Arctic / North Pole Cruises & Tours

Best time to visit Arctic / North Pole

• Spring 2026

  Spring is prime time for Svalbard wildlife watching, with expedition ships pushing up to 80° north where polar bears hunt on ice floes. These specialized vessels weave through the ice pack, launching Zodiac boats to get close to Arctic fox dens, walrus colonies and massive seabird gatherings. Our guests really value having expert expedition teams aboard - they know exactly where to find wildlife and share fascinating details about Arctic ecosystems. The mix of extended daylight and lingering winter ice creates ideal conditions for photography, especially at Alkefjellet's towering cliffs where thousands of guillemots make their nests.

  • March 2026 popular 64 tours
  • April 2026 36 tours
  • May 2026 19 tours
• Summer 2026

  Summer's 24-hour daylight opens up the most remote Arctic corners. The Yukon's Dempster Highway route takes you across the Arctic Circle with a champagne celebration, leading to Native communities where you can try gold panning at working mines. In Greenland, summer tours wind through ice-filled fjords, mixing glacier walks with stops at isolated Inuit villages and also UNESCO-protected Viking ruins. Our customers particularly enjoy exploring South Greenland's Flower Valley, where wild blooms pop against ancient ice sheets. Spitsbergen voyages offer great wildlife viewing - you'll see polar bears hunting, kayak near icebergs and also visit busy seabird colonies.

  • June 2026 52 tours
  • July 2026 57 tours
  • August 2026 popular 61 tours
• Fall / Autumn 2026

  Autumn trips make the most of darker skies for Northern Lights viewing while keeping temperatures manageable for outdoor activities. Along Norway's coast, Hurtigruten ships combine fjord sailing with aurora spotting - you'll pass the old Finnkjerka rock formation and visit Kirkenes near Russia's border to try king crab fishing. Our travelers like how these autumn tours mix cultural experiences at Sami camps with activities like snowshoeing and riding the cable car up Mount Storsteinen. The shorter days work perfectly for Northern Lights photos, especially when paired with stops at traditional lavvo-huts for hot drinks and also local cultural experiences. Three top-rated tour companies operate in Greenland, and our travelers have shared detailed experiences about each one. Tasermiut leads glacier walks and takes you through old Viking settlements - they've built up quite a following among our customers who want to really get into Greenland's history and landscapes. Their Wonders of Greenland tour needs good fitness levels though; you'll be doing some serious hiking and climbing. A few travelers mentioned they wished they'd known to pack more protein snacks since the provided meals were a bit light on that front. Arctic Range Adventure is running a solid operation with their Arctic Summer Explorer - they're quick to respond to questions and keep everything moving smoothly. Just pack warmer than what's on their list; one of our recent travelers found the temperatures chillier than expected even in summer. Think extra layers, warm socks, gloves and also a good windproof jacket. The feedback points to Greenland being exactly what you'd expect - raw, challenging and fascinating. The trick seems to be in the preparation: having the right gear, being realistic about your fitness and bringing along some extra food just in case. Our travelers consistently say the effort pays off when you're standing on a glacier or walking where the Vikings once lived.

  • September 2026 36 tours
  • October 2026 25 tours
  • November 2026 popular 49 tours
• Winter 2026 / 2027

  Winter brings real magic to the Arctic, especially when it comes to catching the Northern Lights and getting active in the snow. Lots of our guests head to Finnish Lapland, where they stay in glass-roofed Aurora cabins - you can literally watch the lights dance above while tucked in your warm bed. They zoom across snowy landscapes on snowmobiles to visit remote reindeer farms, learn the art of traditional sleigh steering and also join guided Northern Lights tours with cozy campfire breaks. Norway's coastal Hurtigruten voyages are another favorite, combining Arctic fjord sailing with aurora viewing opportunities past the North Cape, where you might spot humpback whales too. Our travelers particularly love mixing husky sledding through snow-covered forests with visits to Santa's Village right on the Arctic Circle and learning about Sami culture at Rovaniemi's Arktikum Museum.

  • December 2026 popular 85 tours
  • January 2027 47 tours
  • February 2027 43 tours