Beau Pinkerton and I just finished a cruise thru the NW Passage from W. Greenland to Kugluktuk, Nunavut above Alberta in Sept 2012. The crew and staff were fantastic, thefood ''off the chart'', and the trips ashore to see wildlife and visiting Inuit villages excellent and well planned. I had a blast visiting remote islands, villages, exploration …

Many travelers visit Iceland year-round. Arctic cruises tend to embark in the summer months, when the air temperatures are slightly warmer on average. But given Iceland's relatively temperate climate and minor seasonal fluctuations, this has become a year-round destination for land tours to Iceland.

Iceland by the Seasons

Summer is by far …

The Ancient History of Iceland

Before you begin your Iceland travel, enhance your experience by learning a little more about the country’s ancient history. Island’s history is closely connected with nearby Norway and Denmark, but the first people to actually inhabit the island were Irish monks, who used Iceland as a hermitage of sorts …

History

Ancient History

The unique artic environment that makes Greenland travel so celebrated has also proven a challenge for both historic and modern-day Greenlanders. The tale of Greenland’s history is dotted with the reoccurring theme of incredible strength and endurance of its inhabitants, and their remarkable ability to turn an artic …

On a recent voyage of the Plancius, passengers were able to witness an incredible sight. While looking outat the edge of the sea ice between Northeast Greenland and Spitsbergen, they counted between 80-100 Bowhead Whales! That number of these great creatures, which grow up to 60 feet long, congregating in the same area is impressive enough. …

The Kapitan Khlebnikov is back in action! This renowned ice breaker vessel is able to reach remote polar regions that are inaccessible to most other passenger expedition ships. This means access to places rarely explored by tourists. Perhaps it will provide the perfect way for you to explore the Arctic.

Small ship cruising has often been characterized by rugged, expedition-style vessels. Operators have recognized their ability to offer creature comforts and luxury while still providing the same adventures as expedition trips. Discover how you can have the best of both worlds on a luxury small ship cruise!

That's right -- one of the only passenger icebreakers in operation -- the Kapitan Khelbnikov -- has announced it will end its career as an expedition vessel in March 2012. The Kapitan Khelbnikov was built in Finland in 1981, and was originally designed for the rigors of northern Siberia. The ship has sailed to extremely remote corners of the globe …

One of my favorite activities during our trip was the zodiac cruises. Although we used the zodiacs as a taxi service to and from shore, there was something special about using them as means to get up close and personal to both scenery and wildlife. Our first longer zodiac cruise was at Burgerbukta. We puttered through huge floating chunks of ice …

The first Arctic wildlife we saw were two Reindeer. We saw them from the bus window on our way to our hostel in Longyearbyen. We quickly discovered these sightings were not uncommon, during nearly every landing during our cruise we saw Reindeer. They were short and stocky. And we learned they are not native to Svalbard. They were brought to the …

One of the reoccurringthemes while traveling in the Arctic was the importance of flexibility. Anytime you head into the unknown, a bit of flexibility is key, but this proved to be especially true in the far north. First and foremost, everything in Svalbard is weather dependent.

We quickly learned that our itinerary would be determined by the …

One of the best things about expedition cruising is the educational component. Each of the guides on board has a different area of speciality and can answer questions and help passengers learn about the history, natural history, animals etc. of the destination .I’m a huge rock nerd. I took every single Geology class my college had to offer, …

I will admit history has never been my favorite topic. But my ears did perk up with the tale of Wanny Wolstad. As an avid outdoorswoman I was delighted when our historical guide, Sven shared her story. Wanny was the first woman trapper and hunter on Svalbard. She arrived in 1932, after being widowed twice and raising two sons on her own. She …

Growing up in the landlocked state of Montana, my boat experience was limited to lakes and rivers. I didn't know what to expect in terms of what sleeping on a ship would be like, what a a cruise schedule was like or what exactly an expedition cruise would entail.The Sea Spirit was beautiful, and had recently been refurbished. The cabins were …

Once we got off the plane in Longyearbyen we gathered our luggage from the single baggage claim, and followed the crowd outside where two large buses were waiting. We figured we were supposed to follow everyone else onto a bus of our choosing, even though we weren't exactly sure where either of them was going to end up. We quickly learned that …

There are certain places which, despite having read their names thousands of times, mean nothing to me. The big places like Machu Picchu and Torres del Paine - the smaller places like Mount Kinabalu and the Ngorongoro Crater (neither of which are actually small, just lesser known) – often tantalize and fill me with whispers of wanderlust. …

Our Circumnavigation of Svalbard being a cruise, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to learn that we spent much of our time around water. The two weeks we spent abroad exposed us to a new Ocean (the Arctic) and three new seas (the Norwegian, Barents, and Greenland Seas). Large bodies of water aside, however, it surprised me to see just …

When it comes to wildlife, the Arctic has its own Big Five: Polar Bear, Walrus, Whale, Fox, and Seals. I’m pleased to report that we saw them all.

**Our first sighting of Svalbardic wildlife (not part of the Big Five) came in the form of three reindeer who watched us carefully as the enjoyed their mid-morning snack of moss and late-season …

On the morning of our seventh day in Svalbard, I peeled back the curtains to see what playground awaited me and gasped out loud when I saw it. Monacobreen: A glacier so stunningly blue-hued that I thought my eyes had deceived me. Quickly turning around to tell Molly that it was the most beautiful sight I had ever beheld, I pulled back the curtains …

I’m a bit of a history nerd. I devour biographies and historical miniseries and have been known to spend hours pouring over museum exhibits. While I knew that much of the Arctic’s early years were rooted in the whaling industry, I was surprised to learn that whaling was just the tip of a long and fascinating history of Svalbard. I was …

Fact: Regardless of what Coca-Cola would like us to believe, penguins and polar bears do not co-exist. As I child, I believed the commercials which depicted the two species meeting up and sharing icy bottles of soda at Christmastime. In my adult years, I learned that Coca-Cola lied to me. Penguins and polar bears live as far away from one another …

For me, learning the seven continents was easy. Learning the countries that reside within their borders was more difficult. Learning the landmasses which are neither continent nor country, however, was often downright impossible. So was the case with Svalbard – an Arctic archipelago halfway between Norway and the North Pole. If you’re …

A true must on any polar expedition is the polar plunge. To be honest, I wasn’t too enthused to jump into icy water but I am so glad I did. Twice. Now, I’ve jumped into glacial lakes in Montana but the sheer thought of the Arctic water was daunting. I had no idea how cold I would really feel and I was happy to be pleasantly surprised. …

Our itinerary had intentional stops to communities throughout Greenland and Canada.

Ilulissat and Sisimiut were our two Greenland stops. These bustling towns were full of families and guests. From fishing to hunting, teaching and learning, the communities seemed vibrant and full of life. The heat of the summer led to families walking along the …