Kujataa

Kujataa is the southern tip of Greenland, the only part of the island where farming is possible, and it was farmed twice: by Norse settlers from around 985 until they vanished in the fifteenth century, and by Inuit and Danish farmers from the eighteenth century onwards, both raising sheep and cattle on the same ground. Five component areas were inscribed by UNESCO in 2017, including Qassiarsuk, Igaliku, Sissarluttoq, Vatnahverfi and Hvalsey.

What you actually see

• The five components - Qassiarsuk, Igaliku, Sissarluttoq, Tasikuluulik and Qaqortukulooq.
• The Norse ruins - farm and church remains from the settlement of 985 onwards.
• The modern sheep farms - the working farms on the same ground today.
• The dual farming history - Norse and later Inuit agriculture in the same landscape.

When to go

June to September is the season; boats run then and the ground is clear. Snow closes much of it the rest of the year. Midnight sun in June and July extends the days.

Honest expectations

There are almost no roads and movement between the components is by boat, which is expensive and weather dependent. Facilities are very limited. The Norse remains are low walls rather than standing buildings.

Nearby

Qassiarsuk and Igaliku are components, and Narsarsuaq is the air gateway.