Uummannaq | Where Your Heart Stays Forever
A massive heart-shaped mountain, Uummannaq Mountain, rises 1,170 metres straight from the sea, dwarfing the colourful houses clustered at its base. This is Uummannaq – a hunting and fishing town on a tiny island 600 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle, where ancient Inuit traditions thrive and icebergs the size of cathedrals drift past your doorstep.
History and culture of Uummannaq
Founded in 1763 as Omenak, Uummannaq has served as a hunting and fishing base for over 250 years. With 1,391 inhabitants, it's Greenland's eighth-largest town and home to the country's most northerly ferry terminal.
The island's Indigenous heritage remains vibrant. Hunters still practice ancient Inuit traditions, heading onto the ice with dog teams just as ancestors did centuries ago. Those dogs aren't just transport – they're cultural heritage and a living connection to subsistence lifestyles that sustained communities for millennia.
In 1932, director Arnold Fanck chose Uummannaq as the location for 'S.O.S. Eisberg,' bringing international attention to this dramatic landscape. Danish and Greenlandic children believe Santa Claus lives in Spraglebugten Bay. A turf hut called Santa's Castle was built for Danish television and remains Santa's official home, with volunteers responding to letters from children worldwide.
Scottish singer KT Tunstall visited in 2008 and wrote 'Uummannaq Song' for her album Tiger Suit. The town also hosts Uummannaq Music – the world's northernmost music platform on sea ice.
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Where is Uummannaq?
Uummannaq is located in West Greenland, approximately 600 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle, within the vast Uummannaq Fjord system.
The town sits on a small rocky island off Greenland’s northwest coast, surrounded by towering peaks and drifting icebergs calved from nearby glaciers.
Though remote, it forms part of the Qeqertalik municipality. It is connected to the regional airport at Qaarsut by helicopter, making it one of Greenland’s most northerly inhabited towns accessible year-round.
How to get to Uummannaq
Reaching Uummannaq is an adventure itself. Visitors must first arrive in Ilulissat, then take a domestic flight to Qaarsut Airport, followed by helicopter transfer to Uummannaq Heliport. Summer visitors can alternatively take the boat transfer from Qaarsut.
Air Greenland operates year-round helicopter services connecting Uummannaq with Qaarsut and neighbouring villages. Some expedition cruise ships call at Uummannaq, though there's no regular scheduled boat service.
The best visiting times depend on what you're seeking. For summer hiking and sailing, come July through mid-September. For winter snowmobiling and dog sledding, February through mid-April offers optimal conditions. Northern Lights are visible late August through mid-April, with November to March providing the darkest skies.
What can you do in Uummannaq?
The Uummannaq Museum anchors any visit. Ask the curator to open additional buildings – the Old Doctor's House, the whale blubber house, and traditional turf houses provide insight into Arctic life.
Greenland's only stone church stands in Uummannaq, a unique architectural feature. Wander the old harbour buildings where centuries of maritime history echo.
The football pitch might be the world's most picturesque – imagine playing with that heart-shaped mountain looming behind one goal and icebergs drifting past the other. Visit Santa's office where worldwide letters receive responses, and explore the mountain whose distinctive heart shape spawned the saying that when you visit Uummannaq, a piece of your heart remains forever.
Wildlife and landmarks
Icebergs calved from glaciers drift past Uummannaq in sizes rivalling the world's largest cathedrals, sculpted into fantastic shapes, glowing blue in certain light. The Uummannaq Fjord system provides habitat for whales - mostly humpback, minke whales and narwhals, seals, and abundant fish.
The cold, nutrient-rich waters of the fjord support Greenland halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides), a deep-water flatfish that forms the backbone of Uummannaq’s modern economy. Alongside seals and whales, this commercially important species illustrates how Arctic communities remain tightly interwoven with the marine ecosystem.
In winter, sea ice becomes hunting grounds where traditional practices continue. Dog sledding isn't a tourist activity first – it's how hunters reach seal breathing holes, how families visit neighbouring settlements, how life happens.
Svalbard and Greenland Summer Micro Cruise
78°22’N, 15°65’E & 76°50'N, 23°10'W
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Northeast Greenland National Park Micro Cruise
76°50'N, 23°10'W
The ultimate Greenland experience – a unique two-week adventure into Northeast Greenland National Park, the world’s largest national park, and Scoresbysund, the longest fjord system on Earth.
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- 11 — 13 days
Scoresbysund Autumn Micro Cruise
70°50’N, 25°00’W
An autumn micro cruise to Scoresbysund, East Greenland. For landscape lovers and aurora chasers – the ultimate expedition of Earth and sky.
- 12 guests
- 9 days
Scoresbysund Northern Lights Photo Tour
70°50’N, 25°00’W
Capture the heavens bursting with light above the monumental icebergs and high-drama landscape of Scoresbysund.
- 12 guests
- 8 — 9 days
Scoresbysund Northern Lights Photo Tour with Virgil Reglioni
70°50’N, 25°00’W
With 0% light pollution and insane iceberg sculptures, paired with the world’s finest aurora borealis photographer, you’re in for a treat.
- 12 guests
- 9 days
Scoresbysund Northern Lights Photo Tour with Randy Hanna
70°50’N, 25°00’W
Photograph the northern lights illuminating the skies above Scoresbysund with nature photography legend Randy Hanna.
- 12 guests
- 9 days
Experience Greenland with Secret Atlas
While Uummannaq lies in West Greenland, its spirit — small communities shaped by ice, hunting traditions, and deep fjord systems — echoes across the Arctic. Our Expedition Micro Cruises focus on East Greenland and the Northeast Greenland National Park, where similar remote settlements, vast ice landscapes, and living Inuit culture remain central to daily life.
With just 12 guests aboard, we explore fjords and communities in a way larger vessels simply cannot — respectfully, quietly, and without overwhelming the places we visit. Our guides interpret not only the landscape, but the realities of Arctic life today: from dog sledding traditions to the changing patterns of sea ice and wildlife.
For travellers specifically interested in West Greenland destinations such as Uummannaq, we can arrange private yacht charters tailored to explore this remarkable region.
Wherever you travel in Greenland with us, the experience is intimate, grounded, and deeply connected to place.
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