Kommune Kujalleq: Museums, Ruins and Hiking Trails

Kommune Kujalleq brings together a range of travel interests: exhibitions and historic sites offer insights into cultural history, while day hikes lead to islands, peaks, waterfalls and remote sheep farms. When planning your stay, it helps to first consider which places and experiences interest you most.

Culture and History in Qaqortoq and Narsaq

In Qaqortoq, the Qaqortoq Museum preserves tupilaks by master carvers Aron and Cecilie Kleist. A guided town walk passes Mindebrønde, Greenland’s oldest fountain, and several works from the open-air exhibition “Stone and Man.” Great Greenland also offers a tour in Qaqortoq showing the stages of seal-skin production; check the current arrangements before your trip. Greenland Sagalands, Qaqortoq’s tourist information office, can help with tours and transport, as well as equipment rental for outdoor activities. Check in advance which services are currently available.

In Narsaq, the Landnám farm is among the oldest Norse ruins in the area. Its outline is still clearly visible near the town center. The Narsaq Museum has a permanent exhibition about the Viking settlement in South Greenland and holds traveling exhibitions each year. The exhibitions take different approaches: the Viking settlement is the focus in Narsaq, while the collection at the Qaqortoq Museum includes, among other things, works by two tupilak carvers.

Igaliku: Norse Site and Marked Hiking Trails

The Norse site at Igaliku includes the remains of Saint Nicholas Cathedral, a church and a bishop’s residence. The site also includes a farmstead with stables for up to 100 cows and a bishop’s gravestone. The various remains give an impression of the different buildings and uses that formed part of this historic site.

Igaliku also offers clearly defined hiking destinations: marked day trails lead to waterfalls that plunge down toward the fjord and to the summit of Nuuluk, which rises above the settlement. The waterfalls and the summit offer two distinct reasons to go on a hike. When hiking in Igaliku, it is advisable to check trail conditions before setting out.

Hiking in Nanortalik and near Qassiarsuk

Several day hikes from Nanortalik lead onto the island of the same name. They include climbs to Qaqqarsuasik and Quassik, which can be done with a guide or independently. The Nanortalik Museum complements these outings with a broad range of topics: ten buildings serve as exhibition spaces. Topics include traditional blubber production, healthcare and medicinal plants, Viking clothing, radio communications, the kayak and umiaq as traditional boats, and the shipwreck Hans Hedtoft.

Qassiarsuk has four sheep farms within its settlement boundaries. Day hikes to remote sheep farms near Qassiarsuk are listed as being 7 to 15 kilometers long. Café Thorhildur is located in the harbor area and serves food as well as locally made souvenirs and gifts.

The hiking destinations mentioned differ in their focus: in Igaliku, waterfalls and a peak serve as landmarks; near Nanortalik, the island and its climbs are the main attractions; and near Qassiarsuk, the routes described lead to remote sheep farms. If you are looking for a hotel for your trip to Kommune Kujalleq, these differences can help you get started in choosing your preferred destination.

Discover more destinations: Qaqortoq, Qassimiut, Narsaq, Narsarsuaq, Alluitsoq, Qeqqata Kommunia, Tunu, Kommuneqarfik Sermersooq.

Return to the main travel overview: Greenland.