IN FROM THE COLD
An A&K cruise to the Arctic region offers extraordinary scenery, rarely-seen wildlife and unique memories to last a lifetime.
A cruise journey through the Arctic reveals stunning landscapes and unique wildlife.
It took six days for the Arctic to bite, but bite it most certainly did. Still, it wasn’t the zero-degree temperature that was the issue. It was the wind. Despite applying many layers of protective clothing, my hands and joints were soon starting to ache from the bitter, unrelenting cold that was creeping into my bones.
Gazing through my window at the stunning frozen landscape, I knew that the chill would once again be severe. But I just couldn’t resist the urge to go out and meet it head on.
Word spreads rather fast on Abercrombie & Kent’s Le Boreal cruise ship in the Arctic – and the gossip of the day was all about polar bears. Two had been sighted on the
shoreline eating an early-morning breakfast of seal, and the race was on to get in the zodiacs so we could catch a glimpse of these massive marine mammals.
Polar bears are the largest land carnivores, and can tip the scales at a whopping 680 kilograms. There can be no doubt that they are the star attractions of an Arctic adventure.
They have an incredible sense of smell, and it’s said that they can sniff out a seal from 16 kilometres away. The fact that there were 10 zodiac loads of humans sitting less than 50 metres away must have caused the bears a little olfactory confusion – but it didn’t seem to distract them at all from the task at hand.
Our onboard naturalist later told us that it was unusual for two bears to be dining on the same animal. In this case, though, the older female had no issue sharing her meal with what our guide said was a weaker young male.
This was a good day in the land of 24-hour daylight. Up here in the Arctic in July, the sun never sleeps.
Or course, there are no guarantees that you will see a polar bear. We saw five, but three were off in the distance and only able to be properly viewed through binoculars. However, there’s lots of other wildlife to enjoy. Almost every day we encountered huddles of walruses, reindeer, families of arctic foxes, and enough avian life to satisfy the most enthusiastic bird-watcher.
One of the real highlights was the arrival of a pod of about 25 snow-white Beluga whales. We knew it was special as even our guides could not contain their excitement. “Beluga, Beluga,” squealed a French sailor – almost losing his culturally cool demeanour.
We watched as these four-to-sevenmetre whales glided through the icy waters, their haunting grunts coming and going on the wind.
We first met Le Boreal’s crew and our A&K expedition team when we landed in Longyearbyen, the capital of Svalbard – a Norwegian archipelago between mainland Norway and the North Pole – to start our cruise into the wilds of the Arctic.
The crew and the excellent expedition team bring this part of the world to life. They play an important part in planning the daily adventures to the glaciers at Magdalenefjorden, a fjord that’s a favourite hiding spot for walruses; Wahlbergøya, a tiny little island in the Svalbard archipelago; and Ny-Ålesund, home of a remote polar research station.
Ny-Ålesund has one shop, one pub and scientists from 10 countries. The shop was doing a roaring trade, as people lined up to send postcards from the edge of the earth.
Almost everything on this trip requires guests to jump into a zodiac. When we visited 14th of July Bay to walk to the glacier, we had to navigate our zodiacs through floating ice. The glacier was putting on a show, and chunks were breaking off into the water. First there was a crack. Then a groan. Then, splash. The resulting waves were truly a sight to see.
The furthest north we travelled was 80 degrees north and 20 minutes. I know that, because that’s what my passport stamp says. To stand on the balcony and watch Le Boreal push through ice and reach the edge of the Arctic Sea was amazing. Without even knowing it, everyone remained as quiet as possible as we drifted through the sheet ice. Even my breath was shallow so as not to disrupt the peace. You could hear, and feel, the thud of the ice on the hull of the ship.
Le Boreal is a mid-size ship with an ice-strengthened hull , and it was our home as we explored the Arctic wilderness. As you would expect from Abercrombie & Kent, it’s understated luxury at its best. It is nothing at all like ‘floating city’ cruise ships. Rather, it is chic, cultured and comfortable.
Cabins range in size from 200 square feet to the cavernous owner’s suite, which is 484 square feet. A&K limits the passenger numbers to 199, which means that every cabin offered for sale has its own private balcony.
It is impossible to find fault with the French-inspired food, which is served either under the stars on the upper deck or in La Licorne.
There were 15 Australians on board with me. Apart from a group of 22 friends from Hong Kong, the vast majority of the other guests were American. At a guess, I would say the youngest guest was 10 and the eldest about 80. But all were united by their sense of adventure – a need to explore and push the boundaries. abercrombiekent.com.au
The glacier was putting on a show, chunks breaking off into the water.