Arctic Expeditions
Arctic Cruises: Your Call to Adventure
At certain times in life, you'll hear an unmistakable call. It's that small voice inside your heart, telling you it's time to do something big – something of substance.
For some people this call leads to a voyage of exploration and discovery. For a select few, it leads to a once-in-a-lifetime journey to the world's polar regions.
In the high Arctic, you'll find the magnificent polar bear, patiently stalking his prey as he has for thousands of years. You'll see colonies of rare seabirds, come to breed and raise their young on the food-rich summer tundra. You'll hear stories of Viking conquest and European discovery, and myths from ancient Northern cultures.
Quark Expeditions has been the world leader in personal polar adventures for over two decades. If this is your call, we can help. Read on to find out about planning your Arctic adventure.
When is the best time for Arctic travel?
Most Arctic cruise travel takes place during the northern summer, between June and September.
If you visit in early summer, before the ice has melted, you’ll see polar bears and walrus finishing their winter hunt. If you come in high summer, you’ll see a riot of Arctic wildflowers, thousands of nesting birds, land-dwelling musk ox and caribou, and perhaps the great whales of the north – the smiling white beluga, or the mysterious one-horned narwhal.
How much time will you need for your polar expedition?
The Arctic is a big place. Depending how much time you have and where you’d like to go, you can spend as little as 8 days (Introduction to Spitsbergen) or as long as 15 days exploring the Three Arctic Islands. You’ll find detailed itineraries listed under each expedition.
But baby, it's cold outside?
Actually, temperatures range from about -10 to +10° C (14 to 50 °F) during an Arctic summer – comparable to a mild winter’s day in North America. The 24-hour sunlight warms the air in sheltered areas, so you can also find yourself stripping down to shirtsleeves. Either way, don’t worry. Our Expedition Leaders will make sure you’re perfectly comfortable, plus you’ll get your very own Quark Parka to keep.
Arctic Travel: Safe, Comfortable and Environmentally Sustainable
Exploring the Arctic is much safer and more comfortable than it was even 50 years ago, thanks to new technology and modern safety standards. Every Quark trip takes place on specially equipped ships with the highest polar ratings, piloted and crewed by Captains and shipmates of the first order.
All Quark travel also operates under the guidelines of the Association of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators (AECO), designed to minimise the impact of visits to the Far North. We are 100% committed to ensuring this region remains protected for future generations.
Heed the call: Find out more about Planning your Polar Adventure
While others are traipsing the well-worn steps of Machu Picchu or hunting iguanas in the Galapagos, you can be on the adventure of a lifetime: kayaking through ice-bound fjords, camping beneath the midnight sun, tracking the legendary polar bear, or standing at the very top of the world.
Want to know more? Call us at 1-888-892-0334 or 416-645-5243, email us or chat live with our Polar Travel Advisors. No one knows the Arctic better than Quark!
By the way
When traveling in extremely remote regions, your Expedition Team most allow the sea, the ice and the weather to guide route and itinerary details. This is a tentative outline of what you'll experience on this cruise - please be aware that no specific itinerary can be guaranteed.
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North Pole Cruise: The Ultimate Arctic Adventurefrom $22,790
In 2012 - 2 departures [June 25 to July 8; July 6-19] Optional ($250) tethered-flight in a hot air balloon! Drinks are on the house.Some places on our planet are so out reach that their very isolation has stirred generations of explorers into voyages of adventure and discovery. One such place is the North Pole. Sailing onboard one of the world's most powerful icebreakers, we head north from Murmansk through dense, multi-year pack ice to the North Pole - a worth goal for our amazing ship. Join us on this amazing voyage to 90°N aboard 50 Years of Victory.
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Spitsbergen Explorerfrom $4,990
Choose from two departure dates for this 11-day Arctic adventure, on which you'll cruise halfway round Spitsbergen, largest island in the Norwegian Svalbard archipelago. Sometimes called the "wildlife capital of the Arctic," Spitsbergen is home to thousands of rare seabirds, and offers some of the best polar bear and beluga whale sightings in the world. This Spitsbergen Explorer adventure includes frequent shore landings plus an optional kayaking adventure.
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Three Arctic Islandsfrom $6,390
[14-days; 2 departures in 2012] Prices range from $6,390 per person to $11,990 per person.NEW! National Geographic Traveler has just named this voyage one of its 50 Tours of a Lifetime. To land on this prestigious list, our expedition had to be: “[One of the] most authentic, most innovative, most immersive, best-guided, and most sustainable tours.”
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Spitsbergen Family Adventurefrom $3,690
[August 2 to 9, 2012] The world's first family-focused Arctic expedition will burn energy and ignite the mind of children and parents alike. Spitsbergen is the largest of Norway's Svalbard islands, situated well above the Arctic Circle. Renowned for polar bear sightings and walrus haul-outs, Spitsbergen provides extraordinary photo opportunities. That's why we've included a resident photographer who will lead photography workshops for point-and-shoot disposables or the latest digital camera.
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Greenland's Northern Lightsfrom $5,890
[September 17-29, 2012] Beginning and ending in Iceland's cosmopolitan capital, this 14-day Arctic cruise takes you across the Denmark Strait and up the coast of East Greenland to Ittoqqortoormiit (Scorsebysund), one of the most northerly settlements in the world. As the autumn nights lengthen, you'll visit Inuit communities preparing for winter, hike frost-sparkled tundra meadows, and watch in wonder as the northern lights dance across the darkening skies.
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Spitsbergen Snowshoeingfrom $4,590
[June 9 to 19, 2012] Snowshoes are perfect for readily accessing landscapes that cannot be reached once the snow melts. Explore regions of Svalbard where the only tracks are paws and hooves. This trip unfolds when snow is still on the ground, sparkling under the 24-hour summer sun. We provide the equipment and the lessons. You bring your enthusiasm for new adventures and the Arctic wilderness. No previous experience is required.
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Spitsbergen Circumnavigationfrom $5,990
[July 11 - July 23, 2012] The Svalbard archipelago includes the "big island" of Spitsbergen. It is rugged, wild, unspoiled - and utterly unforgettable - as it glistens under continual daylight. Quark's Spitsbergen is rapildy becoming one of the world's great adventure destinations on par with safaris to the Galapagos Islands or Africa's Seregenti. This circumnavigation of Spitsbergen delivers more Arctic than any other Quark expedition in 2012.
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Franz Josef Landfrom $12,995
In the far north of Russia is Franz Josef Land, one of the most remote and raw Arctic landscapes in the world. Discovered less than 150 years ago, you’ll venture to an icy realm that is home to the walrus, polar bear, seal, Arctic Fox and Beluga Whale. This is an archipelago visited by few people, where the foreboding landscapes of the islands are dotted with relics from famous explorers of the past.Early Booking Bonus - Save 10%Save 10% on all reservations confirmed before January 31, 2012.
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Franz Josef Land & Novaya Zemlyafrom $15,995
If unique wildlife and rugged Arctic landscapes are what you’re after, this is the expedition for you. From the remote, icy islands of Franz Josef Land to the isolated mountain ranges of Novaya Zemlya, this Arctic adventure visits some of the largest walrus rookeries and seabird nesting areas in the Arctic. Your journey is an expedition of extremes to a challenging land that has intrigued explorers since the 1800’s.Early Booking Bonus - Save 10% Save 10% on all reservations confirmed before January 31, 2012.
