🧺 Fjord cruise with picnic

Nuuk Fjord Cruise with Greenlandic Picnic: 3.5 hours of fjord, food and local stories

A private boat trip into Nuuk Fjord with a local guide, a Greenlandic picnic on board, a stop at the abandoned settlement of Kangeq, and hotel pickup. Route, price, food, reviews and how it compares with the other boat trips.

⏱️ 3.5 hours🧺 Picnic included🚐 Hotel pickup

⚡ Short answer

A 3.5-hour private cruise for up to six people into Nuuk Fjord, with a Greenlandic picnic, local storytelling, a short walk at Kangeq and pickup from your hotel. Rated 4.4 out of 5 from 7 reviews.

• Price 💶 from €702 per person
• Group 👥 Private, max. 6
• Minimum 👫 2 people (solo pays for 2)
• Cancellation ↩️ free up to 24 h

Check dates and prices 🎫

The Nuuk Fjord Cruise with Greenlandic Picnic is the longer, fuller version of a boat trip from Nuuk. You are picked up at your hotel, board a small closed boat with a local guide, and spend three and a half hours on the water: out among the rocky islands west of the city, ashore for a short walk at Kangeq, an old settlement that now stands empty, and into the fjord below Sermitsiaq, where waterfalls run down the cliffs and ice drifts past. Along the way you eat a picnic of Greenlandic food and hear about life in Greenland from someone who lives it. This page explains the route, the food, the price and what guests say, and helps you choose between this trip and the shorter sightseeing tour.

What is the Nuuk Fjord Cruise with Greenlandic Picnic?

In short: a private 3.5-hour boat tour from Nuuk, run by the local company Meaningful Travels Greenland and sold on GetYourGuide. It combines a scenic fjord cruise with a Greenlandic picnic, local stories, a short landing at Kangeq and hotel pickup.

Nuuk sits at the mouth of Nuup Kangerlua, a fjord system that runs more than 100 kilometres inland and is one of the largest in the world. You can only explore it by boat. This tour is designed as a private experience: your group has the boat and the guide to itself, so the pace follows your interests, whether that is photos of the ice, questions about hunting and fishing, or a long stop to watch seals. In rare cases, and only if every guest agrees, two small bookings may share a boat.

The listing promises Sermitsiaq, waterfalls, remote islands and seasonal icebergs, with seals, seabirds and, in season, whales as possible extras. The operator states clearly that wildlife sightings are never guaranteed. The tour’s notes also mention uneven terrain at Kangeq, which tells you the trip includes a short walk ashore at this old settlement, something the 2-hour sightseeing tour doesn’t do.

Where does the cruise go?

In short: from Nuuk Harbour out through the islands west of the city to Kangeq, then into the fjord below Sermitsiaq for waterfalls and ice, and back to Nuuk. The captain adjusts the route to wind, waves and ice on the day. Tap a stop on the map.

Once you leave the harbour, the water west of Nuuk opens into a maze of low, rounded rock islands, smoothed by ice long ago and mostly uninhabited. The boat weaves between them before landing at Kangeq. From there the route turns north and east into the fjord, where Sermitsiaq rises 1,210 metres straight from the sea. In summer, meltwater pours off the cliffs in long waterfalls, and ice from the glaciers deeper inland drifts towards the coast. You eat the picnic on board, with the fjord and the mountains around you. On the way back, Nuuk appears in front of the mountains, one of the best views of the city.

Kangeq: the abandoned settlement

In short: Kangeq is a former settlement on an island at the outer edge of the skerries west of Nuuk. It was abandoned in the 20th century, and today you walk among the remains of houses on rocky ground, with open sea on one side and the mountains on the other.

For centuries, Greenlanders lived in small settlements along the outer coast, close to the seals and fish they hunted. Kangeq was one of them. Like many small settlements, it was given up in the second half of the 20th century, when people moved into larger towns such as Nuuk. What remains are foundations, a few buildings and the paths between them. Kangeq is also linked to one of Greenland’s best-known artists: Aron of Kangeq, a hunter who in the 19th century painted and carved the old Greenlandic legends, came from here.

The walk is short but the ground is uneven and rocky, which is why the operator says the tour is not suitable for travellers with limited mobility and asks guests to be in moderate physical condition. Wear waterproof shoes with good grip, as the listing recommends: rocks near the landing can be wet and slippery.

What is in the Greenlandic picnic?

In short: locally inspired delicacies and refreshments, served on board. The exact menu depends on the season and what is available; one guest wrote that they tasted seal and whale skin. Tell the operator in advance about allergies or diets.

Greenlandic food comes from the sea and the land: fish such as Arctic char and halibut, shrimp, seal, whale, reindeer and musk ox, often smoked or dried, plus berries from the tundra in late summer. A picnic on this cruise is a tasting of that larder, served with hot drinks, while the boat drifts below the mountains. Whale skin, called mattak, is a traditional delicacy eaten raw in small cubes with its layer of fat; seal meat is a staple across Greenland. If you would rather not eat marine mammals, or have dietary restrictions, say so when you book.

Check the picnic: one guest wrote that the picnic was not served on their tour. The operator replied that the picnic is normally included, apologised, and said it would not happen again. If it matters to you, confirm with the operator when you receive your booking details.

For a longer, seated introduction to Greenlandic food, see our Greenlandic food page or the food tasting and storytelling experience in Nuuk.

The local storytelling

Your guide is a local who speaks English and talks throughout the trip about Greenlandic culture, traditions and everyday life: how families hunt and fish, what the seasons mean on the coast, why people left settlements like Kangeq, and what modern life in Nuuk looks like. Because the tour is private, you can steer the conversation. Ask about kaffemik, the Greenlandic open house; about the legends Aron of Kangeq painted; or about the ice, which local captains read like a map. Guests have praised the guide’s knowledge and skill as a navigator.

What’s included and what isn’t

How much does the cruise cost?

In short: from about €702 per person. The tour has a two-person minimum, so a solo traveller pays about €1,404. A group of six pays around €4,200. You can reserve now and pay later, and cancel free of charge up to 24 hours before.

These figures use the “from” price on GetYourGuide; the final price depends on the date and is shown before you pay. Compared with the 2-hour sightseeing tour at about €506, you pay roughly €200 more per person for an extra hour and a half on the water, the picnic, the landing at Kangeq and hotel pickup.

How does it compare with other Nuuk tours?

In short: choose the picnic cruise for the fullest day on the water with food and a landing. Choose the 2-hour sightseeing tour for a shorter, cheaper trip, or the fishing trip if you want to fish. Filter and sort below.

The shorter trip has its own guide: Nuuk Fjord Sightseeing Boat Tour. All boat trips from the city are compared on Nuuk Fjord boat tours.

What do guests say about the cruise?

In short: 4.4 out of 5 from 7 verified reviews. Guests praise the guide, the views of the ice and waterfalls, and the comfortable boat. Criticism concerns a picnic that was not served once and a boat that felt small for five people.

A guest from Poland called it a very good first contact with Greenland, the whole country in one trip. A guest from Italy rated the guide an excellent navigator but criticised that the picnic was missing on that day, which the operator acknowledged. A guest from Turkey enjoyed the ice, the waterfall and tasting seal and whale skin, called the captain attentive and informative, and found the boat too small for five people. Guests from the United States and Qatar wrote about a comfortable boat, feeling safe, and a guide with impressive knowledge. Taken together, the reviews suggest booking for two to four people for the most space, and confirming the picnic before you go.

Is the picnic cruise worth it?

For most first-time visitors with a day to spare, yes. It packs the main reasons people come to Nuuk into one trip: the fjord, Sermitsiaq, the ice, Greenlandic food, a piece of history at Kangeq and a local to talk to, with transport from your hotel taken care of. The private format also suits couples, families and small groups of friends who want the boat to themselves. It is less of a fit if you are short on time, travelling alone on a budget (the two-person minimum doubles the cost), prone to seasickness, or unable to walk on uneven ground. In those cases the 2-hour sightseeing tour, or the city tour by car with a tasting, are better choices.

Tips for a good trip

Book the cruise for early in your stay in Nuuk, so that a day lost to wind can move to the next. Mention dietary needs and whether you want to taste seal or whale when you book, and confirm the picnic and pickup time once you receive your booking details. Charge your phone, bring a spare battery, and keep it on a strap on deck. Use the toilet before you leave: there are few facilities on the way, and none at Kangeq. Eat a light breakfast if you are sensitive to motion, and take seasickness tablets before boarding rather than after. Finally, ask questions: the storytelling is the part of the trip you can shape most, and guides are happy to talk about anything from hunting to Greenlandic music.

The cruise pairs well with a morning walking tour with the National Museum, where you can see the kayaks, clothing and tools of the people who once lived in settlements like Kangeq. More ideas for your stay are in things to do in Nuuk, and flights are covered in getting to Nuuk.

Meeting point, best season and what to wear

Meeting point and pickup. The tour includes pickup and drop-off. If you meet the guide directly, the meeting point is the Tide Water Steps near the harbour in Naalagaasat; arrive at least 10 minutes before the start. If you come by cruise ship, the steps are a short walk from the port; see Nuuk for cruise passengers.

Best season. June to September has the longest days, the calmest weather, waterfalls from the melting snow and the best chance of whales. In winter, 3.5 hours is close to the whole day’s light, so check availability and pick the middle of the day. Boats only run in safe conditions; if the operator cancels for weather, you get your money back. See best time to visit Greenland.

What to wear. The listing asks for warm clothing, a jacket, gloves and waterproof shoes. Three and a half hours on the water is long enough to get cold even in July, especially while you eat on deck, so add a hat and an extra warm layer. Full lists are in what to wear in Greenland.

Questions about the Nuuk Fjord Cruise with Greenlandic Picnic

More Nuuk and Greenland guides