Qeqertassuaq Disko Island

With ships moored or anchored at the port, visitors are carried ashore aboard tenders.

The town derives its Greenlandic name, Qeqertarsuaq, meaning "The large island", from the island where it stands.

Qeqertarsuaq town occupies the southern tip of an island bearing the same name, which means "the large island". Also called Disko, the island has distinctive snow-covered basalt mountains that differ markedly from those on the mainland. Although glaciers may dominate Qeqertarsuaq, it also has hot springs and fertile valleys and mountain slopes. A large proportion of Greenland's plant species grows here. Numerous playful humpback whales appear in the sea outside town each summer, while the bowhead whale is seen in early spring.

A special summer experience is traditional dog sledding on a mountain glacier, under the midnight sun or at any other hour. Be aware that reaching the glacier involves a hike of approx. 2-3 hours, unless you take a helicopter to the summit on a 5 minute flight.

Roads do not link Greenland's towns; travel is therefore by air or sea. At times, the Arctic climate becomes extreme, creating major transport-safety demands that Greenland's operators meet in full. Local people use personal boats, dogsleds or snowmobiles for shorter journeys outside town.

Qeqertarsuaq is Greenland's only town where summer dogsled journeys take place in the midnight sun. They run on the Lyngmark Glacier ice sheet, just behind the settlement at roughly 800 metres (2,600 feet). Hikers reaching the mountaintop are rewarded with a magnificent view over Disko Bay and the enormous icebergs at Ilulissat, 100 km (60 miles) away. Overall, Qeqertarsuaq is a popular hiking destination.

Greenland's souvenirs are unique handmade works of art, the like of which cannot be found elsewhere in the world. A Greenlandic artist shapes and designs every item, respecting tradition and custom while creating a distinctive work incorporating individual ideas and skills. Visitors have many opportunities to discover precisely what they are looking for.

Credit cards are accepted at numerous hotels, restaurants and shops, though it is advisable to carry a little Danish kroner in Greenland because some ATMs may be unavailable during the weekend.

Anyone visiting Greenland will find spoken Greenlandic completely incomprehensible. Known as ‘kalaallisut', its name actually translates as ‘the Greenlanders' language'.

Danish is broadly the second language, while English is spoken to a lesser extent.

Take a laptop if you require Internet or e-mail. Hotspots are installed in most leading hotels, and Internet cafés operate in some of the larger towns. Several tourist offices also provide facilities for checking web mail.

Mobile phones in Greenland operate on GSM 900/1800.

Major-town supermarkets usually open on weekdays between 10:00 – 17:30, remain open to 18:00 on Friday, and trade from 09:00 – 13:00 on Saturday. Corner shops and grocery stores in many towns offer longer opening periods and Sunday service.