Monday, September 29, 2008

Greenland 2008 - Kulusuk

A town with only 310 people living in it, Kulusuk may seem a strange portal to the world's largest non-continental island. However, the traditional fishing village of Kulusk happens to be just that for many travelers and tourists coming into East Greenland. As Tunu's administrative capital, Tasilaq is bereft of the required flat space, Kulusuk is in fact home to East Greenland's busiest international airport. Air Iceland sells packages from Reykjavik, including 1-3 day tours. The tiny airport terminal is by no means fit to handle the amounts traffic of day it gets during peak season.
The village of Kulusuk is located about 15 minutes walk from the airport. It is a small and simple place with a population of just over 300. While there isn't a whole lot to see or do in the town itself, Kulusk is located on at the banks of a bay merging out into the iceberg infested north Atlantic Ocean. For most visitors, Kulusuk is nothing more than a stop-and-go place en route to Tasilaq. However, the scenery is simply mesmerizing and if its your first visit this part of the world, as it was mine - than its definitely worth the effort to spend at least a night. Fortunately I bumped into local resident Icelander Johann Brandsson, who conveniently owns the Kulusuk Youth Hostel and was able to do just that. For the day tripping tourists, the locals do sometimes put on a traditional dance and kayak hunting show.
Getting to Tasilaq from Kulusuk can be an adventure in itself. The traditional method is by helicopter. However, I managed to get a local fisherman to take me along in his fishing boat. It was quite a boat ride, zooming through icebergs that looked like skyscrapers in our tiny boat. A whale even surfaced right in front of the boat - another thing you'd only see in Greenland!
To view more pictures, check out my site:
http://www.glennstevens.biz/kulusuk.htm

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