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Arctic Expedition Cruising
Beyond the tree-line at the earth’s northern
extremity lies the Arctic. By turns serene,
majestic, wild and ferocious, these chill lands
and waters frame some of the world’s most
hardy and enchanting flora and fauna, clinging
to a precarious knife-edge of survival. Icebound
through the winter, in the summer the rocky
tundra is carpeted with delicate wildflowers
and supports a surprising abundance of wildlife.
For 4,000 years successive generations have
adapted to the harsh Arctic environment,
developing distinctive cultures that left traces
on the land, and in our language. Kayak,
parka, husky, anorak, and igloo are words we
adopted from early attempts to map the region,
borrowed from the Arctic people in hazardous –
and often tragic – voyages of exploration. Much
of the Arctic is also only accessible in the summer
months of July and August, when the frozen
seas melt briefly to reveal enormous, barren
islands, some the size of small countries.
Temperatures at this time average nine degrees
Celsius but can reach as high as 18 degrees on
sunny days. It is in these seasonally accessible
areas that those with an adventurous spirit and
an enquiring mind can experience unique
expedition cruises that visit Inuit settlements,
sites of European explorer history and a
wonderful variety of wildlife, all set amongst
fantastically remote scenery on a truly epic scale.
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