The Norwegian Arctic

Glaciers, Polar Bears, Seals, and Puffins

The next stop in our European summer adventure was the Norwegian Arctic.

We boarded a charter flight and headed north into the Arctic circle:

A few things to know about this itinerary:

• The glaciers are unbelievable. I thought Glacier Bay in Alaska was incredible. This is stunning. You are surrounded by ice most of the time.

• This is not a wildlife cruise. Polar bears are an apex predator so all animals are nervous in the Arctic. We saw glimpses of seals and birds and foxes and whales and dolphins, but they are on alert and hide quickly.

• You won’t get close to the polar bears. Norway has very strict regulations about how far you have to be from the polar bears. If you want to get closer to polar bears, the Canadian Arctic and Greenland are a better choice.

• You need a super zoom lens for your camera to get a closer view. The ship has a camera that’s incredible. That absolutely worked for me. If you are an amateur photographer who wants to shoot wildlife, Antarctica or Galapagos may be a better choice. You’ll get much closer to the animals without an expensive lens.

• Read about the Arctic exploration. I read one book about Arctic exploration at home. It made the journey so much more interesting and meaningful to me.

• You’ll need waterproof pants. Other than that, we relied on the ship for our gear. The jackets, hat and boots worked great. I also brought a pair of fleece lined leggings that were perfect for days on the ship. We used our swim shirts as the perfect under layer. (These are affiliate links.)

• You don’t have to take every Zodiac trip to have a terrific experience. I do recommend going to as many lectures as you can and chatting with the expedition team during their on deck hours. You can learn so much.

What do you think? Are you heading to the Norwegian Arctic?