Stretching across the top of the globe and touching eight countries, the Arctic is rife with opportunity for every type of explorer, whether you seek iconic wildlife, epic icescapes, or enriching encounters with cultures of the far North. Here are some highlights from the areas we explore to help you decide which Arctic expedition is the best fit for your interests.
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Norway: Under the midnight sun, photograph epic wildlife such as polar bears, reindeer, walruses, seals, whales, and myriad birds. Cruise and kayak beneath soaring cliffs and tumbling cascades along the Norwegian fjords.
Iceland: Take a Zodiac cruise through a basalt cave, hike the base of a fjord to a thundering waterfall, or stroll sea cliffs aflutter with gannets and puffins. Encounter local culture, tradition, and music.
Greenland: Greenland’s icescapes glitter in a dazzling tableau of iridescent icebergs and calving glaciers that we explore by kayak, Zodiac, and on foot. Go beyond the country’s icy surface to experience cultural encounters in thriving Inuit communities.
Canada: For the explorer who seeks seldom-seen lands, as well as elusive muskoxen, polar bears, walruses, belugas, and narwhals. Further south, along the rocky coasts of the maritime regions, we see a different side of Arctic exploration: traces of the peoples who settled these shorelines. Discover Viking villages, a Moravian mission, and other historical relics in a once-popular landing spot for westward voyagers.
(17) Arctic Itineraries
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NOTE: For expeditions departing April 2024 onward, Day 1 of our itineraries will no longer reflect “departure from the U.S.” and will reflect “arrival to the city” where your expedition begins. Durations of expeditions will remain unchanged. More details.
Circumnavigate the Island of Fire and Ice, from its wealth of wildlife and striking geological formations, to its cultural history steeped in saga and exploration history
Explore a variety of landscapes across the island from lava fields, seismic faults, geothermal springs, and thundering waterfalls
Hike up mountain trails, kayak in protected fjords, bike through remote villages, or take a Zodiac cruise around a seabird colony
New
Arctic Odyssey: Iceland, Greenland, and Canada
Duration
15 days
Aug
From
$18,571
Top Highlights
Circumnavigate the Island of Fire and Ice, from its wealth of wildlife and striking geological formations, to its cultural history steeped in saga and exploration history
Explore a variety of landscapes across the island from lava fields, seismic faults, geothermal springs, and thundering waterfalls
Hike up mountain trails, kayak in protected fjords, bike through remote villages, or take a Zodiac cruise around a seabird colony
Fabled Lands Of The North: Greenland to Newfoundland
Duration
16 days
Aug
From
$19,161
Top Highlights
Explore two UNESCO World Heritage sites: glide among soaring icebergs at the mouth of the Ilulissat Icefjord, and walk through the remains of the 11th-century Viking village at L'Anse aux Meadows
Meet Inuit artisans on Baffin Island and learn about their carving and weaving traditions
Join our naturalists to search for polar bears, caribou, arctic foxes, humpback and minke whales, walruses, and more in their natural habitat
Circumnavigate the Island of Fire and Ice, from its wealth of wildlife and striking geological formations, to its cultural history steeped in saga and exploration history
Explore a variety of landscapes across the island from lava fields, seismic faults, geothermal springs, and thundering waterfalls
Hike up mountain trails, kayak in protected fjords, bike through remote villages, or take a Zodiac cruise around a seabird colony
Venture into the dramatic high Arctic islands, up to the ice edge and learn dramatic stories of explorers and adventurers who sought this remarkable, icy frontier
Glide between soaring icebergs at the mouth of Greenland’s Ilulissat Icefjord, a UNESCO World Heritage site
Explore Ellesmere Island with binoculars at the ready to spot polar bears, walruses, ringed seals, belugas, bowhead whales, and the elusive narwhal
Hike the dramatic Dynjandi Waterfall in Iceland's remote Westfjords peninsula, and visit a farm that produces eiderdown
Delve into Greenlandic culture with visits to Uummannaq and Qilakitsoq to see the archaeological site of the 5,000-year-old mummies and visit the National Museum in Nuuk where they can be viewed
Cruise among the dazzling icebergs calved by the Ilulissat Icefjord and search for whales amid impressive tidewater glaciers in West Greenland
Land Of The Ice Bears: An In-Depth Exploration Of Arctic Svalbard
Duration
10 days
May
Jun
From
$15,204
Top Highlights
Search for polar bears and walrus alongside our veteran spotters
Explore under the midnight sun and take advantage of spectacular photo ops with tips from a National Geographic Photography Expert
Sail up to rock-wall rookeries teeming with thousands of birds, see pelagic birds from the ship’s rail when we’re underway, and Zodiac cruise near a cloud of feeding arctic terns
It is a privilege to visit the Arctic, one of the planet’s most interesting places, and to this privilege, National Geographic Endurance, National Geographic Explorer, and National Geographic Resolution add the luxury of comfort—a quality of shipboard life and a philosophy of wellness designed to relax and rejuvenate body, mind, and spirit.
Iceland's Volcano: Eruption Updates with Geologist Ralph Lee Hopkins
Director of Expedition Photography Ralph Lee Hopkins spent two weeks obsessively devoted to capturing the mood swings of the world’s newest and most active volcano.
In the Ilulissat Icefjord, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in western Greenland, the icebergs are so concentrated that they fill the landscape. It’s a stunning combination of ancient and ever-changing: the ice that forms those bergs might be 250,000 years old, but your view will transform every hour as they shift, roll, and jostle towards the ocean.
With enhanced hunting abilities, seemingly white fur (it’s actually clear, but some cool optical tricks make it look white) to camouflage them in their icy environment, and black skin to soak in the sun’s rays, polar bears are the Arctic’s apex predator.
See, do, and learn more by going with engaging experts who have been exploring this region for decades. Go with an expedition leader, naturalists, undersea specialist, National Geographic photographer, and more.
Expedition Leader
Veteran expedition leaders are the orchestrators of your experience. Many have advanced degrees and have conducted research or taught for years. They have achieved expedition leader status because they possess the skills, the experience, and the depth of knowledge necessary to continually craft the best expedition possible for our guests.
Explore the Arctic with a team of naturalists—many of them polar veterans—with a variety of specialties: zoology, biology, ornithology, geology, polar history, and more. Our guests consistently cite the expertise and engaging company of our staff as key reasons to repeatedly travel with us.
Discover what lies beneath the waves withan undersea specialist aboard who can dive into the cold waters to shoot video of what lies beneath the waves or deploy an ROV to depths of 1,000 feet to explore never-before-seen regions.
Travel and photograph with a bona fide National Geographic photographer. These top pros are at your side and at your service—providing advice, tips, and slideshows. Access to photographers of this caliber will help you improve your skills and ensure you’ll go home with incredible photos.
Certified Photo Instructor
Every Arctic expedition also offers an exclusive service—a Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic certified photo instructor. This naturalist is specially trained to help you become a better, more confident photographer—and to help you understand the movements of wildlife so you can create top shots.
Video chroniclers accompany every expedition and shoot vivid HD footage—with no recycled footage ever—to provide you with a professionally edited and completely authentic memento of your expedition. Working during the day and editing into the night, they have your DVD ready for preview prior to—and available to purchase at—disembarkation.
Ilulissat means, “place with many icebergs” and it certainly lives up to its reputation. Our whole day was spent exploring glacial ice near this beautiful settlement. We were fortunate to visit the Ilulissat Icefjord UNESCO World Heritage Site, where we had a lovely walk along the boardwalk to enjoy the magnificent views of the icebergs floating in the fjord. Afterwards we visited the Icefjord Centre where we learned how glaciers are formed, how they move, calve, and produce icebergs. Later, the immense size of these magnificent icebergs became even more evident as we sailed in between them on local boats. What a wonderful day!
We woke this morning with thick cozy fog as National Geographic Endurance danced between islands in the archipelago of the Westman Islands on the morning of the last day of our voyage. We were visited by a number of fin whales before continuing on to circumnavigate Surtsey. We sailed into the narrow harbor opening of Heimaey, Westman Islands as the sun broke through the clouds. Heimaklettur (Home Cliff) welcomed us with a stunning vista of Icelandic sheep balancing on sheer cliffs. Our afternoon was spent touring the tiny island of Heimaey (Home Island). Some chose the scenic panoramic tour which stopped at amazing vistas and lookout points, including one of the windiest points in the northern hemisphere, Stórhöfði, a bird blind on the southernmost point and a visit to the Eldheimar Volcano Museum which artfully portrays the history of the 1973 Eldfell eruption. Some of us chose to climb up the Eldfell Volcano through a layer of dense fog towards the top. We enjoyed views of the new lava that nearly shut down the harbor, which would have meant an end to the town of Heimaey. At the very end of the day, after sailing away, we stumbled upon a pod of killer whales! What a marvelous ending to a wonderful day. Tomorrow, we scatter different directions, going our separate ways but holding on to some fabulous and everlasting memories.
Today’s mandatory Zodiac safety briefing got interrupted by some humpback whale and blue whale sightings just southwest out of Sisimiut. We took advantage of this opportunity and spent time whale watching as they circled the ship. Once the ship got docked, operations included venturing out with local guides on the Arctic Circle Hike, a popular route that stretches from Sisimiut to Kangerlussuaq, where we reached right under the Sisimiut landmark Nasaasaaq, “the thing that looks like a hoodie”, in Greenlandic. The other tours included a town walk that started at the “Dog Town” of Sisimiut, where our local guides provided some cultural insight about the Greenlandic sled dog and Sisimiut in general. All tours ended in the museum district of Sisimiut, concluding in some tasting of Greenlandic cuisine consisting of some snow crab, capelin, dried reindeer, dried cod, and some musk ox soup. Our day finished with the first recap from our lovely staff, followed by a briefing from our expedition leader, and a warm welcome from Captain Martin on this trip of the Northwest Passage.
This morning dawned bright and cloudy, with a short Zodiac run into Borgafjörður Eystri. The famous puffin cliffs loomed over us in astonishing numbers as we prepared for the bike ride, followed by a long hike, a moderate hike, or a leisurely hike. While the bikers and long hikers made good time going up the various mountains, the moderate hikers stopped at a slightly lower scenic point, and the leisurely hikers made their way up while looking at flowers, birds, and rocks along the way. Those who were not signed up for one of these options had the chance to enjoy the colony of puffins nearby, where a boardwalk led them along a beautifully rugged cliff where thousands of birds were nesting.
We found ice at sea level today in Iceland, particularly rewarding given the lore that Iceland is mostly green and Greenland mostly ice. From Djupivogur, travelers followed Iceland’s rugged, windswept southeastern coastline to Jökulsárlón, a glacial lagoon where icebergs that originate from the enormous Vatnajökull Icecap float and ground in tidally influenced waters. Along the way, multitudes of whooper swans gathered in the nearshore waters, white highlights to the black sand shorelines. At Iceland’s only coastal area with ice, we rode amphibious duck boats into the misty lagoon to explore the icebergs. Other guests ventured out to explore the area closer to Djupivogur, riding super jeeps to the Valley of the Waterfalls, while others took walking tours of black sand beaches or cultural walks in the local area. Here we discovered the Eggs of Merry Bay, an outdoor artwork of oversized but accurate eggs of the area’s nesting birds. Our circumnavigation of Iceland continues to enhance our impressions of this fascinating island-nation.
The Arctic is clearly a place we should seek to better understand and appreciate—for its own sake and for the sake of the world at large.