Wrangel Island

Arrive independently to Anchorage, Alaska’s largest city, and transfer to the hotel for your included overnight stay. There will be a welcome meeting this evening to allow you to meet your fellow travellers and some of your expedition team.

After breakfast on day 2 you will transfer to the airport for your included flight to Nome where your expedition ship will be waiting. After settling in to your comfortable cabin and getting your bearings of the ship, you can join a fabulous welcome dinner where you will meet your captain and full expedition team.

As you cross the Bering Strait to Chukotka we recommend spending some time on deck to try and spot the beluga and grey whales that are often sighted here. We will dock in Provideniya to clear customs into Russia and, if time allows, enjoy a visit to the museum of history and culture and perhaps a traditional Yupik dance performance.

On day 4 you will be warmly welcomed to Lorino Village where the friendly locals might even greet you with a traditional dance. There will be chance to sample some of the local delicacies and the opportunity to learn all about life in this remote outpost before we make our way to Cape Dezhnev, Eurasia’s easternmost point. Here you will have the chance to explore the ancient Inuit settlement of Naukan and see the remains of a Soviet-era research centre.

Day 5 sees us edge closer to the ultimate goal of this unique expedition, reaching Wrangel Island. As you sail, your expert expedition team will keep you entertained with informative presentations and discussions on the area’s wildlife, history and geology.

By day 6 we will hope to have reached the coast of Wrangel Island where your in-depth exploration will begin. Over the next 4 days you will explore around the Wrangel and Herald Islands on a constant search for wildlife. The exact route taken will be dependent on ice and weather conditions, but each day your experienced crew will determine the best places to visit to enjoy unrivalled wildlife and scenic opportunities. Throughout your time here you will take Zodiac (small boat) cruises in search of Polar bears, walrus and ringed seals, whilst walks across the vast tundra will see you seeking out sightings of musk oxen, reindeer and Arctic fox. Local rangers will accompany you as you explore, and will help you search for fossilised remains of woolly mammoth and a kaleidoscope of wildflowers. You will also get the chance to listen to tales of Inuit and Chukchi hunters, the first European explorers and the survivors of the Karluk disaster.

Leaving the wonders of Wrangel Island behind, there’s time for more adventure as you enjoy some expedition sailing along the Chukotka coast. Places we will hope to land at as we sail include Kolyuchin Island where you will see some of the Arctic’s most spectacular bird cliffs, a host of wildflowers and an abandoned meteorological station.

On Arakamchechen Island we will hope to enjoy a walk to see a walrus haulout and search the waters for Humpback, grey and bowhead whales, before visiting nearby Nuneangan Island and enjoying a memorable dip in a hot spring on Penkigngey Bay surrounded by beautiful scenery.

A highlight will be a trip to Whale Bone Alley on Ytytygran Island which offers fantastic photo opportunities, and after clearing customs again in Provideniya, we will head back into the Bering Sea and cross into the Bering Strait.

Our penultimate stop will bring us to King Island where, if weather conditions allow, you can explore around the eerie, abandoned ancient village of Ukivok.

Having arrived back into Nome harbour on day 15, you will transfer to the airport for your included flight back to Anchorage. An overnight hotel stay in Anchorage is included tonight. After breakfast on day 16, your itinerary will come to an end.