Scientists predicted this week that sailing over the North Pole will be possible by the middle of this century thanks to melting ice, and travel through the Northwest Passage could become almost commonplace.
Time to get there before it becomes a superhighway clogged with tankers, bulk carriers and container ships taking a short cut from China and Japan to northern Europe.
What better way than in style and comfort on board the luxury expedition ship Silver Explorer. The vessel plans to take 130 intrepid passengers on a 23-day voyage from Greenland to Alaska for the first time in August next year.
Until the forecasts from the department of geography at UCLA come true, the once-mythical route remains one much less travelled, open for only a few weeks each winter.
The Silverseas’ journey will begin on August 9 in Kangerlussuaq, Greenland and concludes on the Bering Strait in remote Nome, Alaska. Stops in between are unpredictable and will depend on the weather and sea – or rather ice – conditions.
A team of expedition leaders will take the passengers to see towering icebergs and elusive whales. The ship’s fleet of Zodiac inflatables will carry the guests ashore in the remotest of locations.
Fares from £20,850. Full details at www.silversea.com
Possible routes through the Arctic, predicted by scientists at UCLA
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