Spotlight On The European Arctic

This year, adventure cruise company Aurora Expeditions celebrates its 15th season of exploring the European Arctic. This exciting kingdom of the polar bear is best discovered on board Aurora's Polar Pioneer, a small ice-strengthened ship that takes a maximum of 54 passengers and has the flexibility to reach places larger ships can’t.

On an expedition to the Arctic with Aurora, passengers can stretch their legs on mountain walks and tundra whilst searching for reindeer, musk ox or an Arctic fox. Zodiac cruises will bring passengers up close to walrus, whales, seals and polar bears. For the more daring, they also offer an exciting range of adventure activities, including sea kayaking and polar scuba-diving.

Jewels of the Arctic - August 10 and September 2 (14 days, from AU$7,655 including ship accommodation, all meals onboard, all shore excursions, lectures, medical services, port charges and taxes)

This adventure combines the best of Spitsbergen and Greenland, with a taste of Iceland. Cross from Spitsbergen’s rugged north-west coast over the Greenland Sea to fantastic icebergs and the fairytale landscape of granite spires rising 2,000m above the fjords. Be welcomed by local Inuits and learn some of the trade secrets of their culture.

Spitsbergen Odyssey – July 11, 21 and 31 (11 days, from AU$6,080, including ship accommodation, all meals onboard, all shore excursions, lectures, medical services, port charges and taxes)

Explore the home of the polar bear. There are no open-sea crossings on this discovery voyage where you’ll find deep fjords, mysterious desert mountains and seals and whales in the Arctic pack ice. This voyage offers the best chance for finding polar bears and features wildflower walks, trapper camps and historical remains of whaling stations. Avid divers will love the inaugural Arctic scuba dives, which begin on this voyage on July 31

For more information, visit http://www.auroraexpeditions.com.au/ or the UK's leading expedition cruising specialists The Cruise Line Ltd.

Gap Adventures 2011/12 Line-Up Of Polar Cruises

Gap Adventures introduces its 2011/12 Arctic and Antarctica cruise season with a slew of new features. Perfect for the cold weather and adventure enthusiasts, a trip aboard the M/S Expedition delves deep into the vast array of wintry wildlife and breathtaking scenery of narrow waterways, glaciers, icebergs and rugged mountains, which very few people will ever have the opportunity to see.

Gap Adventures is pleased to provide free destination cruising guides, as well as complimentary Wellington boots for the duration of the trip to keep passengers' feet warm and dry. Plus, travellers on select cruises who book category five cabins receive exclusive, complimentary Canada Goose Adventurer jackets. Parkas are also available for purchase online for $269 (approx: £173).

Gap Adventures 2011/12 Polar Cruises

For the ardent adventure-seeking passengers, Gap Adventures now offers sea kayaking in the Arctic and Antarctic - a unique opportunity to get up-close-and-personal with the native wildlife. Following in the footsteps of bold explorers, travellers can also camp and experience the majesty of Antarctica at night. Excursions must be pre-arranged as they are not sold on board.

Travellers with ample holiday time can also enjoy extensions and add-ons pre- or post-cruise. Antarctica extensions allow travellers to unravel the mysteries of Easter Island, indulge in the fine food and wines of Chile and Argentina or travel to the heart of the Amazon to discover Iguazu Falls. Arctic add-ons allow travellers to explore the beauty of Longyearbyen (Svalbard Islands) and Oslo.

Passengers who book a space on a selection of the Arctic cruises by January 31 will also receive a 25 per cent early-booking discount.

Uniquely equipped to meet the demands of cruising in polar environments, the Expedition provides an exceptionally safe, spacious and comfortable experience for all passengers. At a nimble 105 metres in length, the ship is able to approach remote areas to which many other vessels cannot navigate. This is also one of the most stable expedition ships in its class.

For more information, visit http://www.gapadventures.co.uk./

NEW ‘CLIMATE VOYAGE’

By guest blogger Steve Newman

NEW ‘CLIMATE VOYAGE’ VISITING REMOTE ISLAND OF JAN MAYEN (new port of call) – from £2,333pp –

For 2011, it's getting more and more remote with Hurtigruten. The cruise line is offering a new 8-day climate voyage travelling from Iceland to Spitsbergen, making an inaugural visit to Jan Mayen, one of the most isolated islands on the planet.

Its closest land mass is Iceland, some 600km to the south-west. Conditions allowing, a rare landing will be made here.

Themed on climate change, shore landings, lectures and discussions help passengers gain a better understanding of this topical issue. Departing July 21, 2011, price includes seven nights full board on the ship, flights from Longyearbyen to Oslo (based on two sharing). UK flights are extra.

For more information, click onto http://www.hurtigruten.co.uk/ or contact The Cruise Line Ltd.
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Exodus Now Has 16 Different Polar Itineraries

By guest blogger Steve Newman

Exodus is now the largest operator of small-ship polar expeditions in the UK, with voyages to Spitsbergen and Antarctica from £4,139 (with flights from UK).

If a holiday is not a holiday without experiencing something remarkable, then Exodus’ Polar itineraries are where you need to start looking for your next great escape. If you prefer your ice blue, towering 70m above your head and set in temperatures way below zero instead of crushed in a mojito, then you had better get your trip booked in.

Now the largest operator of small-ship polar expeditions, Exodus’ new 2010-2012 Polar Expeditions brochure is full of trips to Antarctica, Spitsbergen and the Arctic Circle and, while ranging in price, they are all awe-inspiring, once-in-a-lifetime expeditions you are guaranteed never to forget.

Exodus’ Paul Goldstein, an expert guide, wildlife photographer and polar enthusiast, will be hosting a number of the expeditions and is no stranger to the beauty and wilderness of the Polar Regions. He says: “From Spitsbergen adventures, Emperor Penguin Safaris and Antarctic Circle tours, Exodus offers once-in-a-lifetime Polar Expeditions.

"No-one arrives in the Poles by accident and those intrepid enough to cross the Drake Passage or stay up till the early hours in 24-hour Arctic daylight are never short-changed. The Polar Regions are perhaps the last pristine wildernesses left on the planet but your experience of them depends entirely on the ship chosen to take you there. Choose Exodus and you choose the best.”

Check out these two sample voyages:

Spitsbergen Explorer: 12 days (11 days ship-only) from £4,139 including flights; next departure dates are June 16 and 26, 2011. Exclusive departures with photographic specialists are on June 16 and July 16.

Part of the popular Polar Expeditions brochure is the great exploration of Spitsbergen - home to Polar bears, walrus, Arctic foxes and huge colonies of seabirds. There is 24-hour daylight this far north in the summer and Exodus plans to maximise this from the decks of the 100-berth Vavilov or Ioffe.

Easily maneuverable around the ice, these ships are perfect for such adventures and have the added advantage that passengers can be in inflatable Zodiacs in the water at just a few minutes notice – watching a Polar bear and her cubs playing in the ice or perhaps sailing in the same space as a 150-ton whale. Any photographic or wildlife fan should seriously consider these departures, which are guided by award-winning photographer and Polar enthusiast Paul Goldstein.

Journey to the North Pole - 15 days (12 days ship-only) from £16,260 (flight prices on request). The next and only departure in 2011 is June 23.

With only one departure a year and only one ship capable of offering this stunning itinerary – reaching the top of the world aboard the unique icebreaker 50 Years of Victory – this is a rare and rewarding trip which is worth every penny. Travel to the North Pole and, en route, discover polar bears and stunning birdlife, plus visit the fascinating cities of Helsinki in Finland and Murmansk in Russia.

It is a trip that combines the raw power of the ship – cutting through ice metres thick – the use of helicopter flights for aerial viewing and Zodiac landings for intimate wildlife encounters, this is an expedition unlike any other.

To book, visit http://www.exodus.co.uk/. or try the specialist agent The Cruise Line Ltd at http://www.cruiseline.co.uk/.

Photo © Paul Goldstein/Exodus Travels.

That Viking Spirit

By guest blogger Steve Newman

Hurtigruten. The very name has a viking ring to it and this cruise has been called the most beautiful on earth. Well that may not quite be true but, if it isn't, it comes a very close second. Norway's coastal scenery is simply breathtaking and, what's more, is ever changing as you soak up this marvellous country.

If you're a dedicated cruiser, though, you are going to have to get into a different mindset. This isn't a cruise about destinations, this is a cruise about being absorbed into a way of life. The Hurtigruten is a cruise line with all the modern amenities but, at the same time, it is an expedition ship and local bus service.

Calling at over 30 ports on its seven day journey, the ship becomes a bus and ferry service for the local communities. People hop on and off to see their relations, carry out business trips or visit the dentist. As the result, the ambiance of the ship changes every day to complement the scenery.

At times, the ship goes through some incredibly narrow passages where you can almost touch the walls of the cliffs either side and your journey will take you from the lush woodlands and pastures of the south to the frozen wilderness of the Arctic. Indeed, you must expect a visit from King Neptune if you have never crossed the Arctic Circle before and be baptised with ice cubes!

The Hurtigruten is a wonderful experience and, depending on when you go, the Northern Lights or the Midnight Sun will stay with you for ever. Anyone who takes the ten mile trip down the Geiranger Fjord, where the cliffs tower thousands of feet above you with waterfalls cascading down the same distance and Sea Eagles wafting nonchalantly by, will tell you they simply can't put it into words.

The company don't just specialise in hugging the fjords, either, as you can visit Antarctica, the amazing wilderness of Spitsbergen and many other places associated with viking adventure. Their website at http://www.hurtigruten.co.uk/ is mouthwatering and the pre-cruise information you're given is some of the best I have ever received.