An excursion tour to the Arctic from Moscow is a visit not only to the Russian Arctic territories, but also to the territorial waters of Iceland, Greenland and Norway.
It is not surprising that in addition to curious tourists, photographers and scientists from all over the world tend to these places. These places are hard to reach and little explored. The fragility of our world is especially felt here. Before your eyes, the landscape is changing every minute: glaciers are crumbling into the ocean, cracks appear under the bottom of the icebreaker, huge icebergs are melting.
An excursion on an icebreaker to the Arctic is an opportunity to touch this mysterious world.
Tour to the Arctic on an icebreaker, prices
Icebreaker tours to the Arctic generally do not include flights. The cost of tickets can be found directly at the link below, it is better to look for a flight from the city of residence in advance.
The journey with Russian ships starts from Murmansk or Anadyr. For those who are planning a tour to the Arctic from Moscow. You will need to additionally make a flight to Murmansk or Anadyr and spend the night at the hotel. The cost of the flight Moscow - Murmansk is from 9650 rubles. Flight time is two and a half hours. Start of the expedition the next day.
The voyage to the North Pole is carried out on the comfortable, world's largest nuclear icebreaker "50 Let Pobedy". On board the ship there is a restaurant and two bars, a music and lecture hall, a swimming pool, and a basketball court. Passengers have round-the-clock access to the navigation bridge.
The age of tourists is from 8 years old. Prices for additional excursions to the Arctic on an icebreaker can be checked with tour operators.
Similar trips can be made on the Yamal icebreaker, the prices are similar, but the places on the ship are much less than on the 50 Let Pobedy nuclear icebreaker.
Best sightseeing tours:
- Programs that are already on the list of cruises to the Arctic:
| Tour name | start of the tour | days | Arctic tour price | program | notes |
| Svalbard on snowmobiles. Age - from 12 years old. | February, March, April | 5 | 1350 dollars | The route is from 400 to 1000 kilometers. Meetings with deer, seals, polar bears. | with a Russian-speaking guide |
| Cruise to Wrangel Island on the "Spirit of Enderby" | 25.07 and 21.08 | 15 | 11,200 dollars. The port dues of Anadyr are paid additionally - $ 500. | · Visit to the biosphere reserve on Wrangel Island. · Islands: Ratmanova, Ittigran, Kolyuchin. Cape Dezhnev. · Encounters with polar bears, walruses, whales, seals and yaks. Bird colonies of many thousands. · Village of Uelen. | Russia |
| Icebreaker tour to the North Pole Through age-old ice On an icebreaker to the top of the planet. Icebreaker "50 years of Victory" | 14 and 25.06. 2021 8, 19 and 30.07. 2021 7, 18 and 29.07. 2021 | 12 11 13 | 28695 dollars When booking before 03/01/2019, a discount of $ 2,500 | · Visit to the North Pole. · Helicopter flight over the Arctic Ocean. · Boating - "zodiac" to bird colonies in the rocks. · Historical monuments in the Franz Josef Land archipelago. · Colonies of walruses, seals, polar bears. · The opportunity to swim in the Arctic Ocean or fly over it in a hot air balloon. | Russia |
| Helicopter tour to the North Pole | March, April | 5 | $ 21,000 | Accommodation near the pole on the territory of the Russian drifting camp Barneo | Russia |
| Tour to the North Pole by ski or dog sledding | 2 - 3 weeks | 40,000 dollars | Start from the territory of the Russian drifting camp Barneo | Russia | |
| West Greenland Nuuk (Greenland) - NuukSea Spirit ship | 22.05 | 9 | 4195 dollars | · Kayaking in fjords among icebergs and whales. · Inuit culture. · Bathing in thermal springs overlooking the icebergs. · Visiting Viking sites. · The famous Ilulissat fjord and the Sermek-Kujallek glacier. · Workshops and lectures on polar photography. | Russian-speaking group |
| West Greenland Nuuk (Greenland) - Kangerlussuaq | 30.05 | 8 | 4195 dollars | ||
| South and West Greenland Kangerlussuaq (Greenland) - Reykjavik (Iceland) Sea Spirit | 06.06 | 12 | 5795 dollars | Russian-speaking group | |
| Iceland - Jan Mayen - Svalbard Reykjavik (Iceland) - Longyearbyen (Norway) Sea Spirit | 16.06 | 13 | 6395 dollars | · Kayaking in the fjords of Svalbard. · Torellneset walrus rookery. · Bird colonies on the Alkefellet rocks and polar bears. · Glacier of Monaco. Panoramas on Jan Mayen Island and on the Austfonn Ice Sheet. · The northernmost active volcano Beerenberg. · Master classes of landscape photography. | Russian-speaking group |
| "Icelandic Holidays" (with a visit to Greenland) | by order | 1900 dollars | with a Russian-speaking guide | ||
| Photo whale hunting | by order | 2600 dollars | Russia | ||
| Sailboat cruise | by order | 6500 dollars |
- * The price includes: accommodation on board, meals, insurance and scheduled excursions.
On your own to Svalbard?
You can make an independent trip to the island of Svalbard (Norway). The best time to visit the island is from June to August during the polar day. You can see the northern lights in winter.
A ticket for a flight Moscow-Longyearbyen will cost an average of 38,335 rubles for a round-trip flight. Travel time is about 11 hours. Connections in Riga, Oslo and Tromsø.
Hotel accommodation - from 7950 rubles per day for two. Good accommodation options can be found on RoomGuru. Tours can be booked directly at the hotel. There you can also rent mountain bikes or other equipment. Reindeer and other animals can walk right up to the hotel.
Most of the territory of Svalbard is a nature reserve. A visa is not required to visit the island, but a special permit is required for independent travel, which can be obtained on the spot.
In June, you can go skiing, snowmobiling and dog sledding. In July and August - by bike or boat.
What to see:
- Visit local restaurants. Their menu includes: whale, seal, deer, trout and hazel grouses.
- Svalbard Museum and Gallery in Longyearbyen.
- Svalbard - Kirke is both a temple and a cultural center.
- University in the capital of the archipelago.
- Doomsday vault. A seed bank in case of a global disaster on the planet.
- Barentsburg is a town of Russian and Ukrainian miners.
- The pyramid is an abandoned mining village.
- Scientific station Ny-Ålesund.
- Fjords. Bird markets. Glaciers.
If you decide to take a group tour, then the cost of an excursion to the Arctic in this case will include:
- Flight
- Accommodation
- Seasonal clothing
- Insurance
You can choose a trip with an included exciting program to significant places directly using the popular Tourex.me service:
Excursion tour to Greenland?
A similar trip can be made to Greenland, but the Russians will need a visa, the cruise is made on a comfortable vessel Silver Explorer. It is required to book places as part of a group in advance, the program is popular not only among Russians, but also among tourists from the European part.
Top reasons for the trip
Should you go to the North Pole? Who needs such a tour? What can you see? Many tourists, before going on a trip, ask these and other questions.
Let's look at a few reasons why it is worth buying a tour to the Arctic:
- The first thing to note is centuries-old obscurity, which is mesmerizing when you peer into the thickness of the ice.
- For many tourists to see the present northern Lights will be a lifelong discovery, indeed, you can watch videos in good quality on Youtube, or you can see everything with your own eyes and get completely different emotions.
- Real life in permafrost - you can see polar bears, sea leopards, seals, bighorn sheep, ermine and other representatives of the historically formed fauna, which you will not find in zoos.
- New impressions of emotions - such a trip can never be compared with Phuket or Turkey.
Travel planning
Some tours do not include air travel and insurance, therefore, we recommend that you take care of this using the Aviasales search engine, which will find the best cost flights for the selected dates:
And also get insurance on Tripinsurance, the service offers only the best companies that tourists trust.
What should I bring with me?
You should understand that this is a serious decision - to go to the "End of the World", you need to plan your trip carefully and thoughtfully. We will tell you only about the most basic points when collecting baggage for an expedition:
- trousers with an inner heat-protective layer;
- a fleece jacket with a zipper is ideal for everyday travel;
- thermal underwear;
- woolen knee-highs;
- wool hat;
- nylon and polyester at least 600D, it will be convenient with it when hiking long distances during an excursion;
- special shoes for ice with spikes with the main characteristics: sole with the addition of rubber and deep tread, with a protective layer against moisture;
- sports glasses with UV absorption;
- A camera with an additional set of batteries or a powerbank device;
- creams for exposed parts of the body;
- set of medicines.
