 10.05.2026

Noch ein Hinweis für meine nächsten Workshops:

• Neben Shetland (gesicherte Durchführung 2026) planen wir als neue Destination Finnland im Winter und es wird eine Neuauflage der 4 wöchigen großen Subantarktisrunde mit Falkland und Südgeorgien geben. 4 Wochen Subantarktis ist etwas einzigartiges und nur bei uns zu bekommen!
• In den nächsten Wochen werde ich alle meine Reiseseiten überarbeten, durchgeführte Reisen entfernen und das Programm bis 2028 aktualisieren