From now on, you’ll be exploring as far north as you can get, taking in the Thule and Kane Basin regions.
The ‘farthest north’ has been a magnet for polar explorers ever since the North Pole became known to Arctic travelers. For decades, this abstract latitudinal concept became the measure of success for many northbound expeditions. High-latitude records were achieved elsewhere until Captain Nares sailed past Thule and opened the path to the pole itself.
Explorers like Elisha Kane, Adolphus Greely, Robert Peary, and Frederik Cook also came that way and guaranteed for themselves a name in polar history and on Arctic maps. During the next week, you'll be sailing in their wake.
Ice and weather permitting, you'll explore the Thule region of northwest Greenland, cross the Smith Sound into Kane Basin, and make your way toward the Nares Strait between Greenland and Ellesmere Island. How far north you'll get is entirely dependent on the ice conditions you encounter.
You’ll witness the raw beauty of the High Arctic well beyond the world humans can inhabit. With an extreme climate year-round, changeable sea ice conditions, and poorly charted waters, you’re guaranteed to face challenging sailing conditions that are only within the reach of modern expedition vessels like MS Fridtjof Nansen.
On the way north, you aim to visit local communities, go on nature landings in the small boats (RIBs), sail through icy channels, and – with a bit of luck – spot some of the giants of the Arctic, including walruses, orcas, narwhals, belugas and perhaps even polar bears.