Cruise

Discover The High Arctic With Lindblad

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Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic has seven 2015 Arctic itineraries – including two new voyages – that will explore the vast geography of Svalbard, Greenland, Iceland and Canada from the end of May through the first week of September.

Much of the season will be spent in the High Arctic. Each expedition will offer the promise of Arctic wildlife, ice in myriad forms, plus dramatic elements of human history.

New for 2015 are Epic 80ºN: Exploring Greenland, Baffin & Ellesmere Islands. Adventure and the unexpected star on this voyage to vast and wild shores. Lindblad’s experiences last summer at remote Ellesmere Island were the impetus behind this itinerary. This expedition will explore familiar and new parts of Baffin Island and Lancaster Sound, then make its way up the beautiful coast of Ellesmere, which reaches farther north than any other land, except for Greenland.

The expedition has been planned to allow time to go as far north as the ice allows, and then trace the rarely explored coast of northwest Greenland, going places Lindblad has never been – where tidewater glaciers of extreme beauty dominate. Guests will experience 21st-century exploration, as they venture deep into the far reaches of the ice to Zodiac cruise, kayak, and hike the tundra. Guests will encounter hardy Inuit communities, and learn the legacy of the ancient Thule and Dorset at remote archeological sites, some marvelously preserved. They can observe polar bears, walruses, and perhaps elusive narwhals. Explore amid the big ice of Philpots Island. It departs Aug. 17 for 23 days. Rates begin at $23,990 p.p. based on double occupancy.

Also new is Exploring Greenland and the Canadian High Arctic. This expedition ventures deep into the far northern reaches of the Arctic on a quest for Arctic wildlife and the magisterial scenery of the ice occurring at an epic scale in Greenland. Guests will share the experience of explorers from ancient to modern, driven by the desire to discover the Northwest Passage. With a multifaceted focus on the vital Arctic region, this itinerary provides unique opportunities to navigate the eastern entrance of Canada’s fabled Northwest Passage; explore Greenland’s fiords, and the Ilulissat Glacier, a UNESCO site and a tongue of the Greenland ice cap; spend a week in the Canadian High Arctic observing polar bears and other denizens of the ice, and visit a historic Inuit fishing village and former whaling port. The 13-day voyages depart July 28 and Aug. 7. Rates begin at $12,990.

The other five Arctic itineraries include the Land of the Ice Bears: An In-Depth Exploration of Arctic Svalbard; Norway’s Fjords and Arctic Svalbard; Svalbard, Iceland & Greenland’s East Coast; Along the Viking Trail: From Iceland to Greenland, and A Circumnavigation of Iceland (sold out). Lindblad Expeditions’ route in the Arctic is flexible and completely ice and weather dependent. There are always surprises, no day is ever the same.

Lindblad’s Arctic expeditions are set aboard the 148-guest National Geographic Explorer, equipped with an ice-strengthened hull and advanced navigation equipment for polar expeditions. With a fleet of Zodiacs and sea kayaks, and a full undersea program, the ship fosters genuine up-close exploration.

(http://www.expeditions.com)