The Polar Routes Blog
We spoke to Photography Guide Michelle Sole to find out how she spends her time snapping wildlife on her many trips to the polar regions. From the age of thirteen Michelle spent 10 years chasing winters around the world and competed for Great Britain as a downhill ski racer. Having always had a love for animals and the outdoors, in 2011 Michelle moved to South Africa to learn the ropes as a safari guide and wildlife photographer. In 2017 Michelle swapped elephants and lions for penguins and polar bears and started working for Quark Expeditions. She now divides her time between the icy Polar Regions and the African sun. Michelle’s photographic work has been published in Africa Geographic and The Guardian. How does a typical day start for you? Being British a typical day starts with a good cup of tea! Each morning we monitor the weather and the ice…
Rising impressively out of the Arctic Ocean, Uummannaq is the most northerly town in Greenland, catering to both the summer and winter seasons with unforgettable excursions in the rugged Uummannaq Fjord. “Uummannaq” means “heart-shaped” in the Greenlandic language of Kalaallisut, in reference to the rough outline of the mountain it encircles, but a name which also extends to the aura of the place itself when meeting the open and friendly inhabitants and the Inuit culture. Enter The Twilight Zone Uummannaq has two main seasons for tourism. The summer season generally runs from June to mid-September with the sun never setting in July and August, while winter activities in perpetual twilight mostly take place between mid-February and mid-April, though this is dependent on the extent and thickness of the sea ice. Return To Santa The Uummannaq Museum, which contains several exhibitions and a small library, also handles letters that arrive from around the world…
Port Lockroy is based on Goudier Island off the Antarctic Peninsula. Since 1966 the site has been open to visitors during the Antarctic summer (November to March) and is now managed by the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust, which runs the site as a ‘living museum’ with a popular gift shop. All profits from the shop go towards the renovation of other historic sites in Antarctica. Port Lockroy is also the world’s most southerly public post house – affectionately known as the Penguin Post Office. We spoke to Field Operations Coordinator Vicky Inglis for her thoughts on living and working there. How does a typical day play out for you? We’ll get up around 7 am, to the sound of the day’s duty cook heating water for tea and coffee. Breakfast is usually something like muesli or homemade bread and jam, maybe porridge if it’s looking like a cold or wet day. The Base Leader…
…with Senior Business Development Manager, Gaynor For the latest installment of Our Routes series dedicated to sharing travel experiences from our experts all over the polar regions, Gaynor Atherton, Senior Business Development Manager UK & Ireland, shared with us her memories from an awesome Antarctic voyage with Aurora Expeditions! YOUR MAIN DESTINATIONS? The Antarctic Peninsula. HOW DID YOU GET THERE? Flew to Santiago then down to Punta Arenas – from there it was a flight to King George Island to join the Aurora cruise. FIRST TIME OR REPEAT TRIP? First time. BIGGEST CHALLENGE? Mentally preparing myself for Polar Plunge that was coming! And packing for a cold climate within my luggage allowance – I did it though! BEST HOLIDAY EXCURSION/EXPERIENCE? Doing the Polar Plunge for our chosen charity The UK Antarctic Heritage Trust. MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT? Viewing a calm and curious Leopard Seal right next to our Zodiac on our first day! …
Whilst the scenery of Spitsbergen is a huge reason to visit this remote archipelago in the high Arctic, the biggest draw of visiting this region is of course its wildlife. It’s home to a vast range of birds, some mammals and plenty of marine wildlife and it is pretty much guaranteed you will spot some of each on your expedition cruise to Svalbard. Here we list some of the incredible creatures you could be lucky enough to encounter… Svalbard Reindeer The smallest sub-species of Reindeer, Svalbard reindeer are usually spotted in fairly sparse groups around the archipelago. Characterised by their short, somewhat stumpy legs, and short dense fur which provides the much-needed insulation for life in this remote region. You’ll often spot clumps of this fur whilst exploring landing sites, and are sure to spot them grazing on steep cliff faces, or lounging in the tundra. Walrus Despite there being…
Often referred to as the last intact marine ecosystem on the planet, the Ross Sea region contains the world’s largest protected marine park area spanning 600,000 square miles – one and a half times the size of the largest national park on land. Wonderful Wildlife One of the most productive areas of the Southern Ocean with seasonal fluctuations, the region is home to around half of Ross Sea orcas and South Pacific Weddell seals, more than 30% of the world’s Adélie penguins and Antarctic petrels, and around 25% of all emperor penguins. Minke whales are common sights here, as are Crabeater and Leopard seals. There are 95 fish species and over 1,000 invertebrate species in the depths, with rare and vulnerable species such as unique sponges that live for up to half a century, plus breeding grounds, habitats and other areas of importance for ecosystem integrity. Ross Sea Ice Shelf…
…with Senior Marketing Executive, Laura We are delighted to be launching the polar edition of a new and revealing Our Routes series dedicated to sharing travel experiences from our experts all over the polar regions. Our debut blog begins with a feature on Senior Marketing Executive, Laura Radford, who recently enjoyed a wonderfully wild trip to Svalbard and couldn’t wait to tell us all about it! YOUR MAIN DESTINATIONS? Svalbard and Oslo. HOW DID YOU GET THERE? Flew from London to Oslo and stayed overnight at an airport hotel. The next morning, I took a charter flight to Longyearbyen in the heart of Svalbard. FIRST TIME OR REPEAT TRIP? First-time ever visiting Svalbard, the furthest north I had journeyed previously was Tromso in the Arctic Circle. FAVOURITE LOCATION? This is really difficult to say as each place we sailed past/landed on the expedition cruise with Quark was unique. From polar bears on the sea…
Ever wondered what activities and experiences might be on offer on an expedition cruise to the Antarctic? Whether it’s a taste of adventure on land, or on the water, when you cruise with AE Expeditions there’s a whole host of incredible experiences to get stuck into when you venture to the polar regions, such as the polar plunge, which, exactly as the name suggests, is not for the faint of heart! Below we’ve chosen five of our personal favourites, which ones will you be trying? Snorkelling It may spring to mind as a holiday activity to enjoy in tropical waters, surrounded by colourful fish, but did you know it’s a popular experience in the polar regions as well? It’s a great way to get up close and personal with seals as they rest on ice floes, as well as an opportunity to see penguins swimming. But perhaps the most impressive thing about…
The elemental forces that continue to shape this geothermal wonderland are a constant reminder of nature’s artistry and power. If you are lucky enough to have booked a trip to Iceland, then be sure to venture as far and wide as possible to enjoy the highlights we’ve put together here for your visit. Golden Circle Iceland’s most well-known tourist route takes its name after Gullfoss, aka the ‘golden waterfall’, and straddles the tectonic plates of North America and Europe on the North-Atlantic Ridge in Thingvellir National Park. Take the opportunity to channel your inner cowboy by saddling up on an Icelandic horse to take you across this vast landscape in style. Make sure to head over to the Strokkur Geyser which erupts up to 130ft every 5-10 minutes! Dettifoss Waterfall Accessible from the north side’s Route 862 and one of the main stops on the Diamond Circle Tour, Dettifoss in Vatnajokull National Park is Europe’s second most powerful waterfall. The 144ft crescendo ends with a colossal crash into Jokulsargljufur Canyon below, creating one of Iceland’s most spectacular and dramatic…
It’s not just the sheer magnitude of Antarctica and the Arctic Circle that commands a traveller’s attention. The planet’s polar regions are nature’s canvas for a colour scheme not seen anywhere else on earth! Glaciology Optics Glacial ice is a very different beast from the cubes floating around in a summer cocktail. The eye-popping blues, turquoises and aquamarines owe their super cool looks to the ice density of glaciers which absorb every other colour of the spectrum, except blue. Crystalline structures compacted over aeons channel blue light in a different way to what human eyes normally interpret ice properties. When glacial ice initially freezes, it fills with air bubbles. As that ice is buried and compressed underneath younger ice on top, the older ice starts to take on a blue tinge. As the ice grows denser, the bubbles eventually reduce to tiny levels. Without the scattering effect of these air bubbles, light can penetrate…
