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The Arctic is a familiar and yet an alien place. It is recognizable as the place you probably imagine when you think of winter and as the home of polar bears, reindeer (caribou), arctic foxes and wolves. It is also a huge almost boundless, wide-skys spectacularly scenic wilderness with glaciers, mountains, icebergs, rolling green tundra, with a rich history of exploration and habitation by many groups of endemic peoples.

The Arctic is centered on the North Pole which is surrounded by the Arctic Ocean much of which is frozen, obviously more so in winter than summer. This is then fringed by Canada, Greenland, Europe and Russia. The geography makes it relatively easy to access the Arctic from many points.

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We can help guide you through the options for Arctic travel, where to go, how long to spend there, the specific itinerary and the level of comfort or luxury you are looking for. Guided by a mixture of ice and wildlife experts, and seasoned seafarers who will look out to make the most of the plan while taking opportunities that present themselves along the way, we can ensure your Arctic visit is as memorable as it can be.

We often forget that we are nature. Nature is not something separate from us. So when we say that we have lost our connection to nature, we say that we have lost our connection to ourselves.
Andy Goldsworthy

Glacier front in Svalbard

  How much does it cost?

From around USD $4,000 for a cruise place in a twin cabin, (triples  or quads may be available for less) this does not include the price of air fare and other associated costs to and from your point of embarkation and return. There are many price points up to USD $40 000 and even beyond. Solo travellers can pay a supplement for a private cabin or can be paired with another traveller of the same gender in a shared cabin at the standard shared cabin rate. Of course the higher prices get you a longer trip and the more luxurious cabins on the more luxurious vessels.

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A vast open vista in the Canadian archipelago, cruise ship edge of picture, right

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$8,000 -$12,000 per passenger for a 8-14 day cruise is a reasonable price to expect and will give a good choice of trips, ships and cabins.

It is possible to arrange Arctic trips as a budget traveller (relatively speaking) organizing flights, accommodation in a hostel or camping and daily activities yourself. Be aware however that as the Arctic has to import much of its food and supplies from elsewhere, that prices of many things are more expensive than you would expect at home, this applies in ordinary stores as well as at tourist facilities. Cafes and restaurants are not so common and can be an expensive option, even relatively modest establishments. Land based tourism in the Arctic isn't so developed, scheduled trips and events may not run unless there are enough people to make it worthwhile for the operator which may not happen even in the peak season, travelling as a group can be more successful.

A sled patiently waits out the Arctic summer surrounded by wildflowers

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All Inclusive:

There are generally very few extras to allow for on an Arctic cruise, they are "All Inclusive" in terms of the great majority of needs and requirements, typically trips are from port-to-port.

Usually included in all trips

• Accommodation and all meals on board.
• Snacks, coffee and tea.
• Programme of lectures on the ship and guidance ashore by an expedition team.
• Daily shore excursions, hiking program.
• Transfers from hotel to ship on the day of departure and to airport at end of the cruise.
• Miscellaneous port fees, landing charges and taxes.

May be included in some trips

• Loan of waterproof boots for landings.
• Complimentary parka or wind/water resistant jacket to keep.
• Some alcoholic and soft drinks.
• Photography program.
• Depending on the start and end points there may be a required charter flight to/from an isolated airport, this may be included or might be a required extra.

Usually not included

• Flights to port of departure and back, transfer at port to hotel.
• Laundry.
• Personal communications, phone calls, email, fax, internet use.
• Optional excursions where available, kayaking, snow-shoeing, kayaking etc.
• Medical and evacuation insurance (compulsory).

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 The town of Tasiilaq in east Greenland

  When and where do trips take place?

Arctic trips by ship around ice-free coastal zones take place between spring and late summer, a five month period from May to September. In high summer in the high Arctic you may have constant daylight over the whole period of your trip.

Lower temperatures, shorter days and thickening sea-ice from October to April mean that trips by sea and a little later on, by land come to an end. Even during the summer season sea ice can be unpredictable and the itinerary will vary according to what is possible if ice prevents the planned itinerary from taking place. There are a number of icebreakers that operate tourist cruises in the Arctic so allowing them to go places that other cruise ships cannot.

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Drying fish is a traditional practice for many Arctic cultures

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Land based trips start in March when there is a better chance of seeing the Northern Lights and day length is around 12 hours though temperatures are still cold, they continue through to nearly the end of November with the later season trips visiting polar bears building up at the edge of forming sea-ice before the winter migration.

Temperature Range;   May to August  - 2C to + 12C / 28F to 54F average daily high and low

May & June (Late Spring / Early Summer)

• Salmon are returning from the sea in Alaska
• Polar bears will still be hunting seals on the ice floes.
• Caribou migrations.
• Winter snow and ice still in abundance especially on the mountains. The scenery is white, clean and pristine with pack ice and icebergs.

July and August (Mid / Late Summer)

• Normally The Arctic's warmest months.
• Arctic flowers in full bloom, best in July.
• Longer days create great light conditions and fabulous photo opportunities at midnight.
• Receding ice allows for more exploration.
• West-Greenland whale watching trips underway now.
• Wildlife sightings their height, especially birds.
• Best time for beluga whales in Hudson Bay, Canada.
• Best time for seeing polar bears on Svalbard.
• North-west passage most accessible.

September (Early Autumn / Fall)

• Shortening daylight makes it easier to see the Northern Lights, the Aurora Borealis, it is also more likely to occur around the autumnal equinox in September.
• Retreating pack ice allows better access to eastern Greenland's spectacular Scoresby Sund.
• Autumnal colours appear across the tundra.

  Tourism in The Arctic

  Where do trips leave from?

There are a number of easy access points to the Arctic all around the northern hemisphere, for most people unless you want to go to a specific region it is possible to go north to the Arctic without needing to go very far east or west. Flights are regular and frequent, as affordable as many other routes and often direct.

Northern Europe

One of the easiest places to access the Arctic is through Northern Europe due to the closeness to many centers of population and the frequency of flights to Arctic travel hubs. The gulf stream that warms the west coast of Europe keeps the North Atlantic largely ice free past the British Isles, Iceland, the coast of Norway and even as far north as the Arctic Ocean around Svalbard in the summer months though this is well inside the Arctic Circle. Cruises around the European section of the Arctic therefore are very popular as shipping is less likely to be affected by sea-ice than in other parts. Iceland, Greenland, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Svalbard, and Russia in the area of the Barents Sea are all good starting points to experience the Arctic.

Cruising along a glacier front is breathtaking experience

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North America

There are a number of places to reach the Arctic across North America. Alaska offers many opportunities with a number of towns and cities where vacations can be taken or used as bases to strike out into the wilderness. The predictability  and relative lack of ice in North Pacific and the "Inside Passage" makes it a reliable place for cruise ships in the summer months. Many large ships with "shows and restaurants" style cruising also ply these waters if this is your thing, some cruises are aimed squarely at families.

There are many cruises that start or end in the Canadian Arctic that include scheduled or charter flights to / from major airports such as Edmonton or Ottawa. A number of smaller habitations such as Resolute, Iqaluit and Cambridge Bay have airports that can transit passengers from larger cities to waiting cruise ships. In the East, Newfoundland and Quebec can be the start or end points for cruises.

Land trips often focus on wildlife and photography with small groups of 10-30 people. They can start earlier in the season than sea trips before the sea-ice has started to melt and disperse and can continue later when sea-ice is starting to reform again. Trips of this sort operate in Canada from wilderness lodges or camps, on Baffin Island flying in from Ottawa or Yellowknife and In Churchill for close up polar bear watching flying from Winnipeg. In Alaska, they operate from a number of starting points.

An ice-strewn Arctic beach

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East Russia

The town of Anadyr in the far eastern region of Chutotka region is a hub for land and sea journeys into the Russian Arctic. It is also the starting or ending point of longer cruises along the Northeast Passage ending at Svalbard, and as one end of journeys that include Nome in Alaska.

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The Arctic is a geographic rather than a political region and documentation or visas may be required depending on your country of origin for all or any of the countries you may visit during your Arctic trip.

  What kind of experience?

There are wide variety of ways in which to experience the Arctic. This is a trip that you should plan in advance more so than to many places in the world. Getting a ticket and deciding what to do when you are there could lead to some disappointment. There simply aren't enough tourists reliably arriving for there to be many speculatively offered trips and experiences with any degree of confidence. In this way, the Arctic is the opposite of those places you have been with touts trying to get you to go on a boat trip leaving in half an hour. To make the most of a trip to the Arctic, you should plan your activities in advance as far as possible or arrange a visit where the itinerary is determined for you, a cruise fulfills the brief perfectly.

Many Arctic cruises aren't like what may come to mind when you think of a cruise to warmer climates with onboard entertainment the priority and shore visits less important, though the larger the ship, the more likely there is to be entertainment provided. Cruises to Alaska are more likely to be of this ilk and some are aimed at families with children.

You will find  a number of very well informed and experienced guides on many Arctic trips who will give lectures on a regular basis about various aspects of Arctic history and natural history. These will also often be around to socialize in the evenings along with some of the ships crew and captain.

Contact our travel partners who will help you find the best cruise for your requirements

More details about visiting the Arctic

An Icelandic farm

Notes

* Prices are based per person, the lowest price is usually for triple occupancy in a basic cabin, the highest for double occupancy in the best available suite.

Options may be at additional cost and are usually booked when the cruise is booked - it may be too late once the cruise has started.

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Picture credits: Map of the Arctic - maps used courtesy of Uwe Dedering under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license