Greenland1June 5, 2007

Chances are, it’s not on your list, has never been on your list — but it SHOULD be on your list of places you want to travel.

Many of you have flown over it every time you’ve returned to the U.S. from Europe.

But again, chances are you don’t know much about it, and had no desire to ever go there…until now.

I’m writing from Greenland, and it’s suddenly become one of the more popular — and surprising — destinations.

Some may think that Al Gore put it on the map, but of course, the Vikings beat him to it. However, it has now become ground zero, the focal point in the growing awareness about global warming and the melting ice caps. Of Greenland’s 840,000 square miles, 84 percent of the country is covered by those melting caps.

Welcome to the world’s largest island. Imagine a place that’s more than three times the size of the state of Texas, but has only 56,000 people.

And until recently, there was no easy way to get there from the U.S.

But in late May, new air service was started between Baltimore and Greenland — the four-and-a-half hour flight goes twice each week on…Air Greenland.

The season is only seasonal, running between May and the end of August, on 197-passenger 757s. On the flight I took late last week, only 23 passengers were on board — proof positive that Greenland is still a well-kept secret.

Which is exactly why you should go.

Imagine a country with only two (count ’em, two) traffic lights and no trees.

A country with no highways connecting its small cities and towns.

A country that, in summer at least, is light 24 hours a day.

But also imagine a country with incredible wildlife and marine life, great fishing, and wide open spaces. It’s also a country where it’s virtually impossible to have a bad view — you’re looking out on miles of pristine fjords and glistening glaciers.

No beaches here. And no summer swimming. As the locals like to joke, you’ll freeze before you drown.

But there’s kayaking, dog sledding, paragliding, and yes, even golf on the world’s most northerly nine-hole course. There are only two motorcycles in the entire country — they were banned in the late 1970s after a series of road accidents, with the proviso that those still left in the country could be kept and operated. That number is now down to two.

Scientists come to Greenland to research the melting ice caps. But smart travelers also come to experience things they’ll never get to do elsewhere: musk ox safaris, special boat excursions out to the glaciers, and exploring the icebergs floating freely in the fjords.

Greenland 2There’s another compelling reason to go to Greenland, and it’s all about the ice from the glaciers. The ice, some as old as 60,000 years, is now being harvested to make a special very pure Greenlandic vodka called Siku (in Greenlandic, siku means “ice”).

If there ever was a time to be first on your block to explore a special location, Greenland is the place. Global warming notwithstanding, you should definitely go before it really heats up. And remember, the air service is only seasonal, and only twice a week until the end of August.

Photo credit: (top) Manfred Horender/Greenland Tourism
Photo credit: (bottom) Anders Stenbakken/Greenland Tourism

For more places to put on your travel list, check out Personal Picks: Expert Travelers’ Favorite Destinations.

Read more from Peter’s Travel Detective Blog.