All activities / Trekking / Hiking / Sisimiut
Trekking / Hiking in Sisimiut
Greenland's second-largest town, a colourful fishing and hunting hub on the west coast just north of the Arctic Circle, and the western trailhead of the Arctic Circle Trail, the country's classic long-distance hike from Kangerlussuaq.
Why here
The Arctic Circle Trail between Kangerlussuaq and Sisimiut is the great long hike of Greenland, roughly 160 kilometres of unmarked tundra, lakes and low fells across the largest ice-free stretch of the country. There are no roads, no villages and no resupply along the way, only a chain of simple huts and your tent, so for a week or more you walk through pure Arctic wilderness carrying everything you need. The route ends in Sisimiut, a lively west-coast town just north of the Arctic Circle where sled dogs still outnumber cars in winter. Musk oxen, reindeer and Arctic fox share the valleys, and the light stays up almost all night in high summer. Going with a local guide turns a serious self-sufficient trek into a story of the land, its plants, its myths and the people who live at each end.
Best months
The trail is walked in the short snow-free window, roughly July to early September, when the huts are usable and river crossings are lowest. Even then weather turns quickly from sun to cold rain and wind, mosquitoes are fierce in July, and there is no mobile coverage for long stretches. Most people take seven to ten days end to end. Come prepared for full self-sufficiency, cold nights and boggy ground.
Getting there & around
The trail runs east to west from Kangerlussuaq, which has the main airport, to Sisimiut, which is reached by air or by the coastal ferry. There is no road between the two, so most hikers fly into one end and out of the other. You must be self-sufficient with tent, stove, food for the whole route and water treatment, as the huts are first-come shelters with no supplies. A guided trip handles logistics, safety and route-finding on the unmarked sections.
Skill levels: intermediate, advanced
Schools & guides (1)
Sondy Adventures
GuideSondy Adventures is a locally owned guiding company based in Kangerlussuaq, registered under Greenlandic CVR 44660490 and led by Salik, a Kangerlussuaq native and certified Arctic adventure guide and wilderness first responder. It is the only local operator running scheduled guided treks of the full Arctic Circle Trail to Sisimiut, and also arranges private hikes across the ice-free Kangerlussuaq region, sharing Greenlandic plant lore, myths and daily life on the trail.