The Arctic’s icy tundra is its own unique ecosystem, spread out the earth’s most northern tip. Radiating out from the ‘North Pole’, it includes the Canadian Arctic, Alaska, northern Scandinavia, Russia, Norwegian Arctic, as well as Greenland & Baffin Island – each offering a plethora of wildlife, towering cliffs of nesting birds, bellowing walruses, the strange and superbly insulated muskox, exquisite flowers of the frozen tundra and, of course, a fascinating insight into Inuit life and polar history.
Sitting deep in the Arctic circle’s flow and pack ice are over 35.000 scenic islands – Baffin Island being the biggest – well known for their scenic wilderness of fjords, icy peaks, glaciers, arctic wildlife, and a history rich with Inuit culture. This is the Far North: the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. These seemingly inhospitable islands are littered with diverse wildlife, birdlife, plants and flowers. Famous for spotting whales, seals, walruses, Arctic wolves, foxes, and sometimes polar bear, caribou and the musk ox (although sightings of these majestic mammals in this area are infrequent) and the abundance of seabirds that nest in glacial nooks and crannies, and high-up on icy cliffs. This is a nature photographer’s dream destination.
Greenland is the largest island in the world and lies off the east coast of Canada, surrounded by the Arctic Ocean. The combination of vast, icy wilderness, incredible wildlife and the colourful communities, that can only be reached by air or sea, makes Greenland the perfect introduction to the Arctic and all the adventures it has to offer.
Spitsbergen and the Svalbard archipelago offer a tremendous wildlife and birdlife experience, as well as a fascinating lesson in glaciology. The islands are the northernmost inhabited places on the planet and would be permanently locked in ice if not for the moderating influence of the Atlantic Gulf Stream current. First used as a whaling base in the 17th and 18th centuries, the islands are now celebrated as a breeding ground for many seabirds, along with marine mammals and the elusive polar bear.
