Eco-conscious travel company Aqua-Firma - the only company to offset the carbon emissions of its polar voyages - has launched a new tour, taking guests across snow and sea ice to learn how to mush huskies.

Guests will stay onboard a ship locked in ice; the 100-year old schooner will sail in to Spitsbergen - land of the polar bear - to take up position in a magnificent fjord called Tempelfjord, where it will remain until the summer thaw. And although the landscape is harsh, the heated ship provides comfort and luxury, with excellent food and facilities - not to mention incredible views across the ice.

Totally isolated from the rest of the world, travellers will learn the skills of harnessing, handling and mushing a team of huskies against a backdrop of mountains and glaciers. Travelling high above the Arctic Circle, less than 11 degrees latitude from the North Pole, guests will have the perfect opportunity to witness one of nature's most beautiful sights - the Northern Lights.

By Hazel Lubbock