Across the Top of the World itinerary:
Day 1: Anchorage
Arrive in Anchorage. An informal dinner gathering provides an opportunity to meet other members of the expedition.
Day 2: Nome, Alaska
We fly to Nome (flight not included) where the expedition team and our ship, ‘Spirit of Enderby’, await. Settle into your cabin before completing customs formalities prior to our departure for Provideniya, Russia.
Day 3: Provideniya
Having crossed the dateline overnight, we will drop anchor in Komsomol’skaya Bay near the Russian town of Provideniya. Provideniya was once a major military settlement and port, and is still home to one of the best museums in the Russian Far East: the Beringa Heritage Museum contains more than 12,000 exhibits.
Day 4: Laventiya
Today we visit the town of Laventiya, a comfortable, modern town with nearly 1000 people, the majority of whom are Chukchi. As we sail across Laventiya Bay in the evening, keep a look out for Grey whales, which frequent the area in significant numbers.
Day 5: Cape Dezneva / Uelen Village
We will land at Cape Dezneva early this morning, the easternmost point of Eurasia and where America is visible on a clear day. To the west, we stop at Uelen Village, best known for its ivory carving school.
Day 6: Kolchyn Island
This small island was once an important Russian Polar Research Station, and for good reason. At the western end of the island are some of the most amazing bird cliffs in the entire Arctic. Puffins, Guillemots, Gulls and Cormorants can be seen from just metres away.
Days 7 – 10: Wrangel and Herald Islands
We hope to spend four days on Wrangel Island, an outstanding High Arctic Russian Nature Reserve just recently opened to tourism know as a ‘Polar Bear maternity ward’. Musk Ox, Reindeer, Snow Geese, Snowy Owls and Skuas also abound. We will visit a number of historic sites like Dragi Harbor, and if ice conditions permit we can explore the Herald Islets to the east, home to one of the largest Walrus haul-outs in the world.
Day 11: Cape Vankarem
We make a stop at Cape Vankarem, the most traditional Chukchi village that we will encounter. Although mapped and charted, much of this coastland has seen few tourists and so these expedition landings offer a rare opportunity for interaction. We will also keep an eye out for Bowhead and Gray Whales, abundant in these waters.
Day 12: Kolyuchin Inlet
Today we explore the Kolyuchin Inlet. It is a wild, desolate region imbued with a strange beauty. The sand dunes and tidal areas around the mouth of this Inlet support a rich variety of bird life, including Emperor Geese and Spoon-billed Sandpipers. Grey Whales are sometimes spotted feeding only meters offshore.
Day 13: Whalebone Alley
This historic site dates back to the 14th century. In addition to numerous Bowhead Whale skulls and jawbones, you will find carefully laid stones and nearly 150 meat storage pits. The site is close to a migratory route for whales, some of which we hope to see from the Zodiacs.
Day 14: Provideniya
We return briefly to Provideniya in order to clear Russian Customs and depart for Nome, Alaska.
Day 15: Arrive Nome
It is here that our journey ends.
