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Most visitors rarely experience South Greenland beyond its iceberg-dotted fjords and rugged mountains. Cruise ships whisk away 90 percent of visitors after fleeting glimpses, according to Sarah Woodall, destination manager at Innovation South Greenland. But longer stays offer a unique glimpse into Greenland’s sheep-farm backpacking routes, where modern Inuit communities continue Viking farming traditions from the 10th century.
Travelers can explore nearly 40 sheep farms, nine offering overnight stays in cozy accommodations, within the 134-square-mile UNESCO World Heritage site of Kujataa. With new flight routes and an international airport opening soon in Nuuk, visitors will have greater access to these immersive farm-to-farm hikes that support local communities and offer a more profound connection to this remote landscape.
Greenland’s answer to hut-to-hut hiking
South Greenland’s agricultural roots date back to around 985 C.E. when Vikings arrived with livestock like cows and sheep. Erik the Red, who named Greenland to attract settlers from Iceland, established Brattahlið, now Qassiarsuk, a key stop on today’s sheep-farm route.
This replica of Erik the Red’s wooden church in Qassiarsuk, Greenland, was meticulously reconstructed to honor the original built for his wife.
Photograph by Peter Essick, Nat Geo Image Collection
For nearly five centuries, the Viking farming and hunting society thrived in this remarkably fertile subarctic land, wedged between the Greenland Ice Sheet and the North Atlantic Sea. Around the 15th century, the Vikings mysteriously vanished, possibly due to climate change.
In the late 1700s, Inuit communities revived agriculture, making South Greenland an agribusiness hub. Today, travelers can hike past cobalt fjords, verdant pastures, and well-preserved Viking ruins. The main backpacking route, linking five farm stays via four- to nine-mile hikes, starts in Qassiarsuk, near Narsarsuaq Airport. Here, you can begin your adventure at the Bed & Breakfast Illunnguujuk farm-stay, owned by the grandson of the village’s founder. Tour a reconstructed Viking longhouse and church, immersing yourself in the region’s history before setting off on your journey.
(Learn the art of iceberg chasing in Newfoundland.)
Outfitters like woman-owned Travel by Heart help visitors coordinate agri-trekking logistics, such as ferry transit from Narsarsuaq, reserving meals and beds, and trip duration—usually a few days to a week. Blue Ice Explorer also runs an eight-day journey to four Qassiarsuk-area farms, followed by a ferry and agritourism overnight in Igaliku. This idyllic village was once the religious center of Viking life.
From South Greenland’s largest town, Qaqortoq, reachable via regular ferry services from Narsarsuaq (and soon, a major new Qaqortoq airport, anticipated to open in 2025), travelers can take a boat transfer halfway into Igaliku Fjord to reach two other accommodations, including cabins at Kangerluarsorujuk Sheep Farm and a hostel at Qanisartuut Sheep Farm.
This remote landscape, part of South Greenland’s UNESCO World Heritage Site, offers breathtaking views of Tasermiut Fjord.
Photograph by Peter Essick, Nat Geo Image Collection
Backpacking between farms offers scenic, heart-pumping hikes. Hosts offer activities like horseback riding, ATV rides, and cultural gatherings known as kaffemik, meals with farm families over local fare like lamb, musk ox, or seafood.
“A lot of guests eat in our home and talk to us; it’s one of the [best] experiences for them to come into our house and see how we live,” says Aviâja Lennert, who runs the icefjord-view Tasiusaq farm and its Sermilik Hostel alongside her husband, a third-generation farmer.
(22 awe-inspiring images of icy adventures in Greenland.)
The best time for hut-to-hut hiking in South Greenland is from June through September, when the weather is mild and the midnight sun provides extended daylight hours. September also offers the added bonus of witnessing sheep-herding activities and the chance to see exceptional northern lights.
A shifting agricultural landscape
One reason farmers have launched these farm stays is that sheep farming has become less predictable due to climate change. In late October 2023, for example, a surprise early snowstorm dumped three feet of snow on the region, trapping many sheep that had yet to be collected. “They lost hundreds of sheep,” Woodall says, noting other new weather patterns, such as long and heavy rains that damage the grazing fields, are “hurting a lot of the farmers economically.”
It’s not just Greenland. Sheep-husbandry entrepreneurs across the North Atlantic, including communities in Greenland, Norway, Scotland, Iceland, and the Faroe Islands, joined forces in a collaborative, sustainable tourism program called Wool in the North from 2021 through 2023. The Nordic Atlantic Cooperation (NORA)-funded initiative helped sheep farmers join forces to create wool-themed slow-tourism experiences centered on sustainability, art, textiles, and nature.
(This is one of the last places on Earth to explore an ancient Arctic life.)
After three years of planning, the Wool in the North offerings will debut in sheep-farm destinations in 2024, from a 10-day culture and crafting trip through the Faroe Islands to art- and textile-inspired spring and autumn excursions through North Iceland. South Greenland, in particular, has a lot to celebrate this year. In addition to its forthcoming wool tourism developments, 2024 marks the 100th anniversary of Qassiarsuk’s founding, a milestone that will bring concerts, exhibitions, and storytelling to the village all summer.
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