Over the last few years, our planet’s climate has been changing, transforming parts of southern Europe into a furnace during summer months. For the heat averse, it’s a good enough reason to turn around and head north, visiting remote regions that become accessible for just a brief few months. The polar regions present some of the last true wilderness areas on our planet – but they are changing quickly.
So, if you want to beat the heat while experiencing some of our planet’s wildest wonders, here’s where to go...
A hat trick of Arctic escapes Given the Arctic is a frozen body of water surrounded by land, much of the excitement in visiting the region lies at sea. Taking a cruise between key areas offers a chance to observe resident species and meet some of the communities who have survived in the far north for several generations. Boarding the Ocean Explorer in Reykjavik, sail north through the Denmark Strait to Greenland’s remote and less visited east coast, where 40% of the world’s musk ox population reside and communities live in towns with tongue-twisting names like Ittoqqortoormiit.
Continue to Svalbard, home of the polar bear and thousands of seabirds nesting in steep cliffs. If conditions are good enough, the ship may even sail within 10 degrees of the North Pole. 1.
Svalbard A wilderness within remarkably easy reach, this Norwegian-ruled archipelago is one of the best places to observe polar bears in their natural habitat. As ice melts during summer months.
