Kangaamiut, Greenland Cruises

Kangaamiut, Greenland Cruise Port

Once known as Gammel Sukkertoppen, Kangaamiut is a port village located in Greenland’s Qeqqata municipality. The small population sits at around 350 people and the humble settlement is in the country’s central western region. Founded in 1755, the area was once home to the Dano-Norwegian settlement Sukkertoppen before it moved permanently to its current location, the town of Maniitsoq, in 1782. The modern settlement of Kangaamiut is primarily known and used as a ferry port for the Arctic Umiaq Shipping Company. Arctic Umiaq serves the gigantic southwestern Greenland area starting from and eventually returning to Nuuk, the country’s capital city and largest port of call. Besides its role in a mass shipping empire, the region is also a place to view astonishing Arctic sights. Located off the coast of the Davis Strait, it has the distinction of being beside the mouths of two long and impressive fjords.

• The Kangerlussuatsiaq Fjord is located to the south of the settlement and is a long and twisty structure. At its peak, it is over 45 miles long and its average depth exceeds 2,300 feet.
   
• The Kangaamiut Kangerluarsuat Fjord is located to the north of the settlement, and while considerably smaller than its neighbor to the south, still has a massive head formed by draining waters from the Maniitsoq ice cap.
   
• The Arctic Umiaq Line offers passenger ferries from late April until early January, avoiding the deepest freeze. Visitors can get a great view of the fjords and surrounding settlements on these excursions.
   
• The settlement itself is set up as a quaint town with houses and small businesses set up on the area’s many hills. The people are always friendly and inviting to their visitors.