Making the most of Ammassalik Tasiilaq
Use these notes to shape a realistic day ashore, then confirm any time-sensitive information for the date of your call.
Arriving at the port
Tasiilaq, the island's only settlement, has 1,893 residents and is among Greenland's fastest-growing towns, a trend strengthened by people moving from smaller towns and communities. The place is also known as Ammassalik.
The pier is only 30 metres long, so most ships will probably bring passengers ashore by tender.
Beyond the beauty of the town, its surroundings are ideal for outdoor adventure. Craggy peaks, glaciers and icy waters provide exceptional kayaking, mountaineering and hiking.
Getting around
Alongside its dramatic setting, Tasiilaq is recognised for small wooden houses painted in every colour of the rainbow and for the sound of sled dogs howling across the town.
Greenland's towns have no connecting roads, so journeys between them are made by air or sea. Transport operators meet the substantial safety demands created by an Arctic climate that can become extreme. For shorter trips outside town, local people travel in their own boats or use dogsleds and snowmobiles.
Food and shopping
Greenlandic souvenirs are distinctive handmade works of art unavailable anywhere else in the world. Each piece is shaped and designed by a Greenlandic artist, combining established tradition and custom with the maker's individual ideas and skills. Visitors have plenty of opportunities throughout town to find precisely the item they are seeking.
A large supermarket serves the town.
Money
Numerous hotels, restaurants and shops take credit cards. Even so, bring a little Danish kroner to Greenland because some cash machines may be out of service at weekends.
Staying connected
Most visitors are unlikely to understand anything when Greenlandic is spoken. The language is called “kalaallisut”, a word that means “the Greenlanders' language”.
Danish functions more or less as a second language, while English is less prevalent.
Bring a laptop if you need internet or e-mail access. Most larger hotels have hotspots, while several bigger towns contain internet cafés; webmail can also be checked at a number of tourist offices.
Greenland's mobile network uses GSM 900/1800.
Opening Hours and
Supermarkets in the main towns normally trade on weekdays from 10:00 – 17:30, extending to 18:00 on Fridays, and from 09:00 – 13:00 on Saturdays. Many towns also have corner and grocery shops with longer hours, including Sunday opening.