Best Arctic Destinations
Svalbard, Greenland, Iceland and Norway are the core Arctic regions covered by the small-ship expedition operators on this site. Here's who sails where.
Svalbard
A Norwegian Arctic archipelago and a staple of small-ship polar itineraries. Both Poseidon Expeditions and Swan Hellenic include Svalbard in their Arctic season.
Greenland
Poseidon Expeditions sails to Greenland as part of its Arctic program. Quark Expeditions runs Greenland-specific "Tundra to Table" Inuit culinary excursions, one of the more distinctive Arctic activities among the operators compared on this site.
Iceland
Both Poseidon Expeditions and Swan Hellenic include Iceland in their Arctic or expanded itineraries.
Norway
Swan Hellenic includes Norway in its destination range.
Other Operators in the Arctic
Lindblad Expeditions sails to all seven continents as part of its fleet-wide itinerary range, which includes Arctic voyages. Oceanwide Expeditions is a polar-only operator active in both the Antarctic and the Arctic, though it does not offer overnight camping in the Arctic due to polar bear risk (unlike its Antarctic camping option). Aurora Expeditions runs polar expedition voyages across its three-ship fleet; confirm current Arctic itinerary specifics directly with the operator.