Small Ship Cruises in the Arctic Regions

Small boat expedition cruises to lands above the Arctic Circle often start and/or end in Norway, Svalbard (Spitsbergen) Iceland or Greenland. Repositioning cruises make a northern arc calling at all of these en route from Eastern Canada to Northern Europe. Svalbard, north of Norway, is noted for its polar bear and whale sightings, birdlife, amazing ice and snow landscapes, while the Faroe Islands, northwest of Scotland, feature picturesque landscapes, tiny villages and Viking ruins. Small ship ocean cruises along Greenland’s coast visits colorful villages, fjords, glaciers and Viking ruins, while Iceland enchants with rugged landscapes, fjords, thermal wonders, newly created islands and the capital of Reykjavik with its contrasting sophistication. New ventures to truly remote lands call at the Russian Arctic and the Barents Sea ports of Archangel and Murmansk and islands such as Franz Josef Land. A few ships take passengers to the North Pole, either directly or via short helicopter flights if the ice is impenetrable.