Ittoqqortoormiit

Ittoqqortoormiit sits at the mouth of Scoresby Sund on the east coast, around three hundred and fifty people in painted houses on a bare slope, and it is among the most isolated inhabited places in the Arctic: the nearest other Greenlandic town is roughly eight hundred kilometres away, sea ice closes the coast for most of the year, and access is by helicopter from an airstrip served by flights out of Iceland. The community was founded in 1925 by families moved from Tasiilaq.

What you actually see

• The painted houses - the settlement scattered across a bare slope above the water.
• The isolation - the nearest other town roughly eight hundred kilometres away.
• The sea ice - the frozen coast that closes access for most of the year.
• The 1925 founding - the community established by families relocated from Tasiilaq.

When to go

March to May has firm ice, light and dog sledding. July to August has open water and boat access. The rest of the year is effectively closed.

Honest expectations

Access is expensive and unreliable; being stuck for days by weather is normal. Supplies arrive twice a year and prices reflect it. There is very little in the way of visitor facilities.

Nearby

Scoresby Sund is west, and Northeast Greenland National Park is north.