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Light in the Land of the Midnight Sun
The midnight sun, also referred to as the polar day, is a fascinating natural event observed within the Arctic and Antarctic circles. During the polar summer, the sun remains above the horizon for 24 hours a day, resulting in continuous daylight without any sunrise or sunset. This phenomenon occurs due to the Earth's seasonal tilt towards the sun during the summer months in these regions.
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Svalbard’s 12 Most Iconic Animals
Each of our Arctic regions offers its own distinct and unforgettable features: Greenland boasts mountainous shorelines and record-setting fjords, Northern Norway is renowned for the aurora borealis and historic masted schooners, and Svalbard (especially Spitsbergen) is where you're most likely to encounter a variety of Arctic wildlife.
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10 Terrific Antarctic Bird Facts
Antarctica is a premier destination for birdwatching, boasting around 45 unique species. Describing them all would require an extensive article, so here we will focus on 10 fascinating facts about the birds you can encounter in Antarctica.
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South Georgia Whaling Stations
South Georgia is a paradise for animal enthusiasts. It stands out as one of the most wildlife-abundant destinations in our polar expeditions, whether in the Northern or Southern Hemisphere.
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10 Traits of Post-Ice-Age Greenland
Grasses, sedges, and other species of heath were the first arrivals, and are still commonly found in Greenland. Scientists have been able to work out how plants colonised Greenland by examining ancient pollen samples found in deposits at the bottom of lakes: Dwarf birch came to western Greenland around 9,000 years ago, and around 4,500 years ago – roughly the same time humans were first boating onto Greenland shores – green alders were taking up residence there.
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Life in a Penguin Colony
Captain Pieter J. Lenie Base, also known as Base Copacabana or simply Copa Base, is situated on King George Island off the western shores of the Antarctic Peninsula. This American research station has been home to scientists studying Adélie, gentoo, and chinstrap penguins for over three decades, aiming to understand how to best conserve these cherished species.
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Hondius Photography and Video Workshops
There’s no shortage of great things to say about a Hondius expedition cruise, but among the best are the free video and photography workshops offered during some of this ship’s voyages. These informative, interactive, highly useful supplements allow you to not only capture your memories in the best way possible but also make your friends back home maddeningly jealous.
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Top 10 Tips for Packing Your Polar Photography Equipment
One of the most common questions I get asked before a cruise is, “What photography equipment should I bring?” It’s a broad question, and answers vary based on the individual. There are, however, a few key pointers that apply to almost everyone.
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Greenland: East vs. West
East and West Greenland offer vastly different experiences due to their unique climates, wildlife, habitation, and geology.
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The Northern Lights dancing across the skies
The Northern Lights typically manifest in a belt with a radius of 2,500 kilometers centered on the magnetic North Pole. This auroral zone spans northern Scandinavia, Iceland, the southern tip of Greenland, and continues over northern Canada, Alaska, and along the northern coast of Siberia.
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Graham Land: A landscape dominated by volcanoes
An Antarctic cruise may explore the upper tip of the Antarctic Peninsula where one finds Graham Land, a jagged, glaciated part of Antarctica with a landscape dominated by volcanoes. Despite the volcanoes being over 200 million years old they are far from extinct with volcanic activity occurring today. Graham Land is connected to Palmer Land at the point where the Antarctic Peninsula widens from around 75 km to around 200 km south of Marguerite Bay.
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Greenland: Where the Kayak Was Invented
If you've ever enjoyed kayaking, you owe a debt of gratitude to the ancient Greenlandic Inuit who originally designed them for hunting. The thrilling adventures people now have navigating some of the world's most challenging rapids wouldn't be possible without the Inuit's need for a nimble form of water transportation. While travelers still use kayaks in this region, they are typically not fishing, whaling, or sealing. Consequently, recreational kayaks have been adapted to fit their new role.
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The Overlooked Treasures of Ascension Island
If you know anything about Ascension Island, which is unlikely, it probably has to do with the green turtle breeding population that exists there.
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Adding Antarctica to Your Seven-Continents Bucket List
Many travelers aspire to visit all seven continents, a goal that fits naturally with the concept of a "bucket list," a term popularized by the 2007 movie.
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Spitsbergen: a true polar bear trip
On the third day of our Svalbard cruise, we navigated through the sea ice north of Spitsbergen. The morning greeted us with fog and fragmented ice, but conditions gradually improved. A swarm of black-legged kittiwakes trailed behind us, as our ship stirred the waters, pushing aside ice floes to reveal the tiny dark polar cod beneath.
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The Norse Settlement of Greenland
Erik the Red is a significant and vibrant figure in the history of the Norse Vikings. His story is primarily documented in the Icelandic Sagas Huaksbók (14th Century) and Skalhóltsbók (15th Century). These accounts offer slightly different versions of events that occurred 3-400 years earlier. The original saga of Erik the Red is believed to have been written around 1200 A.D., with the Skalhóltsbók version considered closest to the original. Additionally, Flateyjarbók (13th Century), which includes the Saga of the Greenlanders, is a crucial source for understanding the settlement of Greenland and the discovery of Vinland – North America.
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True South: A New Flag for a Global Antarctica
When Evan Townsend signed up to spend the winter of 2018 working at an Antarctic research station, he had no reason to expect he would end the season by designing a new flag for the continent. He had even less reason to expect the support it would receive.
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Hot Ice: Breeding Practices of Five Polar Animals
Last Valentine's Day we gave you 14 wildlife pictures highlighting the ins, outs, ups, and downs of polar romance. This year we're moving on to something a little more advanced: the nitty-gritty details of polar wildlife breeding rituals.
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The Ice-Jewelled Geology of Spitsbergen
The Svalbard archipelago is located in the Arctic Ocean, roughly 660 km (410 miles) north of Norway's northernmost point. This region is a haven for geologists, boasting a rich geological history that spans from the Mesozoic era (65-245 million years ago) through the Cambrian era (570 million years ago) and back to the Archean era, over 3.5 billion years ago.
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Six Facts About the Crabeater Seals of Antarctica
Antarctic fur seals, leopard seals, Weddell seals, Ross seals, southern elephant seals... The many seal species of Antarctica all have names that are in some way explained by their appearance or primary region of distribution.