Wrangel Island Explorer

Day 1:Anchorage

On arrival in Anchorage you will transfer to your hotel. Upon check-in, you will label up your luggage and then enjoy a welcome drink and the chance to meet fellow expeditioners at the voyage briefing in the evening.  

Accommodation: Hilton Anchorage (or similar) 

Day 2: Nome

This morning we transfer to Anchorage airport, and board the charter flight to Nome to board our vessel. After boarding, there's time to settle and then attend the important safety briefings. This evening sees the opportunity to meet the expedition team and crew at the Captain's Welcome Dinner.

Day 3: Providenyia

Onboard briefings will prepare you for upcoming landings, and when you're not attending those, the sightings of beluga and grey whales will enchant you we cross the Bering Strait to Chukotka. In the administrative centre of Provideniya, you'll be welcomed into Russia and if time allows, we can visit the museum of history and culture, and perhaps enjoy a traditional Yupik dance performance. 

Day 4: Lorino Village & Cape Dezhnev

You will be warmly-welcomed by Chukchi villagers into Lorino with traditional dance and samples of local delicacies in this outpost of reindeer herders and marine mammal hunters. Weather and sea permitting, we will land at Cape Dezhnev, Eurasia's easternmost point. A chance here to explore the ancient Inuit settlement of Naukan, and the remains of a Soviet-era research centre (both now abandoned). You will note the massive whale bones, somehow brought up the cliffs to use as building materials. 

Day 5: At Sea

As your Captain navigates an approach to Wrangel Island, you can relax and enjoy informative talks from our team of experts. Although pack-ice can block the way, it varies from year to year. 

Days 6 to 9: Wrangel Island

Our exploration of Wrangel and Herald Islands depends very much on the ice and weather conditions there. Local rangers keen to share their knowledge and love of this special place will help you search the pack-ice for polar bears, ringed seals and walrus, or cruise with you on Zodiacs beneath slopes dotted with adults and cub polar bears and walrus haulouts. You will follow the rangers across a vast landscape in search of reindeer, musk oxen and arctic fox. There will be time to search for fossilised remains of the woolly mammoth, enjoy a kaleidoscope of wildflowers and listen to tales of Inuit and Chukchi hunters, the first European explorers and the survivors of the Karluk disaster. 

Day 10: At Sea

There is time while you edit photos or enjoy entertaining talks to reflect on your journey so far as we sail south. Or perhaps you'd like to use the time to treat yourself to a gym workout and massage in the wellness centre. 

Day 11: Kolyuchin Island & Kolyuchin Inlet

Keeping a wary eye out for polar bears and weather permitting, we will land on Kolyuchin Island, with an abandoned meteorological station and some of the Arctic's most spectacular bird cliffs. It's easy to photograph nesting puffins, guillemots and gulls here. The tidal estuary of Kolyuchin Inlet is home to native wildflowers and a host of birds including yellow-billed loons and  endemic emperor geese amongst the remains of dwelling mounds and graves of past inhabitants.  

Day 12: At Sea - Arakamchechen Islands & Penkigngey Bay

We arrive at Arakamchechen archipelago in the late afternoon; humpback, grey and bowhead whales are known to feed in the waters here. Time permitting this afternoon or tomorrow morning, there may be chance to quietly approach a walrus haulout or discover sea cliffs on nearby Nuneangan Island - home to guillemots, tufted puffins and crested auklets. Or perhaps you will visit Penkigngey Bay, a long fjord, for tundra wildflower walks and a scenic dip in the hot springs.

Day 13: Ytytygran Island & Provideniya

On Ytytygran Island, we visit Whale Bone Alley, thickly strewn with bones for half a kilometre along the beach. Meat pits here attest to a busy Chukchi whaling camp. An immense bowhead whale jawbone and ribs form a monumental, ceremonial archway which is still standing and just offshore grey whales are frequently seen feeding. In Provideniya, we say farewell to Russia and begin our return voyage across the Bering Sea. 

Day 14: King Island

As we pass through the Bering Strait that separates Russia and North America by only 100 kilometres (60 miles), we hope to see beluga and grey whales. We land at King Island, conditions permitting, and explore the eerie, ancient village Ukivok, now abandoned after a tragic series of events. Murres and kittiwakes frequent the surrounding sea cliffs. As we depart, we celebrate our voyage's end with a farewell dinner.

Day 15: Nome & Anchorage

We disembark in Nome and transfer to the airport for a charter flight to Anchorage, where we spend the night.  

Accommodation: Hilton Anchorage (or similar) 

Day 16: Depart Anchorage

Enjoy exploring Anchorage until check-out before continuing your journey.

NOTE: in the spirit of expedition travel, this itinerary is only a guide and is subject to change due to weather, sea, pack-ice and other conditions beyond our control; we encourage exploration and adventure offering flexibility in challenging environments.