Our boat trip to the desert just outside of Uummannaq was about sunshine, relaxation, fun, hiking, picnicing, iron, sulphur, salt, icebergs, waterfalls, 1200 metre cliffs, fabulous scenery, photography, light, colour, texture, Arctic dipping and a dried fish head.
The excursion to the desert is just as much about the journey there and back as it is about the desert itself. The boat ride is along some of the most beautiful scenery in Greenland and with weather conditions such as we had yesterday – very relaxing with plenty of stellar photo opportunities.
The desert is different from the surrounding landscape in every way. The geology is different. The colours are different, the textures are different. The landscape is yellow, red, brown and white due to the iron, sulphur, quartz and salt content. It is quite striking.Later in the evening we welcomed the people of Ukkusissat on board the Fram. It was a delight to be entertained by them with singing and folk dancing. We learned all about traditional Greenlandic clothing and marveled at the workmanship involved.
Afterwards we headed to shore in the Polar Cirkle boats. We were treated to a surprise outdoor concert just in front of the town hall by the famous Greenlandic singer Rasmus Lyberth. The entire village was in attendance. It was plain to see that everyone in Ukkusissat is a big fan of Rasmus Lyberth.
Oh… you’re probably wondering about “Arctic Dipping” and a dried fish head. On our excursion to the desert some of our group went for an Arctic skinny dip and on our picnic lunch stop we found a dried fish head. Species unidentified.
