Visit Greenland and Icelandair enabled this trip. One of the first observations travelers make in Greenland is the challenge of transportation. There are no roads connecting towns. Travelers rely on boats or planes, with weather dictating routes and schedules.
However, visiting the country is becoming more feasible. In April 2026, Qaqortoq, South Greenland’s largest town, inaugurated its first airport. It offers daily flights to Nuuk and four weekly Icelandair flights to Keflavik, Iceland, during summer.
Since 2019, tourism has rapidly expanded, contributing 4.9% to Greenland’s GDP by 2024 and supporting around 1,800 jobs. The question arises: Who reaps the benefits of this growth?
To ensure locals benefit, the national government enacted a tourism law in 2024. The law aims to maintain local involvement. It requires tourism operators to have local ownership and control. At least two-thirds of capital and voting rights must be held by residents of Greenland, who are fully tax-liable there. Operators must comply by January 1, 2027. This change targets a sector historically dominated by foreign, including Danish and other European, operators.
Tasermiut Fjord, known as “Arctic Patagonia,” offers a Yosemite-like landscape of granite walls and foggy peaks.
Henrik Hansen of NTS Boat Charter navigates the challenging waves toward the fjord’s glacier, paying little attention to his GPS. He shows a family-built summer house on a western bank, where Arctic char thrive in warm weather, and points out the hidden sheep farm in Tasiusaq Valley, reciting local family names.
“You cannot own land in Greenland,” Henrik explains. All land, including homes and sheep farms, is collectively owned. This reflects Greenlanders’ deep connection to their land, influencing life and tourism.
At Café Thorhildur, over lamb stew, Naasunnguaq Karen Lund shares her perspective. As co-owner of Riding Greenland Hostel, she emphasizes authentic experiences over luxury. Guests join farm stays, partaking in communal meals featuring lamb and fresh fish. Hostels in Qassiarsuk collaborate, directing guests from one to another.
Riding Greenland now offers day tours on e-bikes, in addition to weeklong horseback excursions. Naasunnguaq’s husband, Piitaq, guides visitors up a 7-kilometer dirt road to Tasiusaq, providing a hilltop view of the inner ice cap. Icebergs drift in the bay beneath the long sun.
The following morning, Salik Parbst Frederiksen, co-owner of Local Greenland, takes visitors along Tunulliarfik Fjord to Qinngua. Here, his family has raised sheep for generations. A grassy knoll with a small forest offers a resting spot. “These are some of the only trees in all of Greenland,” Salik remarks, linking the region to Erik the Red’s naming of Greenland.
In a small red cabin amid endless green, Salik serves local dishes. The meal includes locally grown potatoes, dried seal, whale blubber, prawns, cod liver with crowberries, and pickled angelica. This embodies Local Greenland’s philosophy, which focuses on Indigenous expertise and local ingredients for guest experiences.
Increased access to South Greenland opens new opportunities for tourists to engage with the unique landscape and its remoteness. It is clear that the area’s residents play a crucial role in making such experiences meaningful.
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