The Desolate Beauty of Greenland
A Place Like No Other may be an overused bit of hyperbole found on every other Trip Advisor or Lonely Planet article you read (I mean, how many places like no other can there be?), but when describing a country and experience like Greenland, it’s actually true.
Greenland, the largest island in the world not considered its own continent, is a place of raw natural beauty and desolation. Steep, craggy mountains, titanic icebergs of sparking blue adrift on the sea and in the fjords, some of the largest glaciers in the world, tidy and colorful Inuit fishing villages, the aurora borealis, and the list goes on.
Eastern Greenland is one of the loneliest places on the planet. Along its 13,000-mile coastline of sparse, rocky mountains and hulking glaciers, there are only two small towns and five settlements in total. There are no roads connecting these remote outposts (all travel is via helicopter, boat, or dog sled in winter) and life for the residents has remained relatively unchanged over the past hundred years. Hunting and fishing are the main source of the culture’s food and sustenance.
The primary natural element in Greenland is ice. It’s everywhere. Aside from rock – there are no trees and very little soil along the coastline – ice is what you see in almost nearly direction. In the area near Tasiilaq, the town where I stayed while on the eastern coastline, there are dozens of giant outlet glaciers from the immense Greenland ice field creeping their way down rocky canyons to the fjords, sounds, and sea. Thousands of icebergs, some the size of office buildings, litter the water’s surface in varying hues of blue and silver, scattering sunlight in a dazzling display.
Richard Bernabe is a professional photographer specializing in travel, wildlife, and nature as well as an author of books, magazine articles, and travel essays published world-wide. Richard is a global influencer is the fields of photography, travel, and wildlife conservation with more than one million followers on social media platforms. He leads several photography tours and workshops all over the world and is invited to speak to photography and conservation groups all across the globe. For more great information on new images, gear reviews, book projects, and photography workshops and tours, Sign Up For Our Newsletter.
Beautiful! We recently flew over Greenland enroute to Iceland and it was gorgeous from above. Thank you for sharing. Would love to hear more about your trip
You’ve done a SUPERB job in giving us insight into such a beautiful and remote land… It’s as if we’re there and just stepped inside a story…Though cold and remote the laughter from your video posts on Instagram displays the warm hearts that are present. The beautiful thing about our earth is that no matter where we are …we are never out of reach…of Gods amazing creative beauty. His love for us is in everything He’s touched..even in the cold, lonely remote places..We are truly never alone.
I do hope you open this as a workshop…I don’t think one would come back the same. The people of Greenland have it right.. less is SO much more in life! Beautiful work..Mr. Bernabe… thank you for posting and making the trip so we can experience the true riches of this island. PS.. I LOVE the husky image… I use to have one named Sinjin…she was such a joy!
So talented, love your work!
Certainly one place for my bucket list. Your photos are fantastic Richard…I love the ‘House of Aurora’ shot. Thanks so much for sharing.
Stunning set of images Richard as mentioned before your work is very inspiring and I look forward to seeing more from you.
Great artwork Richard! Your images are so beautiful and unique!
Always Magic Photos of Richard Bernabe
It truly looks magical – how inspirational!
Beautiful! Greenland doesn’t look that green.
These pictures of Greenland are beautiful. Thank you for sharing!