Imagine rolling hills surrounded by deep blue fjords and sheltered from the open sea by dozens of off-shore islands. The Vikings were the first Europeans to settle in this micro-climate more than 1,000 years ago. Although Narsaq is only 30 kilometers away from the ice cap, and icebergs can be seen drifting in the fjord all year long, the landscape literally explodes into bloom in summer. Many locals have large gardens with flowers and vegetables, a rarity in other parts
of Greenland.
Infrastructure
For a small town of roughly 1,300 inhabitants, Narsaq boasts an excellent tourist infrastructure. There are a number of supermarkets and convenience stores, a restaurant at the hotel and two bars, one of which serves locally brewed craft beer on tap. You can buy the catch of the day at the fish market. Handmade souvenirs can be purchased directly from artists at a local workshop.
Discover the great outdoors
South Greenland is gaining in popularity as a hiking and trekking area. You can pitch your tent wherever you like and drink directly from crystal-clear rivers and lakes. Located close to the ice cap, Narsaq is the perfect jumping off point for everything from an afternoon hike to a full-scale expedition. Take off in almost any direction and you'll soon find yourself in trackless wilderness.
Ice safaris
Why not take an ice safari through one of the nearby ice fjords? Visit fields of ice and see colossal icebergs that resemble floating fairytale landscapes. Or take a boat trip
to a location where you can walk up and touch the ice cap.
Viking ruins and old Inuit villages
Throughout South Greenland, you will find fascinating remnants of the past. Ruins of old Viking homesteads are scattered through the countryside, and it is not uncommon to find old Inuit graves and abandoned settlements. In the open-air musuem in neighboring Qassiarsuk, a reconstructed Norse longhouse and chapel and an Inuit sod house show what life was like in the old days.
Kujataa - a UNESCO World Heritage site
In the summer of 2017, a new UNESCO World Heritage site was established in South Greenland, focusing on how the Norse and Inuit cultures shaped the land for over a millennium. The site consists of five areas separated by high mountains and deep fjords. Narsaq is a convenient jumping-off point to visit vestiges of the past, ponder what life was like during the age of the Vikings, and marvel at how today's Greenlandic sheep farmers have carried on with agricultural traditions and created surprisingly lush oases of green in these spectacular and harsh arctic surroundings.
Fishing
South Greenland is one of the best places in the world to go fishing. Rivers and lakes are teeming with trout, and there are plenty of arctic char, salmon and cod in the fjords.
Rich geology
The mountains to the north of Narsaq are an eldorado for geologists.
Many rare rocks and minerals, most notably the semi-precious stone "tuttupit", are found on the Narsaq peninsula.
Pick your own
In autumn, when the leaves of the low-growing arctic birch turn orange and crimson, hikers can collect mushrooms and blueberries.
