Greenland's tundra swarms in June and July. Pack the head net.

Yes, a lot of them in summer, though none has been linked to human illness. From June into early August, the tundra around Kangerlussuaq, the trails near Ilulissat and the landings in South Greenland can bring dense swarms on still, sunny days. CDC lists no malaria, dengue or yellow fever risk for Greenland, so the head net, long sleeves and repellent are for comfort alone.

The tundra swarms of June and July

Greenland's main biters are Arctic mosquitoes. Most of the mosquitoes researchers trapped near Kangerlussuaq in July 2022 and July 2023 were Aedes impiger and Aedes nigripes, and A. impiger feeds on people. They breed in the shallow ponds that dot the tundra, and a 2015 study near Kangerlussuaq in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B found that warmer temperatures speed up their development and bring the adults out sooner. A NASA orientation guide for scientists working out of Kangerlussuaq says Arctic mosquitoes infest the coast in June and July, when nets and repellent are necessary.

Kangerlussuaq is the hardest-hit stop, on the tundra toward Russell Glacier, Point 660 and the ice sheet, and the town itself has a reputation for them. On Ilulissat's trails toward the Icefjord, sunny days can be bad while the town stays mostly fine. Sheltered valleys and pond margins on still days tend to be the worst spots. Wind, cold and rain shut the swarms down, and boats and towns are much easier, so plan by the weather rather than the clock. Picaridin 20% or DEET 20–30% on exposed skin, long sleeves and pants, and a fine-mesh head net cover a tundra walk. CDC suggests permethrin-treated clothing and gear if you'll spend a lot of time outside. Our picaridin vs. DEET comparison helps you choose.

Nuuk, the south and expedition cruises

Towns tend to be less affected than the tundra, visitors say, so Nuuk is likely to be one of the easier stops, while a fjord hike from the capital behaves like the countryside. South Greenland, from Narsarsuaq to Qaqortoq, has a reputation for head-net days ashore. On an East Greenland or expedition cruise, a local operator puts the season at late June to August, and conditions swing a lot from one landing, and one year, to the next. Out on the water there are few. Head nets sell in most Greenland towns, posters say, but a ship with short landings may not leave time to shop, so bring one from home.

Where you're going

How the main stops compare for a June–September trip.

Combining trips? Our Iceland briefing covers Lake Mývatn's June and July swarms, our Norway briefing covers Finnmark's July interior, and our Canada briefing covers Churchill's July biting season and Ontario cottage country.

What travelers report

Paraphrased from TripAdvisor and Cruise Critic threads and reviews and linked so you can read them in full. Only one is dated, and wind, weather and the year change the picture from one visit to the next.

• Ilulissat · August · 2011

  Visitors in August 2011 had only one mosquito encounter, on the yellow trek in Ilulissat, and few bugs in town or on the water. TripAdvisor ↗

• Ilulissat (Yellow Trail) · mid-June

  A visitor with three rainy and two sunny days said mosquitoes were only a problem on the sunny days and not too bad in town, but were terrible on the Yellow Trail, swarming them near the power-plant end. Head nets were a must, but with permethrin-treated clothing and picaridin lotion they got no bites. TripAdvisor ↗

• East Greenland and other towns · July

  Asked whether anywhere is mosquito-free in July, replies said there is a huge difference from place to place and from year to year (one noted that some years there are already many mosquitoes by then, but not that year), and a poster who spent two weeks in East Greenland in July had no trouble. TripAdvisor ↗

• Kangerlussuaq · June to mid-September

  Posters said Kangerlussuaq is worth one or two nights for the ice cap, and one said mosquitoes there are quite bad from the beginning of June until mid-September. TripAdvisor ↗

• Polar Lodge (Kangerlussuaq)

  A reviewer titled the review 'barracks with indifferent service, full of mosquitoes'. TripAdvisor ↗

• Qaqortoq (cruise port) · summer

  Cruise passengers said most people needed mosquito head nets at Qaqortoq, and one wished they had bought an inexpensive head net before the trip. Cruise Critic ↗

CDC recommends no malaria medicine and no yellow fever vaccine for Greenland, and its Greenland page has no tick-borne encephalitis section, unlike its pages for the Nordic and Baltic countries. CDC does note that rabies is present in some wildlife, so don't touch wild animals, and get prompt care after any animal bite or scratch. Any fever during or after your trip means a doctor visit, and you tell them you were in Greenland.

Traveler questions