Marvel at the awesome Northern Lights, majestic wildlife and the thunderous sound of cracking glaciers

The Arctic, often referred to as the Roof of the World, is where you will find spectacular coastal fjords, icebergs the size of skyscrapers, and glaciers that rumble and crack like thunder as large chunks carve away and crash into the sea.

Not to forget the abundant wildlife, birds in particular, and the chance to encounter a polar bear, hopefully at a distance, or a gargantuan walrus as it swims gracefully within touching distance of your expedition Zodiac.

The most northernmost region of the planet stretches above the Arctic Circle, and includes the Arctic Ocean, Greenland, Baffin Island, other smaller islands, and the far northern parts of Europe, Russia (Siberia), Alaska and Canada.

The boom in cruising and the increasing demand for fresh sights to see means that cruise options for exploring the Arctic have multiplied, with larger, more luxurious ships now competing with smaller expedition vessels complete with ice-strengthened hulls that can get closer to the action.

Voyage around the coast to Svalbard or the Russian city of Murmansk; gently drift around Greenland’s Disko icefields – yes, Greenland is predominantly ice – and learn that it was a large icerberg from Ilulissat that drifted its way many hundreds of miles into the path of the Titanic, with catastrophic consequences.

The Greenlanders are a very friendly people, and in the tiny village of Itilleq they open the doors of their comfortable, open-plan homes to welcome visitors.

Cruises to the Arctic and Greenland typically set sail from June to August to catch the better weather, but cruises to the Norwegian Coast continue during winter.

Increasingly popular are cruises promising one of the world’s most awe-inspiring phenomena … the Aurora Borealis, otherwise known as the Northern Lights. Some cruise lines, such as Hurtigruten, virtually guarantee that you will be dragged out of bed so as not to miss a sight that will stay with you forever.

Ports of call

Kirkenes
This small town in far northeastern Norway is best known for its Snowhotel which is rebuilt from fresh snow and ice each winter.

Murmansk
Murmansk, the last city to be established in the Russian Empire, is the Arctic Circle’s most populated settlement, now home to 307,000 people. Its 100-year history is chronicled in various museums, among them Lenin icebreaker, a decommissioned 1950s nuclear-powered ship.

Spitsbergen
First used as a whaling base in the 17th and 18th centuries, Spitsbergen sits ust 600 miles from the North Pole, and is the largest and only permanently populated island of the Svalbard.

Svalbard
The Norwegian archipelago between mainland Norway and the North Pole is among the world’s northernmost inhabited areas. It’s where you are likely to find polar bears sheltering in the remote terrain of glaciers and frozen tundra, as well as Svalbard reindeer and Arctic foxes.

Longyearbyen
Many cruises begin or terminate at this small coal-mining town on Spitsbergen Island is famed for its views of the Northern Lights. It is literally a mine of information, with various museums chronicling the region’s natural and cultural history. For the adventurous there are husky-dog sleds and snowmobiles rides.