A legendary tour to the Arctic

Day 1-2 Arrival to Anadyr and the Preobrazhenskaya Bay

Having arrived to Anadyr, you will board the ship. Here you will get acquainted with the crew and expedition personnel, who will arrange a tour of the ship, show the cabins, and present a safety briefing.

As the ship crosses the Gulf of Anadyr, there will be opportunities for seabirds, marine mammal watching and lectures.

On the second day of the journey you will explore the coast of the Preobrazhenskaya Bay by zodiac boat. You can see the hatchets, puffins and guillemots on the coastal rocks.

Day 3 Whale Bone Alley and Gilmimyl hot springs

Whale Bone Alley on Yttygran Island is one of the most significant and intriguing archaeological sites in the Arctic. The name comes from the large number of whale jaw bones spread along the beach in the form of a pathway. The site dates to the 14th century and its origins and purpose are debated.

If the weather is suitable, you will go by the zodiac boats in search of grey whales. Along the way you will visit the Nuneangan island (the "bird island"), where many seabirds nest. This afternoon landing the Gilmimyl hot springs is planned. For reaching them you have a short walk across the tundra.

Day 4 Cape Dezhnev and Uelen Village

Early in the morning the ship will approach the easternmost point of Eurasia — Cape Dezhnev. If the weather is good you could see the coast of America from that point. Walking along the rocky beach, you will come to the abandoned border base and the monument to Semyon Dezhnev. It is believed he was the first European to sail through Bering Strait in 1648. 

This afternoon you will visit Uelen village to enjoy the hospitality of the local Chukchi people and watch a folk performance. You will also taste the local cuisine and visit their bone-carving studio which is famous throughout Russia.

Day 5 Kolyuchin Island

Today it is planned to land (weather permitting) the Kolyuchin Island, where there is an abandoned Polar research and weather station. There are also some terrific bird cliffs where it is possible to get some great photos of puffins, guillemots and gulls. Sometimes humpback whales and greenland whales are also seen here.

Day 6-8 Wrangel Island

The Wrangel island is a Federal Nature Reserve of international significance and importance and also a World Heritage Site. It is a major Polar Bear denning area. It is also the last landfall for migratory species flying north.

Time, ice and weather permitting we will make as many landings as possible in search of a snow owl and a snow-white goose, white gulls, musk oxen and the reindeer herds. On the protected Wrangel island you will see all the variety of Arctic landscapes — from the flowering tundra to the rocky cliffs with many birds.

Day 9 The East Siberian Sea

This sea occupies the area between the Novosibirskie Islands and Wrangel Island. Three of Siberia’s major rivers, the Indigirka, Alazaya and the Kolyma, flow into it. The average depth is only 54 metres making it ideal habitat for the pacific walrus and bowhead whales, which you will be watching here.

It was in this region that the Soviet vessel Chelyuskin, under the command of Otto Schmidt and with 111 people on board became trapped in ice and sank in 1934. The dramatic rescue that followed gained international attention and made Schmidt a household name in Russia.

Day 10 The Ayon Island

The Aion island is located in the Chaunskaya Bay. The village is home to a small group of Chukchi reindeer herders. You will enjoy their hospitality and learn about reindeer herding.

Day 11 The Medvezhyi Islands

There are no permanent settlements on these little known and seldom visited islands. They are covered in tundra and known to have a good population of Polar Bears. Locals from the nearby Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) visit during the summer months to go fishing and search for Mammoth tusks.

On the Chetyrehstolbovy island you will see the cliffs of unusual shape. On Pushkarev's island you will visit the old lighthouse and admire the Arctic flowers.

Day 12 The East Siberian Sea

It was in this sea that the Jeanette, captained by George Washington De Long, became stuck fast and was crushed by ice in 1879. The men made their way from the sinking ship in open boats to the Kolyma River delta where many of them perished. Wreckage from the Jeanette found in Greenland in 1884 gave Nansen the idea for the now famous Fram Expedition.

Day 13-16 Noviye Sebirskiye (New Siberian Islands) and the Laptev Sea

These islands which consist of three major groups — Southern, Central (Anzhu) and Northern (De Long) – mark the border between the Laptev and East Siberian Seas. Sometimes scientists come here to researching purposes. There are also meteorological stations. You will make several landings to get acquainted with the fragile nature of the Arctic.

On days 15-16 you will explore the Laptev sea coast near the Taimyr Peninsula. A special kind of walrus and a Taimyr silver seagull can be watched here.

Day 17-19 Severnaya Zemlya Archipelago

The Severnaya Zemlya Islands translated into English mean ‘Northern Land’. They are on the border of the Kara and Laptev Seas and are an extension of the Taimyr Peninsula. These islands were not discovered until 1914 -15 when Russian explorer Vilkitski originally named them "Emperor Nicholas 11".

The islands are heavily glaciated with deep fiords and majestic glaciers, providing a magnificent environment for cruising. There is also a great selection and abundance of Arctic wildlife including Polar Bears, Arctic Foxes, Arctic Hares and walruses.

Day 20-21 The Kara Sea

Two of Russia’s greatest rivers, the Ob and the Yenisei flow into the Kara Sea, which is one of the coldest seas in Russia. It lies between Novaya Zemlya, Franz Josef and the Severnaya Zemlya Archipelago. If the weather allows, you will make a landing on the Vise island.

Day 22-24 Franz Josef Land

This huge archipelago of 192 islands located only 10 degrees from the North Pole offers many locations to explore. The islands were named in 1870 after the Hungarian Emperor when they were discovered by the Austro-Hungarian Payer-Weyprecht expedition that was searching for the NE Passage.

Multiple landings are planned here including Cape Flora/Northbrook Island, where the remains of three historic expeditions are found. Champa Island and Tikhaya Bay on Hooker Island where the numbers of seabirds on Rubini Rock are unforgettable. You can watch polar bears, belugas bowhead whales, and even narwhals.

Day 25-26 The Barents Sea

The Barents Sea is bounded by the north coast of Europe to the west, Franz Josef and Nova Zemlya to the north and east. It was named in honor of Dutch seafarer and navigator, Willem Barents, who explored this region on expeditions in 1594 and 1596.

These two days will be used to complete our lecture series and recaps as well as keep a look out for marine mammals and of course seabirds.

Day 27 Arrival in Murmansk

You will disembark the ship in Murmansk. You will be taken to the airport, where you will go home.