Greenland

Ilulissat sits beside the Ilulissat Icefjord — a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the world's most active glaciers, calving 46 billion tonnes of ice annually from the Sermeq Kujalleq glacier. The icebergs that drift past Ilulissat are among the largest on Earth, some exceeding 100m in height, and the spectacle of aurora dancing above these ice mountains is arguably the world's most dramatic northern lights backdrop. At 69.2°N inside the auroral oval, aurora viewing is world-class — intense, frequent, and brilliant against the black Arctic sky. Dog sledding is a practical transport mode here, not just a tourist activity, with genuine Greenlandic mushers maintaining working teams. Summer brings midnight sun and exceptional whale watching — humpbacks, minke, and fin whales feed in the rich Disko Bay waters. Greenland is expensive (flights, food, and accommodation all cost significantly more than Norway) and logistically complex, but the experience is genuinely unlike anywhere else on Earth. The Hotel Arctic's igloo suites offer the ultimate aurora accommodation experience.

Kangerlussuaq is Greenland's main international gateway — a remote settlement built around a former US Air Force base on a dramatic inland fjord at 67°N. It is arguably the world's best aurora location in terms of clear-sky statistics: sitting in the rain shadow of the Greenland ice cap, Kangerlussuaq receives only 150mm of precipitation per year, creating the continent's most reliably clear winter skies. Aurora viewing is therefore exceptional — clear nights occur far more frequently here than on the coastal Norwegian towns that receive Atlantic weather systems. The Greenland ice cap edge begins just 25km from town, making Kangerlussuaq the most accessible point on Earth to see the ice sheet — a vast white wilderness extending 2,500km. Musk oxen roam the surrounding tundra and are frequently seen on guided snowmobile tours. The Russell Glacier, 2km from the ice edge, provides dramatic ice cave access. Kangerlussuaq lacks the town character and cultural richness of Ilulissat, but for pure aurora statistics and ice sheet proximity, it is unmatched globally.