Kangerlussuaq travel safety advice
Kangerlussuaq is a very small settlement and as such has virtually no crime. Care should be taken when hiking through certain areas during hunting season (try not to look like a caribou).
Though, by Greenlandic standards, Kangerlussuaq is blessed with a mild climate, the greatest local danger is probably still posed by the weather in winter. The average high in January (the best time for seeing the Aurora Borealis) is -12 C (8 F), and during cold snaps, extended periods around -28 C (-20 F) are not uncommon. Arctic parkas and boots are a must to spend more than a few minutes outside under these conditions.
The other local year-round danger is local musk oxen which frequent the area around Lake Fergusen and Black Ridge to the south of town. Keep a distance of several tens of meters from any animal, as they often charge without warning and are much faster than their shaggy, ambling appearance belies. If you see a group of musk oxen forming into the typical circle or line defensive formations, with their heads and horns facing you and any young behind the main rank, it means you have been identified as a mortal threat, and you should get away from the area as calmly and quickly as possible. Musk oxen are particularly nervous if you are located uphill from them, so never approach or pass by from above.
A few other dangers are presented by the geography. The river coming from the ice cap, which passes by town and empties into the head of the fjord, has deposited huge silt flats which can be very unstable and present large areas of quicksand indistinguishable from harder sand. For this reason, do not venture out into the river bed, and do not drink the silty water coming from the glacier as the extremely fine silt can wreak havoc on your intestines, and clogs even the best of filters (water in ponds and streams elsewhere is perfectly safe). Finally, if you go to the edge of the inland ice in summer, beware that it is an active glacier and huge calving events can happen at any time, dropping tons of ice accompanied by bursts of pent-up, near-freezing melt water. Keep a safe distance from the edge.
It should also be noted that there is no hospital in Kangerlussuaq. While lighter injuries can be treated at the local clinic, serious medical emergencies may require evacuation by air to Sisimiut or Nuuk.
Mosquitoes and black flies are a serious problem during the summer months. Bug repellent is a must.
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The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Kangerlussuaq
