Basalt mountains
Red layers.
Christoph Strässler from Oberdorf BL, Schweiz — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Christoph Strässler from Oberdorf BL, Schweiz — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Maarten Stuurman — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Dreizung — CC BY 3.0 · Christoph Strässler from Oberdorf BL, Schweiz — CC BY-SA 2.0
Qeqertarsuaq is a town and port on the south coast of Disko Island in western Greenland, about 96 km in a straight line west of Ilulissat across Disko Bay. Its name means «the big island», which is also the local name for the whole of Disko Island. Traces of settlement five to six thousand years old have been found here, and the whaler Svend Sandgreen founded the town in 1773 as «Godhavn», «good harbour»; whaling shaped its life for two centuries. About 840 people live here today, and the town hosts Arctic Station, a polar research base of the University of Copenhagen. Colourful houses sit below basalt mountains layered in red and brown, and icebergs from the Ilulissat Icefjord drift past the shore. North of town stretches the Blæsedalen valley, with walking trails among streams and wildflowers, and whales can sometimes be seen from the coast in summer. Walking around is free. The town is reached by boat in summer or by helicopter, and June to September is best for hiking and whale watching.
Red layers.
Trails and flowers.
Off the shore.
Qeqertarsuaq, Disko Island, Greenland
By boat in summer or by helicopter.
Sometimes from the coast in summer.