Visit in July 2019

I have only a small amount to add to the two previous reviews. 

If you should happen to have your own bicycle in Kangerlussuaq, it is possible to ride through the core zone of the Aasivissuit-Nipisat WHS along the way to the western edge of the Greenland Ice Sheet. In total, the road runs for 35.5 km from the airport in Kangerlussuaq up to the edge of the ice, rising from sea level to 520 meters a.m.s.l. along the way. It is Greenland’s longest road, and, some may say, Greenland’s only road, which is, more or less, correct. The road is gravel, and at the start is in a reasonably good condition, but, in a typical manner, as you progress towards the east the condition deteriorates more and more, with several short, steep sections having a rather loose surface near the end. At around the 23 km mark, there is a locked gate which you can walk or ride around. The sign there, which is one of the few around that is only in Greenlandic and Danish, mentions something about motorized vehicles, so they are probably prohibited beyond that point. However, I encountered two tour buses, two researcher’s trucks, and two unidentified vans after the gate, so presumably official and tourism vehicles are allowed.

One kilometer beyond that gate, you enter the core zone of the WHS. There is a small information plaque on a stand about 20 meters off the road, which you would miss if you weren’t looking for it. It has the standard descriptive paragraph about the site and a map of the core zone. On the official map downloadable from UNESCO, there are two markers showing points of interest that would seem to be close enough to the road to visit. The first is near that point and is marked as a “Place of Worship” on the map. I did not see any indication of how to get there from the road, so I continued on towards the east. However, on the return trip, I noticed that there is a point about a kilometer or two further west, back towards the town, where, from an overlook above the nearby lake, you can see this place in the distance. It is a rocky area that has a few medium sized cairns placed around, and I believe these are the ones seen in the picture in Wojchiech’s review. So, unless you have a great interest in seeing that sort of thing, viewing them from a distance could suffice. The second point on the UNESCO map, at approximately kilometer 26, is labeled as an “Ancient Monument,” and, according to the map, it would appear to be on a hill one hundred meters, or so, above the level of the road, and a few hundred meters to the north. I have no idea what that could be, since I saw nothing that would indicate its presence. 

However, as a “Landscape” site the area is quite beautiful, especially given the wonderful weather I had when I was there in late July. The scenery is amazing, and the solitude found along the way is very worthwhile. Of course, the road ends at the Greenland Ice Sheet, a segment of which is within the core zone. It is likely that this is included because it is said that 4000 years ago, the ice sheet ended 40 km farther east than it does today, so there may have been hunting going on in some places that are now under the ice. Once there, a short walk out onto the ice surface is very interesting, though probably just a little hazardous. Camping within sight of the sheet’s edge adds another level of appreciation to this WHS.

As a site that was inscribed to preserve the 4500-year-old hunting legacy of the area, the most visible aspect of that easily seen today are the prey animals that have been important during that entire time. While I was there, Arctic Hare made appearances, and Reindeer were seen on several occasions, though they were seen as individuals or small groups, not in a large herd, as I had been hoping to see. However, the best sighting I had was a family of Muskox, a creature that presumably has sustained many hunters through the ages.