Chukotka – Where Russia’s Day Begins
Visit the world’s polar bear ‘maternity ward’ | 18 days
This is a special expedition which includes Wrangel Island and the annual Beringia Regatta. It begins and ends in Nome, Alaska and sails across the Bering Strait, crossing the International Date Line twice.
The Chukotka Autonomous Region was the last part of Siberia to be conquered or ‘subdued’ by the Cossack invaders from the west. Chukotka’s indigenous people include Chukchi, Inuit, Even, Koryak, Chuvan and Yukaghir. Meet them, listen to their stories and learn of their strong connection with the land and the sea – as well as celebrate with them at their annual regatta and festival.
We will also explore the vast tundra with its wild flowers and dwarf tree species and watch for brown bears, reindeer, arctic foxes, ground squirrels and even wolverine. At sea, we will keep a look out for whales. Wrangel Island will amaze you with its polar bears, walrus and rich Arctic history.
Ship: Heritage Adventurer
When: Normally one departure annually in July
Guide price: Please ask
Important note: As a result of the Russia-Ukraine war, these voyages are suspended until further notice. We continue to watch the situation carefully and will issue updates accordingly.
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Our sister company, Far Frontiers Travel, specialises in tailor-making bespoke travel to Central Asia, China and Mongolia, the Far East, Indian Subcontinent and the Himalayas, Indochina, Myanmar, Middle East, North Africa and Europe, Russia and South America.
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Clients’ comments
“Once again thank you very much for yet another wonderful trip to the Arctic. Memories from this trip have surpassed some of those of previous visits to this part of the world. The whole voyage provided me (and fellow passengers) the chance to see a part of the Arctic seen by few people and experience the vastness of the Northern Sea Route and the challenges it presents in the future”.
Peter Wright, The Northern Sea Route and Wrangel Island
“This was a wonderful trip. Getting there and back was slightly trying, not because of the airlines (both Transaero and Yakutia were good) but because of the length of the flights, the hassle of boarding, stopping over in Irkutsk on the way back, and of course the time changes (3 hours London/Moscow, nearly 9 hours Moscow/Petropavlovsk, and the reverse on the way back. The voyage itself was splendid. There were some early starts and late finishes, a few rather optimistic ‘dry landings’ from zodiacs (I always wore rubber wellingtons and always needed them) and one optimistic ‘walk’ through a pass between bays which involved ploughing through deep/very deep snow for about a mile while on a slope most of the way. But we took these in our stride. We saw tons of wildlife – literally; at least two dozen whales, more than 5,000 hauled-out walruses, about 50 sea-lions, dozens of seals, and at least 15 brown bears. We were successful in finding the spoon-billed sandpiper, and the scientific element of the trip was both enlightening and exciting.”
Chris Meader, In Bering’s wake, in search of the spoon-billed sandpiper