Itinerary

Across the Northeast Passage attempts one of the great geographical challenges of our time – a must for explorers and the adventure-minded. We traverse nine time zones and six seas, from Murmansk to Anadyr, following in the wake of Baron Nils Nordenskjöld – the first to succeed. We call at numerous archipelagos, huge Siberian river deltas and discover isolated Eskimo villages, polar bear dens and a treasure trove of Arctic wildlife.

Days 1-3
After your overnight stay in Murmansk and afternoon city tour, you will be transferred to Akademik Shokalskiy late afternoon for an evening departure. Informative talks, preparatory briefings, bird and whale watching on the Barents Sea. 

Days 4-5
Explore militarily restricted Novaya Zemlya, visit Willem Barents’s 1597 overwintering site and replica house. Look for migrating terns, grouse and Snowy owls. 

Days 6-7
Enter icy Kara Sea aiming for Uyedineniya and Pakhtusova Islands, favoured by seabirds, walrus and polar bears.

Days 8-10
Severnaya Zemlya’s four biggest islands sport mountains, ice caps, glaciers and fjords. Little auks, guillemots and kittiwakes wrap up their breeding season. 

Day 11
Seek the world’s biggest migrating caribou herd, a diversity of birds and woolly mammoth tusks on the Taimyr Peninsula, mainland Asia’s northernmost feature.

Day 12
Mighty Lena River delta, the world’s second largest, fosters carpets of moss, lichen, medicinal herbs and flowers. Walrus, seals, many land mammals and 100 bird species feed here. Beluga whales and narwhals forage in outer channels. 

Days 13–15
Melting permafrost on the Novosibirskie Islands reveals mega-fauna bones and tusks 200 millennia old, when mammoths and rhinoceros roamed the Great Arctic Plain. We may see sanderlings, sandpipers, red knots, wolves and polar bears. 

Day 16
The Indigirka delta’s patchy forests, autumnal grasses and mosses provide habitat for a myriad of birds in one of the world’s most important breeding grounds.

Day 17
Often icebound, even during summer, the Medvezie (Bear) islands are a popular denning area for polar bears. 

Day 18
When winter snow melts, Chukotka’s Aion Island pastures lure reindeer herds. In the 1920s-30s, Russian archaeologists unearthed ancient Eskimo artefacts here.

Days 19 – 21
Wrangel Island, the world’s most northern World Heritage Site, is a wildlife paradise! Never glaciated, the low mountains, rivers and wetlands support 400 plant species and the planet’s greatest concentration of polar bear dens. Thousands of migrating birds, countless animals and the last-known stamping grounds of the woolly mammoth. 

Day 22
Zodiacs transport us to Kolyuchin Island’s sea cliffs where puffins, gulls and cormorants fledge. 

Day 23
Chukchi and Eskimo ivory carvers and hunters in Uelen village share their culture. From Cape Dezhneva, easternmost point of mainland Asia, we visit Big Diomede Island. 

Day 24
‘Whalebone Alley’, Yttygran’s historic sculpture park of weathered whalebones, precedes our visit to the Chukchi inhabitants of Yanrakinnot village. Pintegney Bay and Seniavinskiy Strait may reveal puffin rookeries, walrus and Beluga whales. 

Day 25
Explore Achen Lagoon, a favourite of migratory birds, and cruise amongst Preobrazeniya Bay’s extraordinary basalt spires and overhangs. 

Day 26
Disembark in Anadyr in the morning and celebrate your month-long adventure while being transferred to the airport.

Activities

How to Prepare

To ensure you have an enjoyable and safe expedition we have developed some import pre-departure information to help you prepare for your voyage. We strongly recommend you download the documents below and read carefully. Our reservation staff will be happy to answer any questions you may have. Before you depart for your expedition we will send you a detailed pack including your itinerary, travel documents and any other essential information relevant to your voyage.

Is your passport valid? 
Your passport will be required to have validity that will extend to six months after the date of your return.

Visa arrangements? 
Your visa arrangements are your responsibility. Foreigners entering Russian Federation require a valid visa. A tourist visa is issued for a period of 30 days. Please refer to appropriate Consulate in a country of your residence for details. Click here to find your closest Russian Consulate. 

Travel insurance? 
All passengers are required to provide travel insurance details including policy number and emergency contact number to Aurora Expeditions prior to departure. We strongly recommend insurance coverage that includes emergency medical evacuation from the vessel.

Emergency contact details? 
So that you can be contacted in the case of an emergency, remember to provide your family or friends with a copy of your travel documents as well as Aurora Expeditions’ and your Ship’s contact numbers.

Remember to pack any valuables or essential items such as medication in your hand luggage to avoid issues in the case of lost baggage.

Russian Coast Landing & Wildlife Viewing Guidelines

Russian Coast Photography Hints

Russian Coast What To Bring Checklist

How to Book

Contact us

If you are interested in an Aurora Expeditions voyage, please contact our sales team to check availability.
Either email an expert here or call our experienced consultants direct on + 61 2 9252 1033 or 1800 637 688 (Freecall within Australia).

Complete a booking form

Once availability is confirmed, please download, print and complete the booking form. Please return it to us, along with your deposit to secure your berth.  Please ensure you read the Terms and Conditions of contract before sending us your signed booking form.

Download the booking form here.

Terms & Conditions

Click here to view the terms and conditions.

Preparation for your voyage

On receipt of the booking form, we will contact you to confirm your booking and our reservations staff will send you a comprehensive pre-departure kit. This kit will contain all necessary pre-departure information including visa information, insurance information, a medical and personal details form, comprehensive gear list and information tailored to your voyage.

Aurora Expeditions - Your Personal Travel Agent

Aurora Expeditions is a licensed travel agent. Our experienced reservations consultants all have specialised expertise on the destinations we travel to. Each voyage has a dedicated travel expert solely working on developing dynamic itineraries for our passengers.  Contact our reservations team and allow us to create a personal itinerary to compliment your voyage, including airfares, accommodation, travel insurance and pre and post voyage travel options.

We look forward to assisting you with your journey of a lifetime.

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