Camping on Greenland’s Ice Sheet

Published: 30 September 2025. the English Chronicle Desk

Camping on the Greenland Ice Sheet is a journey into one of the most extreme and awe-inspiring environments on Earth. Stretching across 80% of the world’s largest island, this vast expanse of ice offers an adventure unlike any other, where the sun barely dips below the horizon in summer, and the landscape is in constant motion, shaped by shifting ice and hidden crevasses. For those who seek to explore the farthest edges of the planet, an overnight stay on the ice presents both a physical challenge and an opportunity to witness the raw beauty of the Arctic.

The expedition begins with careful preparation. Crampons dug into the ice, I hauled a heavily laden sledge up ridge after icy ridge, the whiteness extending endlessly to the horizon. Our guide, Carl, led the group to a rare dip in the ice that provided some shelter from the relentless Arctic wind. Here, we pitched tents, securing them with ice pegs to withstand the gusts that could otherwise sweep them away. As I paused to absorb the vastness of the Camping on Greenland’s Ice Sheet Greenland Ice Sheet, I realized the extraordinary nature of the experience: a landscape virtually untouched by human habitation, yet full of history and scientific importance.

Greenland, long a remote island administered by Denmark, is gradually opening to tourism. New flight routes now link this icy land to the wider world, allowing adventurous visitors to step onto the ice. The journey typically begins in Kangerlussuaq, a small town in western Greenland. A 35-kilometer dirt road, originally constructed by Volkswagen in 1999 to test vehicles under extreme winter conditions, leads to the edge of the ice sheet. Today, as the ice has receded, travelers must hike about one kilometer from the road’s end to reach the sheet itself, transitioning from tundra to mud and fragmented ice before stepping onto the frozen expanse proper.

The Greenland Ice Sheet is second only to Antarctica in size, yet its scale remains staggering. It stretches across 1.7 million square kilometers, reaching up to three kilometers in thickness. Its mass is so immense that it has pressed much of Greenland’s bedrock below sea level. Scientists have dated some basal ice and sediments to over two million years old, making parts of the sheet older than humanity itself. Its immense size and harsh conditions mean that travel without a qualified guide is impossible, and overnight camping is offered by only a handful of specialized companies, such as Albatros Arctic Circle.

Before our journey, our group of six underwent a full briefing and gear inspection. Standing at the ice’s edge, staring at meltwater rivers carving deep channels through the surface, awe replaced nerves. The landscape, though frozen and seemingly barren, teems with geological and historical significance. Human presence on Greenland has always been coastal; the interior remained uninhabited until Norwegian explorer Fridtjof Nansen completed the first documented crossing in 1888. Today, the ice sheet continues to be monitored by remote scientific stations, which track its movement, melting patterns, and broader climate impacts.

Camping on the ice involves confronting the Arctic’s unforgiving conditions firsthand. Nights are long and cold, the silence only broken by the distant groan of shifting ice. Yet, the reward is unparalleled: uninterrupted vistas of white expanses, glacial rivers glittering in the weak light, and the realization that one is standing atop a structure of ice older than civilization itself. It is a humbling experience, highlighting both the fragility of human existence and the endurance of nature over millennia.

While Greenland is gradually attracting more visitors, the ice sheet remains a domain of adventure for the prepared and the brave. Each step on the ice, every tent pegged into the frozen surface, and every glimpse of the sprawling Arctic wilderness reminds travelers of the power, beauty, and enormity of this remarkable landscape. Camping here is not merely a trip; it is an immersion into the story of our planet, a chance to witness an environment largely untouched and to walk across a terrain that has survived for millions of years, silently recording the passage of time and human history.

In an era when extreme tourism is increasingly sought after, Greenland offers a rare opportunity to step beyond the familiar and into a world defined by ice, wind, and silence. It is a journey of endurance, discovery, and wonde—a testament to both human curiosity and the awe-inspiring scale of the natural world.