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Innovative Expeditions & Adventures into the High Arctic

Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, Baffin Island, Greenland Coast, Northwest Passage, Spitsbergen

Join Active Travel and One Ocean Expeditions for a voyage to deep into the High Arctic and one of life's great adventures. This icy region is a place of outstanding natural beauty. Rocky island archipelagos, covered in snow and ice for much of the year, they spring to life in the brief summer months. The scenery is an amazing conglomeration of mountains and rocky plains, colourful wildflowers and ice strewn shores with towering cliffs covered in nesting birds. Wildlife abounds and we hope to come across walrus, seals, whales, foxes and the ultimate of Arctic sightings, the Polar bear. We learn something of the history of early Arctic exploration by the likes of Franklin, Amundsen, Byrd and Herbert, during our informative onboard education program.

Our expeditions operate during the Arctic summer. We spend as much time off the ship as possible – exploring in our zodiac inflatable boats, going ashore for walks, visiting historic sites and remote Inuit communities and seeing wildlife colonies. The icebergs, in all shades of blue, will take your breath away.

For 2013 we have a great variety of expeditions, offering the chance to explore coastal Newfoundland, or Baffin Island and the west coast of Greenland. In August we plan to repeat our transit of the legendary Northwest Passage, following the route of Franklin’s ill-fated expedition.

We have also included three superb voyages to Spitsbergen and the Svalbard archipelago, located deep inside the Arctic Circle, which offer a rich bounty of birdlife and marine mammals, along with dramatic coastal scenery and some interesting – and historic – whaling stations.

What makes Active Travel Different?

Active Travel's voyages have the most experienced team of leaders in the business including Australian Polar Medal recipient, Ray McMahon, and Andrew Prossin - a veteran of Antarctic and Arctic waters, having led over 150 expeditions.

The two expedition ships, the Akademik Ioffe and sister-ship Akademik Sergey Vavilov, are modern and stable vessels – both well known in the Australian market - with an outstanding track record in polar exploration and navigation in the High Arctic. Equipped to take 115 guests, limited to just 95 per voyage.

Expeditions include well-presented lectures, an exciting range of activities, great staff and hearty meals prepared by a team of chefs.

A deep respect for the polar regions guides our attitude towards environmental protection. The team includes renowned wildlife conservationists, who have been instrumental in mobilising some of the world's most notable organisations to better protect Antarctica.

This brochure offers nine outstanding expeditions in the northern Summer of 2013, between the months of June and August. You can also find details of the 2013/14 Antarctica programme in this brochure.

Expeditions include:

• NEW – Islands of Nova Scotia & Newfoundland – 10-days
• NEW – East to the Arctic – Newfoundland to Baffin Island – 12-days
• Baffin Island and the Greenland Coast – 11-days
• Transit of the Northwest Passage – 12-days
• Spitsbergen Explorer – 9, 10 or 11-days