Arctic holidays by Cox & Kings

The startlingly beautiful Arctic remains one of the world’s least visited and inaccessible regions. For many years, only frequented by the Arctic explorers (men of the calibre of Roald Amundsen and Sir Ranulph Fiennes), the extraordinary beauty of the region can now be visited by travellers, whether by land or via specially-built ships.

From the Canadan Arctic to Svalbard and Spitsbergen, Greenland to Northern Scandinavia and Iceland, experience the extraordinary variety of wildlife both on land and in the Arctic Ocean. One of the smallest and shallowest of the Earth’s oceans, the pristine water teems with animals and life. Passengers can glide through fields of sea ice dominated by huge icebergs, and search for polar bears, walruses, seals and whales.

Expect spectacular natural landscapes– from thrillingly large icebergs to windswept fjords, from rugged coastline to windswept mountains; all lit up by the unforgettable northern lights. In summer, resilient flowers turn tundra to coloured carpets, trod by foxes, wolves, bear and deer.

Alternatively, visit one of the isolated settlements that stand as a testament to human endeavour, surviving against all odds in one of the harshest environments on Earth.