Arctic Destination Guide Arctic Seasonal Guide

Discover the Arctic Region Seasonal Guide

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A Wildflowers in bloom, Midsummer B Polar bear and cub emerging from den,

Early Summer C Bearded seals, Midsummer D Humpback whales bubble feeding, Late Summer E Walruses on pack ice, Late Summer

Antarctica is a continent surrounded by ocean, the Arctic an ocean surrounded by continents – and you can explore them all on our ultra-luxury Discovery Yacht Scenic Eclipse.

The European continent, enjoys Norwegian fjords and photogenic fishing villages; Svalbard’s colourful tundra, reindeer, polar bears and walrus; Greenland’s spectacular icebergs and glacier-carved valleys, musk ox and paleo-Eskimo camps. Discover Iceland’s aweinspiring waterfalls, Viking heritage, evocative volcanic landscapes and rejuvenating thermal pools. The North American continent includes Canada’s historic Northwest Passage, first navigated successfully by Roald Amundsen, with towering seabird cliffs, pods of ghostly beluga whales and the rare chance to see narwhals. Transit through Bering Strait to Alaska’s mountainous coast and share British Columbia’s Inside Passage with breaching humpbacks. Explore the Asian continent and discover the Russian Far East, including the Kurils, an island chain of volcanoes, incredible sea stacks, millions of seabirds and pods of orcas, stretching from Japan to Kamchatka Peninsula. The Pacific Ring of Fire continues north along Kamchatka’s magnificent coastline, where brown bears and Steller’s sea eagles feed on salmon and beaches echo with the roar of sea lions. Chukotka forms the northwest corner of Asia, a wilderness of captivating beauty, where Chukchi reindeer herders bring their herds to the coast to sip seawater, bears climb cliffs to steal seabird eggs, and protected bays resound with the blows of bowhead, grey, humpback and orca whales. Across the top of the Asian continent is the legendary Northeast Passage, until recently the domain of nuclear-powered icebreakers most of the year, but thanks to climate change, can be ice-free in summer. From Wrangel Island, the world’s highest density of polar bear dens, traverse the Arctic Ocean, setting foot in places few have visited such as the Medvedie and Novosibirskie Islands, Severnaya and Novaya Zemlyas and Franz Joseph Land. These wild places, inhabited by polar bears, walrus, seabirds like tufted puffins and rhinoceros auklets, and Russian scientists living in weather-worn stations left over from the Cold War. No matter which continent you choose, another significant difference between Antarctic and the Arctic are the polar bears. Marine mammals spend most of their lives on Arctic Ocean sea ice, hunting seals, walrus, even whales in the frigid waters and come ashore to give birth to their cubs. Whenever we enter Ice Bear’s domain, your expert Discovery Team expedition leader carry bear deterrents ranging from rifles and flare pistols to pepper spray (depending on local regulations). Landing areas will be carefully marked with flags showing the limits where you can go. Your safety is our priority. As well as Arctic destinations, here are some seasonal highlights to help you decide which voyage to choose: Early Summer

June – Early July On seabird cliffs of Norway, Kuril Islands and Kamchatka, puffins, gannets and guillemots feed chicks. Humpback whales follow the Gulf Stream north along the Norwegian coast, while fast ice breaks out of the deeper fjords. Snow free areas across the Arctic attract migratory birds, and polar bears and cubs emerge from dens.

Midsummer

Mid July – Early August Millions of migratory birds fill flyways in Europe, North America and Asia. Seabird cliffs are noisy with growing chicks. Algal blooms attract ringed, bearded and harp seals. On Wrangel Island and across Canada, polar bears teach cubs to hunt. Spectacular Arctic wildflowers bloom and walrus crowd ice floes as polar bears stalk seals in pack ice around Svalbard. Long days make Iceland an ideal destination for photographers. Late Summer

Mid August – Early September Open waters unlock the Northwest and Northeast Passages, with access to polar bears hunting seals and walrus in pack ice. Narwhals begin to gather for winter off Baffin Island. Humpback, bowhead, grey and beluga whales feed off continental coasts before migrating south. Shorebirds and seabirds complete their moult and prepare to head south. Arctic foxes scour the base of seabird cliffs in search for late-season chicks. Warm daytime temperatures encourage spectacular calving of glacier fronts, tundra walks turn up ripe berries and sunsets begin to light up the evening sky.