Expedition Overview
Expedition Overview
- Get expert tips from a National Geographic photographer as you train your lens on diverse wildlife, including walruses, arctic foxes, reindeer, and puffins.
- Explore the World Heritage site of Wrangel Island Reserve, known as the “polar bear nursery” of the world for the high concentration of dens found here.
- From the decks of the National Geographic Resolution, observe gray whales in their northern feeding grounds in the Chukchi and Bering Seas with a team of naturalists.
- Experience the traditional reindeer-herding culture of Chukotka, Russia, and enjoy a cultural music and dance performance in Provideniya.
Itinerary
Itinerary
Discover the rugged lands of the Russian Far East and the UNESCO World Heritage site of Wrangel Island Reserve on a 13-day voyage aboard the National Geographic Resolution. Set sail from Alaska, crossing the legendary Bering Strait to discover pristine coastlines rich with wildlife, and experience the traditions of the indigenous peoples that make their home in these remote reaches of the planet. Discover a profusion of plant life, spy walruses and myriad seabirds on the tundra, and continue north into the Arctic Ocean to search for the iconic polar bears of Wrangel Island.
This trip is operated in collaboration with Lindblad Expeditions.
Fly from Anchorage to Nome, Alaska. Embark the National Geographic Resolution this afternoon and set sail. On our first leg of the voyage, we cross the legendary Bering Strait, the narrow passage that links the Pacific to the Arctic Ocean and separates two continents.
At the western edge of the Bering Strait lies Provideniya, a former Soviet military port. Often called “the gateway to the Arctic,” Provideniya is also the administrative center where we will conduct the ship's clearance into Russia. Visit the local museum, which houses historic artifacts and paintings from the area, and witness a traditional dance performance by the indigenous Yupik people.
Head north through the Bering Strait and round Cape Dezhnev, the easternmost point of the Eurasian continent and a former center for fur and whale trading. Conditions permitting, venture ashore and hike to the lighthouse at the tip of this rocky headland. Continue to the nearby Chukchi and Yupik village of Inchoun, known for its rich artistic traditions.
Today, we explore Kolyuchin Island and Inlet on the northern Chukotka coast. An enormous tidal estuary, Kolyuchin Inlet offers excellent hiking and birding opportunities. Nearby, Kolyuchin Island is a high, cliff-lined island where puffins and guillemots nest, and where Pacific walruses occasionally sunbathe on the rocks below. Explore this remote and untouched coastline in a Zodiac, and conditions permitting, head ashore to go hiking with our naturalists.
Spend four days exploring the World Heritage-listed Wrangel Island Reserve in the Arctic Ocean. With the world’s largest population of Pacific walruses and the highest density of ancestral polar bear dens, Wrangel Island offers incredible opportunities for wildlife viewing. The island escaped glaciation during the last ice age, and now has the highest level of biodiversity in the high Arctic, with an astonishing variety of plant life. It was also the last refuge of woolly mammoths, whose bones and tusks have been discovered amid the island’s riverbeds, providing intriguing clues to their past existence. As we explore by ship, by Zodiac, and on foot, keep an eye out for gray whales, which can be found in these prime feeding grounds, and more than 100 migratory bird species.
Enjoy a day at sea as we make our way south from Wrangel Island to the easternmost reaches of Russia. Attend talks by our expedition team, visit the ship’s bridge and library, and spy seabirds from the deck. Later, experience Chukchi culture during a day in Lorino, the largest indigenous village in Chukotka. Witness a dance performance and learn about this traditional fishing, hunting, and reindeer-herding culture.
Continuing our journey down the coast of the rugged Russian Far East, we’ll take advantage of the flexibility of our schedule to explore by Zodiac, kayak, and by foot. Later, continue to Provideniya, where we conduct our outbound clearance before heading back east to Nome.
Spend our final day at sea, crossing the Bering Strait. Spend time on deck with binoculars in hand, on the lookout for marine mammals and seabirds. Attend talks by our naturalists and photo team, or perhaps treat yourself to a massage.
Arrive in Nome this morning, and transfer to the airport for flights to Anchorage and home.