The Viking tour is a 140 kilometer long trail in Greenlandwhich consists of two parts.
The first part connects those near the airport Narsarsuaq located settlement Igaliku with the city Qaqortoq. The second part connects Narsaq turn with the airport. The path leads through the former eastern settlement of the Greenlandic Vikings.
The coastal ship runs regularly between Qaqortoq and Narsaq.
Travel time
In summer the Viking Tour is free of snow between the beginning of June and the end of September.
Route
By boat (should be booked in advance) it goes from Narsarsuaq to Itilleq. From there the path leads to Igaliku on a gravel road.
Only this piece was originally called Königsweg, but later gave its name to the whole way to Qaqortoq. The ruins of the former bishopric of Gardar can still be seen in Igaliku. There is also a lodging house and a small grocery store there. It is now approx. 45 kilometers to the Hvalsey church ruins. The route leads through hilly terrain, past other ruins.
Shortly before Hvalsey you can spend the night at the Tasiusaq farm. Four kilometers behind the church ruins, a path leads up the Killavaat (Danish: Redekammen). From this 1218 meter high mountain, both the inland ice and the open sea can be seen in good weather. The climb is easy. After another 25 kilometers you finally reach Qaqortoq.
Depending on your fitness and weather conditions, you should plan five to seven days for this section.
There are regular services between Qaqortoq and Narsaq; however, the passage should also be booked in advance.
From Narsaq the route leads over a gravel road towards the disused uranium mine in Kvanefjeld. Two kilometers from the mine, it then heads east up into the mountains, past the Taseq water reservoir. Here it divides, a possible route leads back down to the fjord and runs to Qassiarsuk. There is the possibility of taking a boat across the fjord to Narsarsuaq. (This should also be discussed beforehand.) Alternatively, the fjord can be hiked in two to three days, although some rivers have to be crossed. Five days should be allowed for as far as Qassiarsuk.
miscellaneous
The Viking circuit is not marked. Nevertheless, the trail can be clearly seen over long stretches. It leads through partly densely overgrown, relatively fertile land. Occasionally you come across flocks of sheep and farms along the way.
The two parts are also known by the name Royal road (Igaliku – Qaqortqoq) and Shaft rail (Narsaq – Qassiarsuk / Narsarsuaq).
There are no huts on the way. However, you can spend the night in the sheep farms. However, this should be agreed in advance in Narsarsuaq.
The climate in this region is very mild for Greenland. Mosquitoes can only be found sporadically on about half of the way, as they avoid bodies of water near which sheep graze.
literature
- : Greenland with Baffin Island. Munich: Bruckmann, 1996, Adventure trekking, ISBN 978-3765429484 .
