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Wildlife Guide | Geology of Spitsbergen | Arctic Explorers | Articles & Features |
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Natural History Sailing Voyages Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) Holidays Scottish Isles, Faroes & Jan Mayen to Spitsbergen Arctic Spitsbergen Diving, Wildlife & Marine Life Expedition Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) Holidays |
A journey in the Arctic is not one you merely take to reach your destination, but one to savour in itself, giving time and space to remove urban cobwebs and revitalise the mind. The coastal landscape are both rich and expansive, where one may marvel at the spectacle of dolphin acrobatics at the bow, view tail flukes of whales on the horizon or witness polar bears cruising by on the ice.
The Arctic's vast and remote expanse is ideal for exploration from the sea. Your vessel is no longer only a means of transport, but your base camp; sustaining and protecting you, whilst at the same time taking you deeper into one of the wildest and most hostile places on the planet. The Arctic instills a strong sense of detachment from the routine of modern commercial life. Aqua-Firma provides the opportunity to explore this remote wilderness by your choice of ice-strengthened vessels, or by sailing yachts and tallships. These vessels carry small groups of between 7 - 112 travellers, providing an intimate and stimulating atmosphere of like minded people. Each vessel however delivers a different experience: The ice-stengthened vessels are bold and powerful, hosting excellent viewing from the bridge, bow and decks throughout its length. One can watch in awe as the vessel deftly moves aside an ice mass equal in size to its own, whilst carving a path through the floes in its way. The tallships on the other hand, handsome, comfortable and undoubtedly suited to the challenges of the Arctic, evoking a romance and an expeditionary sense of adventure which comes with moving as one with the nature rather than against it. Aqua-Firma's specialist knowledge and experience means that optional adventures such as sea kayaking, snow shoe walking, hiking and polar sailing can form an integral part of certain expeditions, or added in as day trip extensions either side of your voyage. Photographic opportunities abound throughout the year, but on certain voyages we offer polar photography workshops, often hosted by Blue Planet and National Geographic award winning photographers and film makers. For the experienced dry suit diver we have an exciting programme of underwater exploration onboard our special marine life and wildlife departures. Such expeditions are often supported by underwater photographers and cameramen who bring back from their dives images of the underwater world: enriching the experience of those onboard who do not dive but wish to learn more about the incredible environment below the icy arctic waters. During all our natural history voyages we spend significant periods of time ashore in the company of some of the best natural history guides in the Arctic. Rigid inflatable boats carry small groups to impressive glacier fronts and majestic icebergs, providing close up observations of the incredible wildlife of the polar seas. Lectures, workshops and entertaining discussions are led by professionals including former British Antarctic Survey staff, marine scientists, wildlife experts, polar historians and geologists. Spitsbergen (Svalbard) Spitsbergen with its rugged mountains, sweeping tundra, ice caps and glaciers, is a High Arctic archipelago just 600 miles from the North Pole. It is a true wilderness: difficult to reach and hostile to explore. Spitsbergen is amongst the most interesting and exciting of all Arctic destinations, and is home to around 2,000 polar bears as well as walruses, reindeer, arctic fox and huge Arctic seabird colonies.....MORE Greenland is huge, isolated and difficult to imagine. It is the World's largest island, magnificent, dramatic and unspoilt by modern human trappings. Home to the largest National Park in the World, the North-East hosts majestic fjord scenery, enormous ice sheets, sweeping glaciers and mountainous icebergs. Its Arctic wildlife includes whales, musk oxen, polar bears and during the Summer months, when the sun rarely sets, a spectacular variety of birds....MORE Lofoten Islands & the North Cape The Lofoten Islands form a sweeping arc protruding out from the mainland of north western Norway. The sea here is deep, clear and warmed by the Gulf Stream. The Lofoten Islands emerge high and steep out from sea providing some of the most dramatic coastal scenery to be found anywhere. Dramatic scenery and islands continue up the Norwegian coast to it's northern most point, the North Cape (Nordkapp). We explore this region of islands, fjord and coastal mountains by means of two classic yachts … MORE
Photographs kindly provided by Troels Jacobsen, Jan Belgers, Tiu Simila, Rolf Stange and Charlotte Caffrey |
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