AVANI: A premium Arctic experience

By Trine Ejlskov Jensen-Martin | Photos: Anton Overballe/AVANI

In a peaceful and remote part of northern Greenland, unparalleled adventure awaits. Whilst enjoying the comforts of modern accommodation and stunning views of the Uummannaq fjord, you are welcomed into a local community with deeply rooted cultural traditions, to enjoy an experience of true tranquillity and exhilarating adventure.

AVANI is a family-run company based in the small town of Uummannaq, with over 50 years’ history spread over three generations. Anton Overballe’s grandparents opened a supermarket and his parents ran the company for 40 years, adding clothing and furniture shops to their growing list of businesses.

Margrethe, Frits, Inaluk and Anton.

Many changes have taken place over the years, and when Anton returned in 2017, after spending time both abroad and in Nuuk, he took over the reins. His father sadly passed away in April 2024 and the family business is now run by Anton as director and co-owner with his mother, and his brother and wife working alongside them.

“Our focus has been on modernising the business, our houses and apartments,” he explains. His parents had a foot in the door of the rental market and had a few houses that they rented out to visiting workers in Uummannaq. The current format of AVANI has developed from there and they are expanding and developing the hospitality and adventures side of the company.

View from the Red House in spring.

A personal touch all the way

When staying at AVANI’s properties, you get to experience what it is like to live like a local, in traditional yet modernised houses. “This is not like staying at a hotel, instead you live in a house like everyone else and amongst the locals,” Anton adds.

The locals are warm and welcoming, inviting you to experience what life looks like in this remote part of the country, with breathtaking landscapes, towering mountains, huge icebergs and astonishing views from almost any vantage point. The newly built hotel apartments are finished to a high standard, with underfloor heating, fully equipped kitchens, and balconies with views over the fjord, the mountains, and the icebergs.

Interest in Uummannaq has grown in recent years, bringing people and trade to the town, and to accommodate this the family has added eight apartments to the portfolio this year.

The area includes the town and five smaller villages, covering around 12,000 square kilometres, roughly the size of the Faroe Islands. Visitors come all year round, but winter is still the busiest season, with most guests coming to experience the ice, a spectacular sight with the entire fjord freezing over.

Ice cabin 1 kilometre above the bottom of the ocean.

Annual events in Uummannaq

There are several annual events taking place in Uummannaq that attract guests, such as the popular dog sled race, a traditional event and hugely popular in Northern Greenland. “There is a strong cultural connection to our dogs and the dogs sled race,” Anton says. In March there is a relatively new event, the Ice Marathon. The second Ice Marathon took place this year and a growing interest is attracting yet more people to the area.

Whilst AVANI’s rental business mainly focuses on the winter season, there are great opportunities to explore the fjord by boat and sailing around the icebergs during summer. The team always uses local sailors and guides, so whilst not something they themselves facilitate they know experienced locals who will arrange tours for guests on request.

Dog sledding tour with Inunnguaq and Anton.

Experience the wilderness

In winter, guests can stay in a small hut on the ice, a truly one-of-a-kind experience. “We bring small huts out on the ice, where our guests can spend the night and experience sleeping 1,000 meters above the seabed,” Anton says. “Just imagine what lies between you and the ocean floor!”

This is a wonderful way to feel the real wilderness, with ice all around and underneath you, and the vast sky above. But whilst it might feel like you are in the middle of nowhere, it is only a short trip on dog sled, car or snow scooter.

This is something that must be experienced to be believed, a unique adventure in one of the most beautiful, unspoiled parts of the world. With AVANI, you are in the best local and experienced hands, and Anton and his family will ensure that you enjoy every part of an extraordinary adventure in the Arctic.