Cruise Plus & Scenic Eclipse Brochure 2023-2024

Scenic°

The Arctic & Fjords

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Scenic Eclipse Seasonal Guide Arctic Region

Feel anticipationand excitement as you cruise through of one of the least explored regions of the world. Be amazed by the paramount beauty of the landscape and light in theArctic region, with uniquewildlife taking it to anew level of exploration.

Comprising of many regions across Europe, North America and Asia, the Arctic is the northernmost part of our planet. The European continent enjoys wild Scottish isles, Norwegian fjords and photogenic fishing villages; Svalbard’s colourful tundra, reindeer, polar bears and walrus; Greenland’s spectacular icebergs and glacier-carved valleys,musk ox and paleo-Eskimo camps. Discover Iceland’s awe-inspiring waterfalls, Viking heritage, evocative volcanic landscapes and rejuvenating thermal pools. The North American continent includes the spectacular kilometres-high vertical walls along the Baffin Island coast that sits completely above the Arctic Circle. Across the top of the Asian continent is the legendary Northeast Passage, until recently the domain of nuclear-powered icebreakers most of the year, but thanks to climate change, can be ice-free in summer. Discover Wrangel Island with the world’s highest density of polar bear dens; traverse the Arctic Ocean, setting foot in places few have visited such as the Medvedie and Novosibirskie Islands, Severnaya and Novaya Zemlyas and the geologically mesmerising Franz Josef Land. These remote regions are inhabited by polar bears, walrus, seabirds including tufted puffins and rhinoceros auklets, and Russian scientists living in weather-worn stations left over from the Cold War. The Arctic region is best know for polar bears. Polar bears are marine mammals that spend most of their lives on Arctic Ocean sea ice hunting seals, walrus and even whales in the frigid waters, but come ashore to give birth to their cubs.

As well as Arctic destinations, here are some seasonal highlights to help you decide which voyage to choose:

Early Summer June – Early July

Humpback whales follow the Gulf Stream north from Scotland to Iceland and along the Norwegian coast, while fast ice breaks out of the deeper fjords. Snow free areas across the Arctic attract migratory birds, and polar bears and cubs emerge from dens. On seabird cliffs in Scotland, Iceland and Norway, guests can search for puffins, gannets and observe guillemots

feed their chicks. Midsummer Mid July – Early August

Millions of migratory birds fill flyways in Europe and North America. Seabird cliffs are noisy with growing chicks attracting Arctic fox (Iceland’s only native land animal). Osprey raise chicks and grey seals pup along the Scottish coast. Algal blooms attract ringed, bearded and harp seals in the high Arctic, and on Wrangel Island and across Canada, polar bears teach cubs to hunt. Spectacular Arctic wildflowers bloom and walrus crowd ice floes as polar bears stalk seals in pack ice around Svalbard. Late Summer Mid August – Early September Open waters unlock the Northeast Passage, with access to polar bears hunting seals and walrus in pack ice. Humpback, bowhead, grey and beluga whales feed before migrating south. Grey seals give birth to pups in Scotland and across the high Arctic, shorebirds and seabirds complete their moult and prepare to head south. Arctic foxes scour the base of seabird cliffs in search for late-season chicks.Warm daytime temperatures encourage spectacular calving of glacier fronts, tundra walks turn up ripe berries and sunsets begin to light up the evening sky.

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