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  • St Russia Franz Josef Land Cape Tegetthoff

Arctic Russia Safari Inspiration

  • Polar bear on Wrangel Island, Russia, Heritage Expeditions

    Wrangel Island: Across the Top of the World

    Russia - from $12,699

    Set sail to Wrangel Island in the Russian Arctic, a protected nature reserve known as the polar bear capital of the world. Over two weeks you’ll cross vast tundra and sail through icy inlets, always on the lookout for breaching whales, seabird colonies lining the cliffs and of course the King of the Arctic himself, the mighty polar bear.

  • Orca, Kamchatka | © J. E. Ross, Heritage Expeditions

    Siberia East Coast Expedition

    Russia - from $7,452

    Discover eastern Siberia, one of the most remote regions on the planet, setting your sights upon seals and sea otters, thousands of seabirds and the magnificent brown bears of Kamchatka while sailing along Russia’s coastline.

  • Arctic Russia | © Aterauds Jewel

    Jewel of the Russian Far East

    Russia - from $7,268

    Cruise the rugged coastlines of Russia’s eastern seaboard, a remote and seldom-visited area that is known for its breathtaking landscapes and rich wildlife. Travelling in September, witness thousands of seabirds prepare for migration, along with the walrus, sea otters and Kamchatkan brown bears that call this region home.

  • Polar bear, Franz Josef Land | © Anthony Smith

    Franz Josef Land Explorer

    Svalbard - from $10,194

    An epic journey to the rarely visited Russian High Arctic. Sail from Svalbard across the icy Barents Sea to Franz Josef Land in search of polar bears, walrus and the elusive bowhead whale.

  • Tufted puffins, Arctic Russia

    Northeast Passage and Wrangel Island, Russian High Arctic

    At the top of the world, near Alaska and 140km from the coast of Siberia, lies Wrangel Island, the little known polar bear capital of the world. Sail from Svalbard through the mysterious Russian High Arctic on an adventure that few ever experience. You’ll stop at small archipelagos, wander through the tundra, and look out for polar bears, foxes and walrus that congregate here in huge numbers. Experience destinations most people will never have heard of, as you learn the history of this magnificently wild part of the world.

  • Bukhta Natalia, Kamchatka | © J E Ross, Heritage Expeditions

    Ring of Fire: Kamchatka and Kuril Islands

    Russia - from $7,867

    The Kuril Islands and Kamchatka Peninsula are situated prominently on the Ring of Fire, a series of volcanic belts and colliding tectonic plates that almost encircle the Pacific Ocean. Geothermal activity has created a beautiful and unique landscape here in Russia’s Far East, where brown bears, seabird and cetaceans thrive. Discover the Ring of Fire on board the Spirit of Enderby.

Arctic Russia Holidays

Arctic Russia and the Russian Far East are characterised by an extensive remote and untamed wilderness. Stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk and the Kuril Islands in the south all the way through the Bering Strait to the Chukchi Sea and Wrangel Island in the north, this is an untouched haven for wildlife. Bears are a focus for visitors as the Kamchatka Peninsula, a barely accessible ‘land of fire and ice’ renowned for its active volcanoes, is home to the Kamchatkan brown bear, and Wrangel Island is home to the mighty polar bear.

Sea otters, Steller's sea lions, ribbon seals, and northern fur seals are amongst some of the marine mammals which populate the area. The waters provide important feeding, wintering, and migrating habitat for many species of whales, including sperm whales, orca, humpbacks, and bowhead whales, as well as endangered species like fin whales and the North Pacific right whales.

This is also an area that is a paradise for birders, with an abundance of species including the critically endangered spoon-billed sandpiper which is endemic to the region, the rare Steller’s sea eagles and tufted puffins.

 

 

Arctic Russia Whale Breach and Ship | © K Ovsyanikova

Arctic Russia Highlights

Wrangel Island, situated well above the Arctic Circle and lying 140km off the northeast coast of Siberia, has the highest level of biodiversity in the high Arctic and was declared a nature reserve in 1976. It has one of the highest concentrations of polar bears on the planet and is sometimes referred to as the ‘Polar Bear Maternity Ward’, due to the large number of cubs born here. It also boasts the world’s largest population of Pacific walrus, and cetaceans such as belugas and occasionally bowhead whales can be seen offshore. Wrangel is thought to be the last place on earth where woolly mammoths survived

100 miles off the eastern coast of the Kamchatka peninsula, the Commander Islands are the westernmost of the Aleutian Islands, most of which are part of Alaska. The Aleutian Islands arc can be considered as a connecting link between Asia and North America – a bridge along which plants and animals migrated. The islands are renowned for their diversity and abundance of bird and marine life with over a million seabirds estimated to nest on the cliffs and beaches of this remote archipelago, including endemic species such as the ancient murrelet.

The Kuril Islands, a chain of 56 islands and islets, many of which are volcanically active, are located in the cold waters of the North-western Pacific Ocean between the Kamchatka Peninsula and Hokkaido. There are at least 100 volcanoes amongst the islands, 40 of which can be described as currently active. 

On the western flank of Russia, Franz Josef Land is another wild and remote corner of the Arctic across the Barents Sea. The archipelago, part of the Russian Arctic National Park since 2012, is a nature sanctuary. Polar bears, walrus, seals and whales can be spotted and the scree slopes and cliffs around the islands host enormous nesting colonies of seabirds such as guillemots, dovekies, and kittiwakes.

Bearded Seal Sea of Okhotsk

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Why book with us

We are destination specialists

Our team of specialists have extensive on-the-ground knowledge and have all lived, guided or explored in great detail the destinations that they sell.

We are wildlife specialists

As a leading specialist operator we have excellent partnerships with naturalists and conservationists. We know our wildlife and do what we can to preserve its natural habitat.

We really care about our destinations

We frequently monitor the social, economic and environmental impact of our travel operations to ensure our trips are sustainable and ethical.

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