All activities / Photography Expeditions / Kangerlussuaq
Photography Expeditions in Kangerlussuaq
A small inland settlement at the head of a long fjord in western Greenland, built around a former US air base and home to the country's main international airport, sitting only about 25 kilometres from the edge of the Greenland Ice Sheet.
Why here
Kangerlussuaq is the aurora capital of Greenland, an inland settlement sheltered by the ice sheet, the fjord and the mountains that give it one of the most stable, cloud-free climates in the Arctic. The location delivers roughly 300 cloudless nights a year and almost no light pollution, so from late August to April the northern lights appear here more reliably than almost anywhere reachable by scheduled flight. Guides run night hunts out into the treeless backcountry, where green curtains and arcs reflect off frozen lakes for foreground. The same stability makes Kangerlussuaq the easiest launch point for the Ice Sheet itself, only about 25 kilometres away at Point 660, where you can shoot the blue-white edge of the ice cap by day and the aurora above it by night.
Best months
Aurora season runs from roughly late August to mid-April, needing dark skies, so it does not overlap the midnight sun of high summer. February to April and September to November are the prime months, combining long dark hours with Kangerlussuaq's famously clear air. Winter nights are deeply cold, well below freezing, so bring insulated clothing, a sturdy tripod and spare batteries, which drain fast in the cold.
Getting there & around
Kangerlussuaq has Greenland's main international runway, with direct flights from Copenhagen and onward domestic connections, so it is the simplest Greenland base to reach. Accommodation and tours cluster around the old airbase. Aurora hunts leave town by vehicle to escape stray light, and Ice Sheet trips run by four-wheel drive to Point 660. Dress for extreme cold on night tours and allow spare evenings, since clear skies still need a little luck.
Skill levels: beginner, intermediate, advanced
Schools & guides (1)
Albatros Arctic Circle
OutfitterAlbatros Arctic Circle is the Greenland-registered arm of Scandinavian operator Albatros Travel, with a permanent base at Kangerlussuaq comprising Polar Lodge, the Old Camp, a restaurant and a full excursion desk. From here it runs Northern Lights hunts into the backcountry, where Kangerlussuaq's roughly 300 cloudless nights a year and minimal light pollution make the aurora unusually reliable, plus land, sea and air trips to the Ice Sheet at Point 660. It also operates from Ilulissat.