In a lonely bay in East Greenland, there is a tiny floating cabin with one bedroom. No neighbours. No roads. No phone signal. Only a satellite phone connects you to another human. It feels like the ultimate escape from the world.
“If a polar bear comes, you are safe inside. Just lock the door,” says Nicco Segreto. He says it calmly, like it is no big deal. Segreto works as a glacier guide and created this cabin, called the Floating Glacier Hut. He drops me off, smiles, and sails away across the icy water.
It is not peak polar bear season, but locals say surprises happen here. One bear once swam into a nearby harbour during summer. So, even when I feel alone, my senses stay sharp. You never really know who is watching out here.
The cabin sits on the water like a tiny green island. It floats on a calm bay facing the Greenland Sea. Two ropes and an anchor hold it in place. It may be the wildest Airbnb stay in the world. And while many complain that Airbnb has hurt housing in cities, it has also opened doors for remote stays like this. Adventurers search for silence, and this place offers it in huge doses.
Loneliness is part of the adventure. Travel north along this coast and you will reach the village of Sermiligaaq, home to only 209 people. After that, nothing for 800km until the town of Ittoqqortoormiit, one of the most isolated places on Earth. Beyond that: ice, narwhals, polar bears, and endless ocean until the North Pole.
Head south and you will cross more than 7,600km of ocean before you hit Brazil. The scale feels unreal. Still, I am not fully cut off. The town of Tasiilaq, with about 2,000 people, sits 45 minutes away by boat. Kulusuk airport is even closer.
After Segreto leaves, I eat fresh salmon he caught and cooked for me. I have snacks, supplies, and a warm bed. I also have an eye mask because the midnight light glows long into the night. There is a toilet, but no shower. For washing, I jump into the icy sea. It shocks my body awake like lightning.
With no phone and no Wi-Fi, the world feels different. I hear the sea thicken into ice as the sun sinks behind the mountains. Night paints the sky with soft stars, then streaks of purple light sweep over the still water. Everything glows and moves like slow, colourful smoke. I lie in bed, warm and quiet, watching it drift until morning.
When I wake, the sky looks sharp and clean. Ice begins forming at the fjord’s entrance. I feel rested, alert, and ready to move. I also feel ready to talk to someone again.
Segreto returns by boat and teaches me about the glacier nearby. Then we strap on crampons and explore a hidden ice cave across the bay. He found it by accident ten years ago. Since then, he has brought around 400 travellers to see it.
This place demands quiet. It gives stillness. It gives wonder. And for a night, you live inside nature’s frozen heartbeat.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20251030-inside-east-greenlands-floating-airbnb-hideaway