Essential highlights
Sailing from Norway to Alaska via the archipelagos of Siberia and the Bering Strait, along the taiga-, tundra-, ice field- and glacier-covered and fjord-filled coastlines of the Northeast Passage, is an amazing Arctic voyage: an expedition through a world of volcanic mountain landscapes, polar deserts and Siberian expanses, punctuated with unforgettable encounters with local communities and featuring an extremely rich range of wildlife, including polar bears, walruses, seals, seabirds, polar foxes, lemmings and reindeer.
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History of the Northeast Passage
The Northeast Passage, which includes the Northern Sea Route, is a strategic shipping route linking Europe to northern Asia. The first attempts to navigate this route were made in the 16th century, with the exploits of Admundsen also playing a part in the epic saga of its exploration.
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Explore Northeast Passage
Essential highlights
Sailing from Norway to Alaska via the archipelagos of Siberia and the Bering Strait, along the taiga-, tundra-, ice field- and glacier-covered and fjord-filled coastlines of the Northeast Passage, is an amazing Arctic voyage: an expedition through a world of volcanic mountain landscapes, polar deserts and Siberian expanses, punctuated with unforgettable encounters with local communities and featuring an extremely rich range of wildlife, including polar bears, walruses, seals, seabirds, polar foxes, lemmings and reindeer.
Contemplating the beauty of polar landscapes
Located beyond the Arctic Circle and lying between the Kara Sea and the Laptev Sea, the archipelagos of Novaya Zemlya, Severnaya Zemlya and Franz Josef Land stand like guardians of the icy Arctic Ocean. The mountainous volcanic and erosion-sculpted shores of these islands lie partly covered by ice caps and boast majestic glaciers at their edges. In the sea off Severnay Zemlya, icebergs drift slowly by in a bewitching silent ballet.
Discover Tromso, the gateway to the Arctic
The small Norwegian town of Tromso has grown up and developed at extreme latitudes beyond the Arctic Circle. A former fishing port and starting point for polar expeditions, it still continues to attract explorers and scientists from all over the world today. Both one of the best places to see the Northern Lights and an important centre for polar research, Tromso is home to a polar museum housing a large collection of items belonging to the famed Norwegian Arctic and Antarctic explorer Roald Amundsen, as well as an iconic church of futuristic architectural design.
History of the Northeast Passage
The Northeast Passage, which includes the Northern Sea Route, is a strategic shipping route linking Europe to northern Asia. The first attempts to navigate this route were made in the 16th century, with the exploits of Admundsen also playing a part in the epic saga of its exploration.
A historical and international epic
1553 : on the initiative of Sebastian Cabot, governor of the Company of Merchant Adventurers, an English expedition made up of three ships sets sail towards the northeast in search of a new route to China that would provide ships with a way of avoiding Iberian control of shipping traffic. The ship commanded by Richard Chancellor is the only to survive the expedition, eventually reaching the White Sea. 1556 : Stephen Burrough, former captain on the ship commanded by Richard Chancellor, reaches New Zealand. Sometime around 1550-1597 : Dutchman Willem Barents (sometimes spelled Barentsz) renews the search and subsequently rounds the northern end of Novaya Zemlya. 1725-1741 : sailing under the orders of Tsar Peter the Great, the Dane Vitus Bering discovers the strait between Siberia and America that today still bears his name. 1873 : an Austro-Hungarian expedition to the North Pole led by explorers Julius von Payer and Karl Weyprecht discovers a new archipelago, which they name in honour of Franz Josef I, Emperor of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. 1879 : the Finn Baron Adolf Erik Nordenskjöld (1832-1901) discovers the Northeast Passage on board La Vega, a 45-metre whaleboat, which ends up having to overwinter for ten months before crossing the Bering Strait. 1913-1914 : Boris Andreyevich Vilkitski (1885-1961) discovers the present-day archipelago of Severnaya Zemlya during a hydrographic survey expedition. Initially named "Emperor Nicholas II Land" in honour of the Tsar of Russia, it is later renamed Severnaya Zemlya in 1928. 1918-1920 : Roald Amundsen, pioneer of the Northwest Passage (1903-1906) and the first man to reach the South Pole in December 1911, sets sail from Oslo on 25 June 1918 aboard the Maud in an attempt to navigate along the Northern Sea Route. Blocked by ice in September, he overwinters for twenty-two long months, during which he breaks an arm and suffers an attack by a bear, before finally reaching Nome on 27 July 1920. 1932 : Professor Otto Schmidt leads the first expedition to sail the Northern Sea Route without stopping to overwinter. 1935 : The Northern Sea Route is officially opened for trade use.
The Northeast Passage in figures
Located between latitudes 70° and 80° North and extending over 4,500 km between the Barent, Kara, Laptev, East Siberian and Chukchi seas, the Northern Sea Route, or Northeast Passage, is the shortest route between Europe and northern Asia. It reduces the distance travelled by 5,000–7,000 km (3,100–4,350 miles) and voyage times by one to two weeks, making it up to 30 percent shorter and 40 percent faster than other sea routes (namely the Northwest Passage and the Suez and Panama canals).
