Nuup Kangerlua

Nuup Kangerlua is the fjord system running inland behind Nuuk, a branching network well over a hundred kilometres long with arms reaching glaciers that calve into the water and mountains rising steeply from it. Humpback whales feed in it through the summer. Norse ruins stand at several points, including the substantial farm at Sandnes, and the hot spring at Uunartoq is elsewhere but the fjord holds the abandoned settlement of Kangeq.

What you actually see

• The glacier arms - the calving fronts at the heads of the inner fjords.
• The humpback whales - the animals feeding in the fjord through summer.
• The Norse farms - the ruins at Sandnes and other points along the shores.
• Kangeq - the abandoned settlement on an island in the fjord mouth.

When to go

June to September is the boat season and when whales are present. Ice and weather cancel trips. Winter closes most of the fjord to boats.

Honest expectations

There is no road access; everything is by boat and trips are expensive. Weather cancels sailings regularly. The Norse sites are low ruins with no interpretation.

Nearby

Nuuk is at the fjord mouth, and the ice cap is inland.