Arctic journeys
Arctic journeys
If you want to travel to the Arctic, you are well advised to take a ship. On an expedition cruise you will soak up the wonders of nature and the unique atmosphere. Welcome to the Kingdom of frost!
Snow. Cold. Lonely islets and a boundless sky. The rocking of the pack ice and the cracking of a calving glacier. Thousands of white and blue. The blow of a blue whale blending with the calls of a petrel. A walrus appears in the waves, peering curiously around, bouncing up and down like a cork in the sea.And a polar bear strolls towards the horizon. No question: An Arctic cruise offers many different facets and appeals to all senses.
This corner of our world between the North Pole and the Arctic Circle is diverse; the Russian Arctic holds treasures different from those of Alaska, Canada, Greenland or Spitsbergen. The natural regions have commonalities and yet are nevertheless very different.
Only 150 years ago, large parts of the Arctic were still white spots on the map. The far north only for adventures, naturalists, whalers and mercenaries. They sought wealth and new trade routes, studied geology, the weather or the animals of the north. What they have all found is a world as harsh as it is beautiful.
Times have changed; in the past, long passages lay before a visit. It took weeks or even months and was often associated with sacrifices and privations. A trip to the North Pole was as close as a trip to the moon is today. It was a legendary world.
It is still legendary today. But nowadays you can be beyond the polar circle in a few hours. Modern Arctic voyages with expedition ships make it possible to approach the habitat in the ice carefully without having to forego safety, comfort and contact with the rest of the world.
For most people, ice or polar bears are not the first thing that surprises them when they are on an Arctic journey. It is this light that never fades. Because in summer, when the ships are sailing in the waters of the north, the sun never sets. At two o'clock at night it is bright as day and invites you to scout for polar bears or humpback whales.
or other animals.Up here is the refuge of specialists who have managed to make a living the ice.The polar bear may be king of the North, but he's not alone. There is the arctic fox, the reindeer, all kinds of seabirds and seals. The dance of a school of belugas in front of a calving glacier is particularly impressive. If you listen carefully, sometimes, you can even hear these white whales sing. And this is best done from a ship. You can also approach a bird cliff best from the sea; The sound is overwhelming. In the cries of thousands of Auks, even the chugging of the ship's engine or the clicking of a camera blurs.
These are impressions that imprint themselves in your memory.Just like the world of ice.Pack ice as far as the North Pole, icebergs as high as houses, which sometimes look like oversized candies, and glaciers that have reliably spat their ice into the Arctic Ocean for thousands of years cannot be forgotten once you have had the chance to experience it.Especially as this world is disappearing in the climate crisis.The sea ice is shrinking just like the glaciers, because climate change is affecting the polar regions the most.
And so Arctic journeys or Antarctic cruises are always a bit of a reminder.It is about responsible personal action, sustainability and about leaving behind at most a footprint in this fragile world. if you have travelled the polar regions, you can be their ambassador.
The cold still prevails in the north and an Arctic cruise invites you to get in touch with the cold as well.Of course, nobody should freeze, but those who once splashed in the polar sea laugh about cold showers.
