Day 1 - Anchorage, Alaska
Arrive in Anchorage on your own today. Transfer to the hotel via hotel courtesy shuttle or on your own. Anchorage is a modern, bustling city just a short hop away from a wilderness of glaciers, mountains and forests. Overnight Anchorage.
 
Day 2 - Anchorage to Anadyr, Russia
This morning, the group will transfer from the hotel to the airport for the flight to Anadyr, Russia. En route, you will cross the International Date Line, losing a day. Upon arrival in Anadyr, the group will be met by the Expedition Team, a well-informed group of specialists who will present the shipboard education programs. This series of illustrated presentations will provide you detailed information on the Arctic - everything from political issues to wildlife to the geologic history.

 
Days 3 to 5 - Chukotka Peninsula
To reach the Northeast Passage, the ship will cruise northward through the Bering Strait, past Cape Dezhnev, the eastern most point of Asia. As we push our way higher into the Arctic, we begin to encounter the formidable, multi-year pack ice of the Arctic Ocean.

The exact itinerary over these two days will depend on local ice and weather conditions. Two potential shore landings* are planned - one to the small village of Uelen and the other an exploration of the uninhabited island of Kolyuchin. This area is the land of the Chukchi people, one of the last groups to be overtaken in the Russian conquest of Siberia. The Chukchi people still live in the area, where they herd reindeer and hunt. The Chukchi village of Uelen has a small museum devoted to carving and other traditional crafts and activities. Kolyuchin Island is now a wildlife sanctuary, with a now-abandoned meteorological station standing alone in the middle of thousands of nesting cormorants, murres, puffins and other seabirds. These remote and possibly ice-bound places are accessible thanks to the onboard helicopters and Zodiacs.

Days 6 & 7 - Wrangel Island
In past years, the powerful Kapitan Khlebnikov has had to battle through incredibly thick ice in Delong Strait to reach the next stop - Wrangel Island*. The approach should be impressive and, weather providing, everyone will be on deck to watch.

Wrangel Island is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, so designated for its diverse flora and importance as a habitat for migratory birds. It has been a protected reserve since 1974 and is well known throughout the world for its fabulous wildlife. The Island is home to the Arctic's largest winter population of polar bears. In the summer, the walrus concentration is greater than anywhere else in the world! Musk ox and reindeer both thrive on the Island and there are huge numbers of tundra geese. After exploring the alpine valleys and snow-covered tundra of this rugged and remote island, visit the Russian science base and only village on the southern coast, Ushakovskoye.
 
Days 8 to 14 - New Siberian Islands

Over the next week, the ship will make its way through the pack ice of the East Siberia Sea to the New Siberian Islands*. If conditions permit, the group will hike the tundra, explore the old hunting camps and see the northernmost point of the European continent. A wildlife watch will be mounted, as this is the habitat of the rarely seen Leptev walrus.

Days 15 to 19 - Severnaya and Novaya Zemlya

Landings* on the least accessible group of island in the Arctic, Severnaya Zemlya, are planned over the next few days. The wildlife watch will continue for Ross' and Sabine Gulls, as well as beluga whales in the Kara Sea. The archipelago of Novaya Zemlya thwarted attempts to complete a transit of the Northeast Passage until the development of engine driven surface vessels. There are several landings and aerial flight-seeing trips planned.

Days 20 & 21 - Franz Josef Land

Well above the Arctic Circle lie the most northerly islands in Eurasia - Franz Josef Land*. They are the habitat of polar bear and Atlantic walrus. A visit to Cape Flora, where the remains of three historic expeditions can be found, is planned. If conditions permit, Zodiacs will cruise along the base of towering cliffs were seabirds nest. Helicopters will be used for aerial flight-seeing and transfer to otherwise inaccessible landing sites.

 
Days 22 to 25 - Barents Sea
Over the next few days, you'll sail the Barents Sea to Murmansk, the home port of the Russian nuclear icebreaker fleet. From here, you will fly to Helsinki, where you will spend the night before catching your flight home. Overnight Helsinki, Finland.

Day 26: Departure

Tour concludes.