Americans warned against traveling to popular destination that’s full of ‘environmental hazards’
The United States issued a travel advisory on Tuesday for a country full of natural beauty and outdoor activities.
The State Department warned that Americans visiting Greenland should be more cautious due to “environmental risks from extreme weather conditions and limited emergency services.”
The advisory for Greenland was given a level two, meaning travelers should ‘exercise more caution’ without necessarily canceling their plans.
The advisory noted that Greenland, a North American island, has many stretches of land that are far away from cities, posing dangers for those hiking near the beautiful fjords or exploring vast glaciers.
“The weather can be severe and resources to provide emergency services in areas far from cities and large settlements, including search and rescue, are scarce,” the consultancy said. “In some areas, it may take several days for search and rescue efforts to reach the scene of an incident.”
In the photo: a fjord in Greenland. Fjords are long, narrow, deep inlets between high cliffs that are often formed by glaciers
Pictured: Tasiilaq, East Greenland. The city has just under 2,000 inhabitants
Greenland is already the least densely populated country in the world. About 56,000 people live on an island of 836,000 square kilometers.
Essentially the same number of people living on the Upper East Side of Manhattan covers a landmass three times the size of Texas.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs recommends that those planning to go to Greenland take out comprehensive travel, medical and evacuation insurance.
Traveling with a professional guide or organization such as the Association of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators are also good ways to reduce risk, according to the U.S. government.
American tourists can enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) so they can be quickly located in the event of an emergency.
Although the State Department tells potential visitors to Greenland to be wary of weather conditions, the country is certainly not at the top of the list when it comes to danger.
A male hiker looks at a huge glacier near Kulusuk, Greenland
Pictured: Icebergs in Disko Bay, on the west coast of Greenland
A humpback whale is seen during a glacier cruise in Greenland
The Northern Lights, also called Aurora Borealis, are also visible from Greenland
Level three advisories from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs advise citizens to reconsider travel, while level four urges people not to travel to the specified destination.
Level four advisories are typically reserved for countries that are in war zones, have high levels of terrorism or have unstable governments.
Afghanistan, Iraq, North Korea and Russia are all countries the US government is telling its citizens not to travel to.
It is unclear why the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has suddenly issued the travel advice for Greenland as the country enters the winter months.
Temperatures in northern Greenland can drop to minus 58 degrees Fahrenheit during particularly cold winters, according to the World Bank.
Greenland is the largest island in the world that is not a continent and had a record year for tourism in 2023. welcomed more than 141,000 visitors.
Popular attractions include the Greenland National Museum, Prince Christian Sound and the Nanortalik Open Air Museum.
The Northern Lights, also called Aurora Borealis, are also visible from Greenland. The best time to view this natural phenomenon is during winter, although they can be observed as early as August or even late April.