Arctic Russia & Wrangel Island

Why Join This Cruise:

• A rare, privileged opportunity to visit a remote and little known corner of the world, offering pristine scenery and fabulous wildlife


• Wrangel Island boasts the highest density of Polar Bear dens in the world earning it the title of the "Polar Bear Maternity Ward"


• Travel aboard an authentic, expeditionary ship with ice strengthened capabilities

Trip Overview
Discover the north eastern part of Eurasia (Chukotka) in a way that has never been possible before. On this expedition you cruise across the Arctic Circle through the Bering Strait and into the Arctic sea, culminating with two days of exploring Wrangel Island, closed off during the communist era, but now recognized as THE "Polar Bear Maternity Ward" with the highest concentration of bear den sites in the world.



Daily Itinerary

Day 1 Embarkation in Nome
Embark the Marina Svetaeva in the afternoon and set sail from Nome for your journey along the coast of Chukotka

Day 2 Itygran Island
Explore the Arakamchechen Archipelago today in search of some unique cultural and wildlife experiences. We may visit the Chuckchi settlement of Yanrakinnot, a small village whose inhabitants still practice a traditional way of life reindeer herding, fishing and hunting.

We hope to visit Itygran Island, home to the World Heritage site of Whalebone Alley, this sacred site consists of an avenue of raised bowhead and gray whale ribs and jawbones once used for religious ceremonies by ancient Chuckchi hunters.

Day 3 Uelen & Cape Dezhnev
Today we sail through Bering Strait, the famous waterway spanning less than 100km that separates Russia from the USA.

We plan to make a landing at Cape Dezhnev, the easternmost point of the Eurasian continent. Crossing the Arctic Circle in the late afternoon on the International dateline, we have the unique experience of straddling two continents, two time zones and two oceans. This evening we enter into the one of the world's least explored regions, the Arctic Ocean.

Day 4 Kolyluchinskaya Estuary
Today we are aiming to explore the Kolyluchinskaya Estuary and the areas between the Amguena and Vankarem Rivers, an almost untouched ancient tundra ecosystem. This is a fantastic place for Zodiac cruising and hiking amongst the tundra flowers and watch for bird species such as yellow-billed loon, tufted puffins and the endemic emperor geese.
We keep an eye out for ringed seals and whales as we head west to our next destination - Wrangel Island.

Days 5-7 Wrangel Island
If ice conditions allow, we plan to spend three days exploring the exceptionally rich natural history of Wrangel Island Nature Reserve, which covers some 750,000 hectares.

Wrangel has undergone a unique evolutionary process that was uninterrupted by the glaciation that swept much of the Arctic during the last ice age. This has resulted in this seldom-visited island having the highest level of biodiversity in the entire High Arctic.

Wrangel supports and protects huge seabird colonies and rarer bird species such as snowy owl and Russia's only remaining snow geese. The Reserve is home to the world's largest concentration of breeding polar bears - we hope to encounter these magnificent animals during our explorations, as well as other Wrangel inhabitants such as reindeer, musk ox, Arctic fox, walrus and gray whales.

Day 8 Chukotka Coast
During our return voyage along the remote and rugged Chukotka coast we experience expedition cruising at its best as we seek out places of interest along this extraordinary coastline.

We first head west of Wrangel Island and explore the Siberian Coast toward Pevek, covering part of the celebrated North West passage. We return east into the Chuckchi Sea where we hope to visit Cape Vankarem, a narrow tongue of land backed by a large lagoon and home to some 30,000 walrus.

Day 9 Arakamchechen Archipelago
Crossing through the Bering Strait once again, we pass by the Diomede Islands. These two specs of land span the international border and were a hotspot during the cold war, with American and Soviet military eyeing each other across the 4km gap between the islands.

We are on the lookout for orca and beluga whales as we head south and aim to make a landing on Arakamchechen Island, home to a myriad of nesting seabirds including guillemots, tufted puffins and crested auklets.

Day 10 Disembark in Nome
We dock and Disembark in the morning at the port town of Nome.

IMPORTANT NOTE
Please bear in mind that while accurate, this onboard itinerary is merely a guide to the route your voyage is likely to undertake, rather than a strict schedule to which you will always adhere, as local weather and wildlife conditions will ultimately influence your exact daily path. The thick pack ice of the Arctic Ocean is a likely obstacle for our passage to Wrangel Island. A flexible itinerary, making the most of local conditions and opportunities, is one of the great advantages of expeditionary cruising and should always been borne in mind.



The Boat
The following boat is available for this cruise, please refer to the 'Arctic Boats' section for full details:

Marina Svetaeva

Expeditionary Dates for 2009

6th - 18th Aug

Guide Price for 2009

	Prices from:
Quad	£3,165pp
Triple	£3,675pp
Twin Share	£4,240pp
Twin Private	£4,580pp
Mini Suite	£5,370pp
Suite	£5,935pp

What's included?

• 13 nights on board Marina Svetaeva


• All lectures and guide services on board


• All guided shore excursions including by zodiac


• Port taxes

What's not included?

• All flights getting to and from the points of embarkation/ disembarkation


• Pre/ post accommodation in Seattle & Nome


• Any additional accommodation, excursions, transfers or activities


• Travel insurance and visas


• Gratuities on board


• Drinks while on board and items of a personal nature e.g. laundry


• Any additional fuel surcharge, if levied by the boat operators following further rises in the cost of oil

NOTES

Flight Information
These guide prices exclude international flights to and from the point of embarkation/ disembarkation in Nome, Alaska. However we can look into these for you if you would like.

The easiest routing would be to fly from London to Seattle with British Airways, and then onwardS to Nome via Anchorage with Alaskan Airways.

Visas
Visas are required for Russia and you must have six months to run on your passport from the date of return to the UK.

To discuss this trip, for further details or to check boat availability, please either:

Call 01285 880981
Email voyages@steppestravel.co.uk