We all know that Iceland is the land of fire, ice and water. Whenever someone speaks of the country, they always mention its famous thermal baths. Well, Greenland has a thermal bath or two itself.
Whenever we tell people that we just returned from Greenland, they say to us “Did you know Greenland is white and Iceland is Green?” As a matter a fact we did!
Greenland is 80% covered by a polar ice cap. It has the second largest body of ice in the world after Antarctica ice and it creates the most icebergs in the Northern Hemisphere.
Needless to say, there isn’t a lot of Green in Greenland. So when we heard that there was a thermal bath at one of our landings, we had to check it out.
Bathing at the Top of the World in Greenland
Uunartoq means ‘the warming island’.
We had been blessed with sunshine and balmy weather during our expedition around the West Coast of Greenland but that’s not to say we weren’t thrilled to take a dip in a warm pool.
The thermal pool was first established by the Norse settlers over 1000 years ago.
When the Norse disappeared, the Thule People took up use of it and today, Greenlandic people and tourists like us continue to use it.
It is thought to have healing qualities and was used by the Benedictine nuns dedicated to Olaf the Holy to help heal the sick.
We went to help soothe our aching muscles, but I don’t think a whole lot of healing went on once the bubbly was brought out.
It was a treat enough to strip down to our bathing suits in the Arctic Circle and jump in the warm water, but quite another to enjoy champagne while sitting in a hot pool surrounded by glaciers, mountains, water and ice.
Stunning Scenery of Greenland
The surrounding scenery was astounding. Greenland surprised us.
We didn’t quite know what to expect when travelling to Greenland and worried that we should have visited Greenland before seeing Antarctica.
Antarctica was beautiful and we thought that nothing could compare to it.
As it turned out, Greenland gave it a run for its money. What we loved about Greenland was the diversity of the destination.
The colourful tundra was a sharp contrast from the blue ice.
Enormous glaciers snaked through jagged peaks leading out to the sea. Sometimes the terrain would be rocky while others it would be covered in moss.
Sometimes mountains were black as coal, other times they were covered in ice.
Each turn of the head offered a unique and completely different view. Sitting in the pool, we had a 360-degree view of the entire landscape and we couldn’t get enough of it.
For more articles on our polar adventures check out our Antarctica posts.
Not many people from the ship opted for a dip in the Uunartoq thermal pool, and the staff brought quite a few bottles of bubbly anticipating more people.
They kept filling our plastic cups with champagne informing us that we weren’t allowed to leave until it was all gone.
Hey, it was a 20-minute hike out there, would you want to carry a cooler full of the bubbly back?
We dutifully listened to their orders and by the time we had to return to the ship, nobody was feeling pain.
Alas, all good things must come to an end and after our skin was perfectly pruned and every drop of bubbly was gone, it was time to return to the Sea Spirit.
Back to the Ship
Following the command of fellow passenger Dale from England, all the women went back to the ship in our bathing suits.
Normally we all dress up in Quark parkas and hats, but Dale decided that we should return as we would for a Caribbean Cruise.
It was one thing to hike through the tundra in our swimsuits, it was quite another to get on the zodiac whisking through the freezing water to take us back to the ship.
With parkas in hand, we put on our life vests, sat on the rubber sides and held on for the short, and very cold ride.
Hot Tub on the Ship
Luckily, the Sea Spirit has a hot tub on the top deck, so instead of retiring to our rooms before dinner, we all hiked upstairs and kept the festivities going.
We may not have been on land, but the scenery was still outstanding as we sat outside enjoying our last look at the Fjord before heading off to our next destination.
Each day is an adventure in Greenland, we can’t wait to see what comes next.
Travel through Greenland is difficult. There are no roads leading from one town to another.
With a polar ice cap covering most to the country, the only way to travel is by plane, dogsled, kayak or ship.
An expeditions cruise is your best way to see a lot of Greenland at the most reasonable rate and fastest time.
Read More:
Greenland, Where an Ancient Culture Meets the Modern World
23 Epic Photos of Remarkable Arctic Ice
Kayaking in Greenland – The Greatest Arctic Adventure in Photos
Incredible Greenland – The Final Frontier for Adventure Travel
I always love special bath in a Tub and Hot tubs does not need any introduction now as almost everyone know about it and also desire to have one in their bathrooms. Hot tubs are the best way to relax your body and mind. The warm water and the bubbles in the hot tubs that massage your body is truly a treat for you. A long day work and the tiredness after that can be overcome only with a good peaceful ambience and a good body massage. Hot tubs are the best way to soothe your mind. It is not only a great stress reliever but it is also very beneficial for health. It helps in getting rid of numerous health problems like blood pressure, heart problems, muscle pain, arthritis pain and a lot more. It is truly the most comfortable way of treating your body for any ailment or disease. Thanks for your interesting information.
Oh no. A new obsession for me…Greenland :). I boggles my mind that someone would turn down a dip in a thermal pool holding a glass/bottle of champagne. Fabulous photos!
Megan, you sound like a perfect candidate for that trip. Everyone needs to enjoy some bubbly at the top of the world 🙂
I know, right? Crazy!
I would have been more than happy to hike even further to sit in an all natural hot tub! Bring it on. ?
The backdrop is breathtaking, I like the diehards photo
Thanks! We had a lot of fun.
Awesome pictures! I really hope that I can also visit that place together with my family.
This looks so fun! I’m sure all the champagne helped to warm you all up 🙂
Oh man, that champagne totally warmed us up.
Love it–for the first time I’m thinking about taking a hot bath in a very cold climate! And guys, seriously, love the photos you take for your blog. I’m just getting started with a DSLR camera, and it’s educational seeing yours.
Alright! It’s something you must try. A lot of Canadians have hot tubs in their back yard and winter is always the best time to go hut tubbing. Enjoy your new camera, you are going to love it!
Wow, look at those skies. It really does look like the top of the world, the skies look so close.
It definitely felt like the top of the world.
Looks like you had a lot of fun in “white” Greenland! (though your pics show it as a lot more colourful than we’d have thought) And what lovely bathing beauties!
So true eh, we didn’t expect so much colour, although I’m sure it’s all white by now and we only just got back. Summers are very short up there.
Looks like you had a great time 🙂
The good thing about Greenland is that the Champagne would have stayed chilled 😛
You are so right, no worries about it going warm!
Make sure you put the photo of the two of you enjoying a bottle of Champagne on a frame because it is just beautiful.
Awe, thank you! It’s one of our favs too. When we get a house, we’re going to have lot of shots to choose from 🙂
The background in the pictures are so pretty. How relaxing that must have been. This is now on my bucket list 🙂
Awesome, so glad we could entice you to add Greenland to your bucket list. It’s a very cool destination.
What awesome pictures and what an awesome experience! The details you have shared about your trip make me feel its ice-chilling texture!
Thank you Renuka. I’m glad we could put you in the moment.