Ilulissat and Oqaatsut, Greenland, August 18, 2026

Cecilia Clark

Sep 25

2 min read

We were in Ilulissat last year. This year we took an optional excursion to a small village named Oqaatsut (means Cormorants in Greenlandic). Leaving the port by small boat, we had a good view of the Ilulissat's colorful houses and the Black Church along the way. The Black Church (Zion's Church) was built of wood between 1779 and 1782. It was funded mostly by whale oil contributions and was once the largest man-made building in Greenland. In 1929 the church was moved slightly inland and enlarged to protect it from potential tsunamis caused by calving glaciers as it is located next to the Ilulissat Icefjord.

We strolled through Oqaatsut as our guide told us about life in this community. About 50 people live in Oqaatsut. There is a B&B, a restaurant, a small grocery, a church, a community center with exercise equipment, and they are building a new school. They have a shore side whale processing area for Fin and Minke whales.

Above photos:

(1) A tap house where anyone can fill containers with water, and

(2) Living on rock means there is no sewage system. Toilets are a bucket and bag system. The bags are taken to the blue structure with the polar bear on it. Eventually the bags are picked up for disposal

At the restaurant near the dock we had a tasting plate of different kinds of fish/meat found in Greenland: salmon, halibut, dried muskox, and dried lamb. It was truly delicious.