Welcome to Sarfannguit

Sarfannguitland
Sarfannguit means “the places where the minor currents converge” and the name refers to the currents which converge at the end of the Sarfannguit Nunataat island – or Sarfannguitland, between the Amerloq and Ikertooq Fjords.

From trading post to village
Sarfannguit lies 22 nautical miles east of Sisimiut on an island just off the mainland. The settlement was established in 1843 as a cod fishing facility, and in 1850 it became a so-called trading post with residence, crew quarters and blubber house.

The Danish word udsted (“trading post”) indicates the settlement’s former isolation from the world around it, but nowadays Sarfannguit – just as most other Greenlandic settlements – is a thriving local community which also has regular contact to the outside world, mainly via the waterways.

The colourful houses of the village seem idyllic spread across a mountain side, which rises steeply over the sea, and you’ll have to cross a narrow strait before you can get to the island of Sarfannguit from the mainland.

This strait is so narrow, that it normally suffices to shout across to some of the local residents, and soon after you’ll be freighted across to the village.
 
The sea as a source of income
Most people in the village make a living from fishing, and the fish are processed at the local fish factory. Here, they process cod, catfish, lumpfish roe and Norway haddock, which are then exported by the Arctic Green Food company.
 
For the most part, the local residents are self-sufficient, being supplied with fish and seal from the sea, as well as reindeer and musk ox from the surrounding landscape.
 
Arctic Circle Trail Village
KNI - Pilersuisoq runs a shop in the village, where you can buy your groceries. Hikers walking The Arctic Circle Trail from Kangerlussuaq to Sisimiut can also buy provisions here for the rest of the journey, and for many taking a more southerly route than the most common path, Sarfannguit is an interesting stop-off point.

If you’d like to see an archive with historical shots of Sarfannguit, then click here

If you’d like to see panoramic shots of Sarfannguit, then click here

We look forward to seeing you in Sarfannguit!