Mesmerising landscapes, thrilling wildlife and new airports opening... is Greenland the new Iceland?

I’m lost, alone and surrounded by hundreds of howling dogs. About 75 per cent of Greenland — the world’s largest island — is covered by ice, but in summer the landscape thaws around the coast, where towns and settlements exist. Ice-breaker: James says that Greenland 'appears every bit as untamed and evocative of the golden age of polar exploration as Antarctica or the North Pole' ‘In the 1990s, the sea used to freeze in winter but it doesn’t any more, which is good for fishermen, but hunters can’t use dog sleds to get around as much, so they are slowly becoming fishermen, too.’ About 4,500 people — and about as many sled dogs — live in Ilulissat, Greenland’s third-largest settlement. Majestic: Three new airports are planned, allowing more visitors to spot Greenland’s resident polar bears ‘Zion Church was built in 1779, down there by the shore,’ says Palle Jeremiassen, mayor of Avannaata Municipality. James stays at the 78-room Best Western Plus in Illuissat, a hotel that's complete with a rooftop restaurant and wifi throughout Above is the Zion church in Illuissat, which was built beside the shore in 1779 TRAVEL FACTS Return flights from Gatwick to Ilulissat from about £980 via Reykjavik ; journey time roughly six hours.