A short guide about Expedition Cruises to Arctic
For the ultimate Arctic holiday package, take the journey to Svalbard in the Spitsbergen islands, where you can expect to see Polar Bears and floating icebergs. Here one can truly imagine being close to the home of Santa Claus encircled by nature in beautiful surroundings. Peace and tranquility prevails and silence reigns everywhere, as there are no trees, houses or town, and white is the dominant colour. Being ‘the land of the midnight sun,’ one has to regulate him/herself with a clock, as time is not established from the cycle of the sun.
Discovered by Vikings from Iceland in 1194, Svalbard - was forgotten, then rediscovered in the 16th century by the Dutch and by the 17th century interest in the archipelago had increased with intensive whaling and Arctic hunting. The arctic landscape is made from ancient mountains dug by the glaciers, and from frozen fiords that wedged in the islands. In rare places, hunters from last century have picked up the scarce deposits of shipwrecks to build small shelters for refuge during times of hunting, and some of these shelters are still used today.
It is not possible to go around the arctic desert without meticulously organized trips, as the environment doesn't allow for improvisations and the polar bear is very dangerous. The main vehicle used to get around in is the snowmobile; it is possible to drive over dry land or over the frozen surface of the sea continuously. The weather is suddenly varying and it passes in minutes; from the full light of the sun to fog, or a snowstorm.
An Expedition Cruiser or Icebreaker allows access to some of the world's most remote locations only accessible by sea and deep within the Arctic Circle is Nordaustlandet - the second largest island in the archipelago and its Hinlopen Strait is lined by fjords and tundra. Visit Vibebukta and the 200 kilometre wide ice sheet of the Austfonna Glacier as you sail to the remote Polar Regions to experience more of the Arctic wilderness, drift ice, flora and fauna. This is very much the kingdom of the polar bear and you will see large males as well as mothers and their cubs, especially during the spring as they search for seals.
Tourabout has a number of tours to the North Pole for you to choose from, be it a Christmas tour with the chance of seeing Santa Claus or an Arctic expedition beyond the dramatic cliffs and into the hidden fjords. The enchanting drift ice and rugged backdrop of the snow-capped landscape makes this trip is a voyage to the extremes of the Earth.