Arctic Circle Trail | OUR TRIP
Did you just decide to embark on the Arctic Circle Trail adventure, but you still have to figure out how to best schedule your trip? This post describes our travel itinerary and it might give you some inspiration.
Reaching the ACT
DAY 1
29.08.2021
Flight from Zürich to Copenhagen
We catched our flight from Zürich (Switzerland) to Copenhagen (Denmark). As for us it was not possible to travel first to Copenhagen and then to Greenland in one day, we decided to spend one additional day (2 nights) in Copenhagen and to take the chance to visit the city. We were very happy about this decision, and we fell in love with the vibes of Copenhagen!
DAY 2
30.08.2021
Visiting Copenhagen
A good friend of us living in the city gave us a few amazing insider tips about the accommodation, bars, restaurants and activities, all elencated below.
ACCOMMODATION
We stayed at Steel House Copenhagen, a nice hostel close to the city centre. Even if our room was a bit small, it was perfect for us. We enjoyed the very chill vibes at the bar, and the hostel provides free wifi, a self-service kitchen and a self-service loundry room.
BARS
Mikkeller Bar and Fermentoren both offer a really good craft beer selection, young crowds and dynamic athmosphere.
RESTAURANTS
If you are looking for a special experience other than a normal restaurant, we highly recommend to try the street food at Reffen - Copenhagen Street Food, or to pick one of the many restaurants in the Meatpacking District. Another restaurant we tried was Cafe Wilder, where we had amazing moules-frites. Our friend also highly recommended the restaurant Vaekst for a fine dining experience, but remember to book in advance (we could not find a place).
ACTIVITIES
Since we both enjoy beer and we wanted to visit the city with someone local, we took part in a tour organized by AirBnB, called Vesterbro Beer Tour. It was a great opportunity to socialize with people and to discover the best bars (described above) and secrets of the Vesterbro neighbourhood.
DAY 3
31.08.2021
Flight from Copenhagen to Kangerlussuaq
We catched our flight from Copenhagen (Denmark) to Kangerlussuaq (Greenland), where we arrived in the morning and spent one night before starting our hike. Here below you can find our choices in terms of accommodation, activities and food.
ACCOMMODATION
We decided to stay at Polar Lodge. Our choice was mainly dictated by the fact that this large hut is operated by Albatros Arctic Circle, a company that also provides a variety of tours, including the one we did to the Ice Cap. We also asked them to organize for us a ride to the start of the trail in the morning. Polar Lodge is quite expensive, but also offers a communal kitchen and a buffet breakfast.
ACTIVITIES
We took part to the Tour to the Ice Sheet, organized by Albatros Arctic Circle. It was a once in a lifetime experience to admire and explore the magnificent Greenland’s Ice Cap from its edge, Point 660.
FOOD
We had our dinner at the airport’s cafeteria, where we had an amazing burger with pulled musk ox meat, that we highly recommend before starting your hike!
Hiking the ACT
DAY 4 - DAY 10
01.09.2021 - 07.09.2021
The Trail
On the 1st of September, we first resupplied at the supermarket in Kangerlussuaq, where we bought fuel, water and additional food. We also stopped at the post office to get rid of our bags containing normal clothes. These bags were shipped to the post office of Sisimiut, where we then picked them up at the end of our hike.
We then headed back to Polar Lodge, where a bus from Albatros Arctic Circle was waiting for us. We payed the ride until Kelly Ville, our point of choice to start the adventure.
We then spent the most amazing time of our lives on the trail, which we hiked in 7 stages. You can find further tips about the ACT stages in the post OUR STAGES.
Visiting Greenland
Day 11 - DAY 13
08.09.2021 - 10.09.2021
Visiting Sisimiut
We spent three full days (4 nights) in Sisimiut and we took the chance to visit this charming little town. Here below you can find our choices in terms of accommodation, activities and food. By looking back, the only thing we would have done differently would be to spend less time in Sisimiut. We both think that two and a half days are more than enough to experience the town and the beautiful surroundings. However, every day we spent in Sisimiut was special, and all the memories we collected will stay with us forever.
ACCOMMODATION
We stayed at Hotel Sisimiut, a friendly hotel where we were offered a hiker’s deal (we payed 2 out of 3 nights, got free laundry service, free wifi and one free access to the spa). We have to admit that, after spending one whole week on the trail, we felt at first a bit overwhealmed by all these comforts. Our most favourite thing about this hotel was for sure the outdoor hot water bath, where we could relax and admire the northern lights playing in the night sky. The only thing we have to criticize was the scarse service in terms of activities recommendations. September was in fact already considered “low season“, and it was not easy to find an adventure-oriented guided tour.
ACTIVITIES
Depending on the season, there are different suggested activities that allow you to explore Sisimiut’s surroundings.
Before travelling to Greenland, we planned to climb Nasasaaq, the beautiful mountain hugging the small town of Sisimiut. Unfortunately, we were told that snow and ice were present along the climb and, for safety reasons, we decided to give up and change our plans.
We spent one whole morning visiting the town and stopped by every single shop, market and bar we could find. In the afternoon, we arranged a guided visit to the dog town of Sisimiut with Dogsledge Taxi and surrounded ourselves with the cuteness of their amazing sledge dogs.
Since we missed the trail feelings, we decided to spend one day on a hike… how inventive. Following the advices found on UFO Hut Hike - Lisa Germany’s blog, we hiked to the UFO Hut. It was a spectacular day, and the hut is so out of the ordinary that it was for sure worth a visit.
At the Sisimiut Outdoor shop, a friendly lady gave us a phone number to call for more activities ideas. This was how we met Jan from Sisimiut Private Boat Safari, a very friendly fisherman and tour guide from Sisimiut. We spent a special morning on his boat, fishing for salmon. He then left us at Assaqutaq, a small abandoned settlement also known as “ghost village“, surrounded by a mysterious and silent atmosphere. From Assaqutaq, we decided to walk back to Sisimiut, always following the advices of Assaqutaq Hike - Lisa Germany’s blog.
FOOD
In Sisimiut, our hiker hunger began. We became very abitudinary and always went to Naasaasaq Restaurant for dinner, at the Hotel Sisimiut. If you like fish, I would highly recommend the Naasaasaq Special!
We also enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere of the cafeteria at the Taseralik Culture Center, where we regularly had our coffee refill.
DAY 14
11.09.2021
Ferry to Ilulissat
It was time for us to say goodbye to Sisimiut. In the evening, we packed our stuff and catched the Sarfaq Ittuk Ferry going north, to reach Ilulissat the morning after. The experience on the ferry is very unique. We took the chance to relax, read our books, admire the change of scenery and comment the strange shapes and increasing size of the icebergs while reaching the icefjords. For local people living in remote settlements, this ferry is the only means of transport. For this reason, the atmosphere got emotional when, at every stop, families were gathering at the harbor and waving goodbye to friends and relatives.
If you also would like to travel north or south by ferry, make sure to first check its schedule, as it stops in Sisimiut only once a week!
DAY 15
12.09.2021
Visiting Ilulissat
We arrived in Ilulissat right after lunch and spent only one night in this town. Our stay was therefore short, but very intense. Here below you can find our choices in terms of accommodation, activities and food. If we would have the chance to travel to Greenland again, we would for sure spend more time in this beautiful location.
ACCOMMODATION
We stayed at the Yellow House of Ilulissat Guesthouse, which we shared with a friendly couple from Denmark. The view on the icefjord from the balcony was stunning, and we had a very good night sleep.
ACTIVITIES
Always through Ilulissat Guesthouse, we took part to the Icefjord Cruise, an evening boat trip through the icebergs. The wind was definitely cold, but it was one of the most amazing experiences we ever had. We will never forget the colors of the ocean reflecting the fiery sky and the emotions we felt as the calm and rhythmic sound of the icebergs suddenly got interrupted by the passage of a whale.
FOOD
We had a fine dining dinner at the restaurant of Hotel Arctic, since it was the only restaurant serving food late in the evening. We tried whale meat for the first time and we really liked it.
Coming Home
Our trip to come back home was a pain, since we did not manage to find good flight connections and we had to spend one night in both Kangerlussuaq and Copenhagen. I suggest that you check well in advance your flights schedule for finding the option that better suits you.
DAY 16
13.09.2021
Flight from Ilulissat to Kangerlussuaq
We catched our first flight on the way home, from Ilulissat to Kangerlussuaq, where we took a nap and spent the night at the same place as on the way to the trail, Polar Lodge. We wanted to try out a new place for dinner, the Restaurant Roklubben, down at Lake Ferguson. Unfortunately, the restaurant was closed, but we anyway enjoyed the airport cafeteria once again.
DAY 17
14.09.2021
Flight from Kangerlussuaq to Copenhagen
We catched our second flight on the way home, this time from Kangerlussuaq to Copenhagen, where we had to spend an additional night. Since we lacked of originality and we enjoyed our first stay there at the beginning of our trip, we decided to stay at Steel House Copenhagen once again.
DAY 18
15.09.2021
Flight from Copenhagen to Zurich
Our trip came to an end. When we catched our last flight from Copenhagen to Zurich, we realized how lucky we were to have lived such a memorable adventure.