Our thoughts go out to everyone impacted by the invasion of Ukraine. We are closely monitoring the situation and hoping it will be resolved soon. In the meantime, we are making alternative plans for our departures that call in Russia. We will continue to make adjustments to our itineraries as necessary. Lindblad Expeditions will directly follow up with guests with more detailed information as it becomes available.
The Arctic is imbued with a romance—from the history of polar exploration and dauntless early Vikings to the 18th- to 21st-century Northwest Passage and North Pole explorers. It has a reputation for extraordinary beauty and majesty, which is reflected in its central symbol, the polar bear. We’ve explored it for over 30 years, which enables us to offer an Arctic expedition exploring several diverse sectors of the vast Arctic geography—and assure your safety and comfort. With a fleet of three top-tier ice-class vessels fanning out across the vast Arctic, we offer a great variety of ways to explore this region. Discover cultural centers like Iceland, the iconic coasts of Norway, the ice edge of Greenland, and so much more.
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Arctic
Iceland
Special Offers
Length
11 days
From
$11,920
Prices are per person
Arctic
Iceland
Special Offers
Arctic
Iceland
New and Noteworthy
Special Offers
Length
17 days
From
$22,470
Prices are per person
Arctic
Iceland
New and Noteworthy
Special Offers
Arctic
Iceland
New and Noteworthy
Greenland
Special Offers
Length
20 days
From
$25,740
Prices are per person
Arctic
Iceland
New and Noteworthy
Greenland
Special Offers
Arctic
New and Noteworthy
Greenland
Special Offers
Length
17 days
From
$17,010
Prices are per person
Arctic
New and Noteworthy
Greenland
Special Offers
It is a privilege to visit the Arctic, one of the planet’s most interesting places, and to this privilege, National Geographic Endurance, National Geographic Explorer, and National Geographic Resolution add the luxury of comfort—a quality of shipboard life and a philosophy of wellness designed to relax and rejuvenate body, mind, and spirit.
The cultural activities were wonderful and it seemed like we were warmly welcomed each time we stopped.
Bonnie R.
5/24/2022
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National Geographic Endurance
Throughout the evening, we sailed north, and in the morning we woke up at Væroy Island, one of the many islands of Lofoten, Norway. The small bay we inhabited is home to Mastad, a small village that once had a population of 150 people. Now, only a dozen people use the village as a summer getaway. The island is particularly famous for the rarest of Norwegian dog breeds, the lundehund (puffin dog). This dog has six toes on each paw, making it particularly suited for climbing rocks and reaching the difficult cliff sides where puffins nest. The puffins were an important dietary staple and a source of extra income for the islanders. Væroy is also known for the former practice of catching and killing white-tailed eagles through hidey-holes to protect their sheep. This practice was discontinued in 1968 when Norway placed the eagles under protection. In the afternoon, we moved further north to another island in the Lofoten chain, Reine. This island is well known throughout Norway for its picturesque scenery of tall mountains, red houses, and cod. Hundreds of thousands of cod are left drying on racks in the traditional method that dates back more than a thousand years. It is a stunning sight to witness, and it can be an overwhelming experience for your nose. We spent the afternoon walking among the racks and taking in the sights around town. During another scrumptious dinner onboard, National Geographic Endurance sailed to one of the most impressive fjords in Norway–the Trollfjord. Only 100 meters wide at the entrance, the rock walls of the fjord skyrocket out of the water, creating quite a dramatic scene. Towards the back, the channel opens slightly into a calm bay. We all stood on deck soaking up the glorious view.
5/23/2022
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National Geographic Endurance
Melfjord is a beautiful fjord system in Nordland, the large central county of Norway. During the morning, we followed the curving waterway inland until turning north into a branch called Nordfjord. The skies cleared, the wind went still, and a magical morning of hikes and Zodiac cruising commenced. We explored the mossy understory of the birch forest and the intertidal zone of the long flat beach. Returning to the ship for an excellent lunch, our captain and the bridge team navigated to an immense waterfall in the main arm of Melfjord. During the afternoon, we cruised the islands on the seaward side of the fjord, dodging back and forth across the Arctic Circle at 66° 33’. After dinner, we docked alongside the island of Træna, one of the smallest municipalities in Norway with 452 residents. We visited the monument to the Arctic Circle, which runs through the island. The locals graciously opened their historic church and museum for us to enjoy, and the hotel team even met us in town with hot Nordic glögg, a Scandinavian spiced wine. A truly special way to bid farewell to the Subarctic and turn north.
5/21/2022
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National Geographic Resolution
We have rounded Sår Kapp!!! The South Cape of Spitsbergen! We are now making our way along the first big fjord on the western side of the island, which is called Hornsund. We sail in the soft morning light along its northern shore until we reach a headland at the bottom of a majestic cliff where thousands of kittywakes make their nests. This place is known as Gnålodden, a name which refers to the incessant sounds of the birds populating the area. We decide that it’s a lovely spot for a morning hike and so, after a thorough scout by the expedition team, we all go on land to explore the stunning nature from a different perspective. In three different groups, we reach a beautiful high point from which there’s a lovely view towards Burgerbukta, the bay just to the east of our landing spot. We are lucky enough to experience the beautiful sight of an Arctic fox as it looks for food at the base of the cliff. On the way back towards the landing place, we stop by a very well preserved trapper cabin. It was used for many years by Norwegian hunters, including one of the first women to have ever spent a winter in Svalbard. We hurry back on the ship. Our bridge team spots a polar bear sleeping on the fast ice in the eastern branch of Burgerbukta. We enjoy this majestic show in nature for a good hour. After a lovely lunch, we head over to our afternoon destination, just across the fjord. Here, after some attempts to find good ice, our expedition team finds a really good and safe spot for us to land and walk on floating fast ice. This is truly a once in a lifetime experience, and we are simply overwhelmed by such an amazing treat! As we are on the ice, we can see National Geographic Resolution just a short distance away. We spot the majestic peak of Hornsundtind, the highest mountain in Southern Spitsbergen, right above us! Simply a glorious time! We get back onboard the ship and have a nice recap session and a briefing for tomorrow by expedition leader Stefano Pozzi. We enjoy a lovely dinner, recalling the wonderful experiences we all lived through in the past few hours, and we build anticipation for what is awaiting us tomorrow. Bellsund, here we come!
5/21/2022
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National Geographic Endurance
As we arrived near the small archipelago of Bjornsund (Bear Sound) during breakfast, plan A was to offer expedition landing craft cruising. Our expedition leader decided to take advantage of the calm conditions to include our first chance for kayaking. Some guests opted for the expedition landing craft cruise instead. The weather cooperated, so all had a good morning exploring the shoreline of the small village on the island. Oystercatchers, common eiders, and a variety of gulls will make a fine start for our voyage bird list. After lunch, the photo team gathered to provide some good tips on expedition photography. Just as the lecture finished and we broke into small groups for one-on-one questions, a call on the PA system announced, “Killer whales on the starboard side!” We didn’t need to be told twice, and soon everyone was out on deck enjoying a show by a small pod of killer whales that often got quite close to the ship. We observed at least two young individuals, and a mature bull, with his tall dorsal fin, guarded the pod. The entire scene was punctuated by dozens of hungry gulls eager to snatch up some of the herring that the killer whales were eating. What a surprise when a large white-tailed eagle joined in the action, too!
5/20/2022
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National Geographic Resolution
The silky waters of Storfjord, softened by a smooth layer of fast ice in front of Kapp Lee, seem to be calling us. In the early morning light, we make our way to the outer decks of National Geographic Resolution . The ship is still. The expedition team scouts the frozen horizon with their binoculars, looking for the presence of life in the infinite absence of the Arctic Sea. We may not set foot on land this morning: too much ice. By ship, we cover a few nautical miles until we enter the narrow channel of water and ice between the islands of Edgeøya and Barentsøya: Freemanshundet. We observe a walrus, resting on a bed made of sea ice. We make our way through heavy brush ice and, as we proceed eastward, the sun starts to shine, fighting its way among silky clouds. As we turn back west, we spot a majestic polar bear walking by the shoreline of Barentsøya. We observe him as he peacefully climbs on top of a cliff and then continues his endless wandering in the Arctic immensities. Sharing a few moments of our life with this animal who makes his living in such a hostile place makes us even more aware of our inner voices, the voices that first invited us to join this expedition. The plan for the afternoon is to take advantage of the beautiful sunshine and head towards the east coast of Spitsbergen. We will come by it at the height of a bay called Agardhbukta. Here we spot a polar bear walking on fast ice in the distance. We plan to go for a walk on the ice, but as the scouting team is getting ready to get out of the ship, a thick layer of fog takes possession of the beautiful spot we found, preventing us from proceeding with our plans. We then stay onboard enjoying a couple of beautiful presentations by members of the expedition team. As the evening goes by, we enjoy a beautiful session of recap and a good briefing by our expedition leader, Stefano Pozzi. We are now heading south, as we want to explore the western side of Spitsbergen in the next few days. As we make our way across big ice floes, our thoughts go to the joys of this unique day. Suddenly we realize it’s over. The feeling of peace and quietness leaves space for the doubts and the unknowns of tomorrow. We don’t want today to end. As we hit another ice floe, our thoughts shake with the ship. We look out of the windows. The sun is still there. We have nothing to worry about. The night won’t come.
Sven-Olof Lindblad
Go Farther | 2022-23
