The summit of Everest is an armchair dream for almost all of us, and the South Pole is still a major and expensive proposition. But the North Pole, “the peg on which the world is spun,” in Thomas Hood’s words, is a comfortably reachable ultra-apex goal. We make our voyage to the Pole in the 50-Year Victory, an ultra-spiffy Russian ship. In his book Poles Apart, Galen Rowell described life aboard one of these comfortable icebreakers: “As multicourse meals were served on white linen, house-sized blocks of ice split off the bow with the sound of thunder and the shaking of a 9.0 earthquake.” Our jumping-off place is Murmansk, the largest city in the world beyond either the Arctic or the Antarctic Circle. As we head north, we’re kept busy with on-board lectures, helicopter trips, visits to the bridge, wildlife sightings, and the drama of ice and light that makes the Arctic so fiercely compelling. And then the Pole. Like Galen and his wife, Barbara, we’ll “dance a circle through twenty-four time zones and drink toasts,” reveling in the attainment of the top of the earth.
Our return takes us back to Murmansk with a couple of days’ exploration in the spine-tinglingly distant Franz Josef islands, the Old World’s northernmost lands.
If instead of visiting the North Pole and spending just a couple of days on Franz Josef Land, you prefer to devote more quality time to fully exploring the Franz Josef Archipelago, we offer a 13 and a 15 day voyage aboard the Kapitan Dranitsyn, a sister ship to the famous Kapitan Khlebnikov. (Departures July 17 - 29, 2012 and July 27 - August 10, 2012).
For additional details on this Arctic cruise, please call 1-800-777-8183.
The North Pole & Franz Josef Land
Trip Details
- June 25 - July 8
- July 6 - July 19
- July 17 - July 29
- July 27 - August 10
13, 14, and 15 daysActivity Type:
Expeditionary Voyaging,
Exploratory,
Small Boat Cruising
Trip Price:
From $12,995
From $22,790 (including the North Pole)
Book Early & Save: Save 10% on reservations confirmed aboard the KAPITAN DRANITSYN by January 31, 2012.
- More Arctic Trips
- More Expeditionary Voyaging Trips
