Narsarsuaq
Narsarsuaq is a small settlement of around 145 people at the head of Tunulliarfik Fjord in South Greenland, built around an airport that began life in 1941 as a US military base known as Bluie West One. The base served as a strategic North Atlantic staging post during the Second World War, and the airfield that remains is one of only two in Greenland capable of handling international flights. Today Narsarsuaq is the primary arrival and departure point for South Greenland, with connections from Reykjavík and Copenhagen, and serves as the base for exploring some of the most historically and geologically significant landscapes in the North Atlantic. The name translates as the Great Plains, a reference to the flat ground that made it suitable for a runway.
South Greenland's Main Gateway, Built as a WWII Airbase and Now the Starting Point for Viking History and Arctic Wilderness
Narsarsuaq sits deep inside Tunulliarfik Fjord, surrounded by mountains and within sight of the Greenland Ice Sheet. The American military established the base here in 1941 for its flat terrain and strategic position on transatlantic routes, designating it Bluie West One. The base supported operations throughout the Second World War and into the Korean War era before being handed over to Greenlandic civilian use. The airport remains the hub of the community, and a small museum in the settlement covers both the Norse period of South Greenland and the military history of the base. The surrounding landscape is unusually green by Greenlandic standards, reflecting the relatively mild fjord climate of the south, and in summer the area around the settlement supports wildflowers, shrubs, and the Narsarsuaq Arboretum, one of the very few places in Greenland where trees grow to any meaningful height.
Narsarsuaq is the practical hub for reaching the key sites of South Greenland. Directly across the fjord, the village of Qassiarsuk holds the reconstructed longhouse and chapel of Brattahlid, Erik the Red's Norse settlement from around 985 AD and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A short boat crossing connects the two. The Flower Valley behind the settlement leads to the Narsarsuaq glacier, accessible by a half-day hike, and Signal Hill above the airport gives wide views over the fjord and ice sheet on a relatively easy one-hour walk. Further afield, the settlements of Narsaq and Qaqortoq to the south are accessible by boat and offer additional Norse ruins, Inuit heritage sites, and fjord landscapes. South Greenland as a whole forms part of the Kujataa UNESCO World Heritage Site, recognised for its Norse and Inuit farming heritage.
Flights to Narsarsuaq operate from Keflavík Airport in Iceland with Air Iceland Connect, and from Copenhagen with Air Greenland, making it the most practical entry point to Greenland for travellers coming from Iceland or the wider IUN destination network. The settlement has a hotel and a hostel, both of which serve as bases for multi-day hiking and exploration. The Blue Ice Café doubles as the tourist information centre and is the place to arrange boat crossings, hire equipment, and get up-to-date trail conditions. The best time to visit is June to September when trails are accessible and the majority of tours operate. Weather can change rapidly in all seasons and flexibility in planning is essential.
