Looking for authentic local experiences? Visit South Greenland.
July 5, 2021 | By Dani Plumb
Salik Frederiksen returned home to Greenland after working in Denmark and touring as a musician for some years. After a long flight to Kangerlussuaq Airport, he thought he recognized a familiar face but tired from the flight, it took a moment to figure out who it was.
The old friend he recognized was Freddy Christensen. Christensen had been working and travelling in the U.S. and was returning to Greenland as well. “We talked about why we wanted to go back to the place we grew up and that we both wanted to start a business to help our community,” Frederiksen recalls. “I wanted to make something in our community that could thrive. Give back from what I’ve learned and learn more about where I’m from.”
A year after the chance meeting their dreams came true. In 2018, Frederiksen and Christensen opened Tasermiut Camp, offering camping, guided walking and hiking tours, and boat tours in South Greenland in the summer months. The camp is in Nantoralik, the southernmost town in Greenland, and sits at the mouth of Tasermiut Fjord, a 70-kilometre fjord surrounded by high mountain peaks and deep blue waters.
Aerial view of Tasermiut Fjord, which hasbeen called the “Arctic Patagonia.” Photo by Hugo Perrin.
Each trip to Tasermiut Camp is tailored to visitors’ interests. Visitors can go on guided tours of icebergs, the Greenland ice cap, or natural hot springs. There’s also Viking ruins, Northern lights, and fishing for Arctic char at what Frederiksen calls “the best fishing spot in Greenland” that has up to four types of Arctic char available during different times of year.
Enjoying good company and musical entertainment by the fireside. Frederiksen standing in the background. Photo by Peter Lindstrom.
Visitors also have the opportunity to learn about Greenlandic history and culture from Tasermiut Camp’s all-Greenlandic staff. “It's nice to show people where we're actually from, because Greenland is really unique because it is so secluded from the rest of the world. But then again, we're living like everyone else,” says Frederiksen. Visitors can connect with locals by visiting neighbouring sheep farms, listening to traditional Greenlandic stories, or enjoying musical entertainment by the bonfire.
Picturesque view from Tasermiut Camp tent at Kuussuaq Campsite. Photo by Peter Lindstrom.
The culinary experience is a big part of Tasermiut Camp. All meals are prepared with local fresh ingredients by Frederiksen or a local chef. Meals may include fish caught that day or ingredients foraged on the day’s hike, and are combined with local ingredients like clams, mussels, and sea urchins. “I really like to cook and use what we have in Greenland and in the nature [to cook]. I like to take people out and show what we have and what can be used,” Frederiksen explains. On every hike, he forages for ingredients like mushrooms, berries, flowers, and Greenlandic herbs to be used in the day’s meals.
Dinner preparation at Tasermiut Camp.Photo by Peter Lindstrom.
It’s no surprise that the first two seasons at the camp, 2018 and 2019,were a great success. Then in 2020, international travel came to a halt due to COVID-19 travel restrictions. Greenland “received 70% less land-based travelers, i.e. arriving to Greenland with airplane, and what must be 100% less cruise travelers for 2020,” says Sarah Woodall, Tourism Destination Manager at Innovation South Greenland, the regional destination management organization.
One of the positive outcomes of reduced travel during the pandemic was the creation of the “Staycation” marketing campaign aiming to get Greenland residents to explore their own country. The campaign was created by Visit Greenland and all the regional destination management organizations. “It gave [tour operators] an opportunity to fill empty seats and beds with Greenlandic guests instead of international guests, and it gave them a very unique opportunity to suddenly guide in Greenlandic for the first time, for example. From the local resident perspective, it gave Greenlanders the opportunity to see regions of their own country they thought they would never see,” says Woodall. “It has always been said that the travelers to Greenland get to see more of the country than even Greenlanders themselves do, because of the high costs.” At Tasermiut Camp and for other tourism businesses in Greenland, the reduced travel has provided the opportunity to have more time to innovate and expand offerings for future travelers, Frederiksen adds.
Frederiksen cooking breakfast at the camp. Photo by Peter Lindstrom.
Breakfast by Frederiksen. Photo by Peter Lindstrom.
So, what’s the 2021 travel outlook? “2021 visitation is expected to be somewhat along the lines [of 2020 travel], as the regulations for travelling to Greenland are more or less the same now as they were last summer, for both land-based travel and cruise travel,” says Woodall. The incoming air traffic is currently reduced to 1060 people a week, which includes 1000 persons arriving from Denmark to Greenland via Air Greenland, 30 persons arriving from Iceland to Greenland via Air Greenland, and 30 persons arriving from Iceland to Greenland via Icelandair.
Currently, 26% of Greenland’s population is fully vaccinated and 29% is partially vaccinated, according to Our World in Data. “If an outbreak comes, we never know if they're going to close the borders again, and it's because Greenland is so big and we only have like one hospital that can take like bad cases of Coronavirus, so you have to fly people to Nuuk,” says Frederiksen.
Due to the travel restrictions, tourism in Greenland will likely remain slow in 2021. But the opportunities to travel to Greenland in 2022 remain hopeful. Frederiksen and Christensen at Tasermiut Camp, like other local businesses, are looking forward to welcoming visitors again as soon as travel allows.
Sources:
Salik Frederiksen, Co-Owner of Tasermiut Camp
Sarah Woodall, Tourism Destination Manager at Innovation South Greenland
Tasermiut Camp: https://tasermiutcamp.gl/
Greenland, COVID-19 Vaccine Doses Administered, Our World in Data: https://ourworldindata.org/coronavirus/country/greenland#how-many-covid-19-vaccine-doses-have-been-administered-in-total.