The whales swim very close to the shore in the late summer and early autumn. It's common to spot these big mammals right outside the towns, and often you'll actually see humpback whales or minke whales as you walk down a street near the sea.
While the whales approach in larger numbers a somewhat smaller animal usually disappears this time of the year: The mosquitoes - also known as the greenlandic airforce - are exterminated by the first night frost.
In
Ilulissat in the Disko Bay area the average temperature in August is 4,5 degrees Celsius (40 degrees Fahrenheit), but due to the very dry air and the strong sunlight it often feels warmer.
In Greenland the children start school at the age of six, and the very first day in school is celebrated throughout the country. This day in early August the kids are dressed in greenlandic national costumes, and after school the parents invite friends, relatives and colleagues to their home and serve them coffee and cakes - and often seal and whale meat as well. People just drop in and stay for an hour or three - it's known as "kaffemik".
Many travellers arrive Greenland in August - on guided tours or on their own. Groups travel from place to place by ship, helicopter and fixed-wing plane, backpackers hike through the breathtaking scenaries for weeks, mountainclimbers head for the ultimate challenges in the very south and the east, while anglers tend to prefer the streams on the west coast.
Travel agencies and
local tourist offices are ready to help you realize your visit to Greenland.
