Northeast Passage Expedition

• Day 1 - Anchorage, Alaska; Embarkation day

  Arrive in Anchorage, Alaska and take a charter flight to Nome, on the coast of the Bering Sea. Embark the ship.

• Day 2/21 - Exploring the Russian High Arctic, Siberian Coast and Russian Far East

  In keeping with the nature of an expedition, our day-by-day itinerary will be flexible. We’ll take full advantage of the extensive experience of our captain, crew, and staff as well as of our technological resources and ice-strengthened ship to chart a course around impenetrable ice, through one of the most remote regions on Earth, and toward once-in-a-lifetime sightings of the Arctic’s abundant wildlife.

  Chukchi Sea
  Keep a lookout for gray whales and other marine mammals in these rich waters. Sailing south from Wrangel, call at Kolyuchin Island, where cormorants, murres, puffins auklets and other Pacific seabirds nest on steep cliffs. Pass the easternmost extension of the Eurasian continent at Cape Dezhnev and continue across the International Date Line to Alaska and the end of our epic voyage.

  Wrangel Island

  A nature reserve since 1974 and World Heritage site, Wrangel Island is known for unusual biodiversity, including endemic tundra plants, snow geese, and largest seabird colonies in the region. The reserve has largest concentration of polar bears and walruses. Land mammals include musk oxen and reindeer. Expedition stops include a visit to the village and research center on the south coast.

  East Siberian Sea

  Depending on our course and weather, explore granite towers, luxuriant tundra and ancient ceremonial sites along the coast where mammoths once roamed. A hallmark of any Arctic expedition is flexibility and our options are many as we cross the top of the world. The surrounding pack ice is an ideal place to find walruses, polar bears and other wildlife of the circumpolar north.

  New Siberian Islands

  Often surrounded by heavy pack ice, the 500-foot-high volcanic spires, cliffs and buttresses of these rocky outposts are a magnificent backdrop for abundant wildlife. We keep a lookout for elusive Ross’s gull, named after the polar explorer. Walrus haul out in numbers and seabirds nest on great cliffs on De Long islands, discovered by the Jeannette expedition in 1881 on their search for the North Pole.

  Laptev Sea / Severnaya Zemlya

  With 24-hour light, naturalists keep watch from the bridge, ready to announce the sighting of beluga whales or other marine mammals that frequent these shallow coastal waters. Pass Cape Chelyuskin, most northerly point of the Eurasian continent, on our way east toward the new world.

  Kara Sea / Novaya Zemlya
  Depending on our captain’s route in this wild land, approach the heavily glaciated coast of the Novaya Zemlya archipelago, northernmost of the islands of the Kara Sea. Dutch explorer William Barents overwintered at aptly named Ice Harbor in 1596-97.

  Franz Josef Land

  A little-explored world of pack ice, towering volcanic mountains, icebergs and glaciers, Franz Josef Land is the world’s northernmost archipelago, and part of the largest Arctic marine reserve—a sanctuary for such emblematic species as the Atlantic walrus, bowhead whale, polar bear, narwhal, and rare ivory gull. The scattered islands of Franz Josef Land were not discovered until 1873 by the Tegetthoff Expedition.

• Day 22/23 - Exploring Northern Norway

  Northern Norway is the Finnmark region where much of the landscape is above treeline and comprised of fascinating landscape, including sheer coastal cliffs indented with deep fjords. Saami culture is dominant in the area, and we visit one of the oldest and most historically significant archaeological sites at Mortensnes in Varangerfjord.

• Day 24 - Tromso, Norway; Disembarkation day

  Disembark the ship in Tromsø, take a tour of the city and fly on a chartered flight from Tromsø to Oslo. Check-in to the Radisson Blu Airport Hotel. The evening is at leisure.

• Day 25 - Oslo, Norway: Departure day

  After breakfast, transfer to the airport for flights home.

Please consider that our voyages are expeditionary in nature. This means, that there are no concrete itineraries, your captain and expedition leader will utilise their vast experience to chart the best course for your expedition depending on the climatic and environmental conditions. Mentioned highlights and wildlife cannot be guaranteed.