Hvalsø Church Ruins by Boat
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Puerto
Qaqortoq, Groenlandia
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Nivel de actividad
Strenuous
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Tipo de excursión
All
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Accesible para personas en silla de ruedas
No
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A partir de
$299
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Edad mínima
Information Not Currently Available
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Duración
2½ Hours
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Comidas incluidas
Meals not included
Eric the Red visited Greenland for the first time in AD 982. Your visit today includes much of the scenery that he would have seen a thousand years ago.
Board a boat at the Qaqortoq marina and motor across the fjord that surrounds the town.
Your destination is the church in Hvalsø, built in AD 1300. Hvalsø was the last place in Greenland to be inhabited by the Norse. When the Medieval Warming Period came to an end, the Vikings could no longer farm in Greenland, so they returned to Norway. Evidence of their time here remains in the physical form of stone ruins and in written form in the magnificent Sagas.
Step inside the church ruins, which was the site of the last Norse wedding in Greenland. It is still one of the best-preserved churches in all of Greenland. Take the time to sit close to the walls and imagine Arctic life back in the 14th century, when Greenland really was green.
As you return to Qaqortoq, scour the shoreline for the ruins of old farms. Questions? Your boat skipper has all the answers.
Notes:
The boat portion is non-guided. A guide will meet your group at Hvalsø to provide information there. Wear sturdy, non-skid walking shoes. Limited tourism infrastructure is part of the charm here; you are trading breadth of guide experience for authentic interaction. Please bring your spirit of adventure and bear with any language difficulties or operational surprises that may crop up. Restrooms are not available on tour.