Photograph by Claude@Munich

Until now, travel to Greenland from the US meant hauling out to Copenhagen or Reykjavik for a connecting flight, or navigating complex itineraries through the northern reaches of Canada. But no longer—in just over a month, the elusive Greenland (Kalaallit Nunaat in Greenlandic) will be directly accessible from the States!

Beginning May 11, Air Greenland is offering flights from Baltimore-Washington Airport (BWI) to Kangerlussuaq, a city of 500 people in the Western Greenland. Flights will operate from May through September, taking advantage of Greenland’s relatively warm (20?C), endlessly sunny summer. Roundtrip economy tickets start at around $954, excluding taxes. OK, these aren’t ultracheap fares, but Greenland isn’t your average, heavily-trafficked destination.

From Kangerlussuaq—which boasts three hotels and a fair amount to keep you busy—other cities can be accessed by plane, helicopter, or cruiseship. Ground transport is out of the question in Greenland; the territory has no rail system, and neither does it have a road network.

Air Greenland has domestic service to 18 different locations; unfortunately, prices are still rather high. Here’s a sampling of outbound flights from Kangerlussuaq (SFJ) to some other places of interest:

SFJ — Nuuk (Greenland’s capital): DKK1473 (€198; $263); 1 hour
SFJ — Aasiaat: DKK1088 (€146; $194); 45 minutes
SFJ — Maniitsoq: DKK1218 (€163; $218); 40 minutes
SFJ — Kulusuk: DKK2548 (€342; $455); 1 hour 45 minutes

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