Rachel Callus

Polar Specialist

Mt first Arctic crusie was in July 2019, I had the privilege of travelling on Quark’s expedition ship, Ocean Explorer to Spitsbergen for 13 days. Seeing 5 polar bears, 2 blue whales, abundance of walruses, reindeer, puffins and the Arctic fox to name some of the wildlife, the experience was absolutely amazing, totally breathtaking. Although not as cold as Antarctica (thankfully) the scenery was just as stunning with beautiful icebergs and glaciers. The ‘king of the north’, the polar bear was an absolute highlight to see, especially when Mum was feeding her cub, which apparently most of our expedition crew hadn’t witnessed. The ‘clown of the sea’, the puffin has such a beautifully bright coloured beak that its even fluorescent under UV light.

In August 2023 I was again back in the Arctic – this time a Northwest Passage cruise on-board the Luxury – Expedition ship Ultramarine.  She’s a beautiful ship, equipped with helicopters, a fleet of zodiacs and an expert team.  Starting from Kangerlussuaq in Greenland we then explored part of Greenland before heading to Baffin Island, where we saw both Narwhal and Beluga whales.  A very different cruise to Svalbard and helicopter excursions are just amazing.

What I loved about the Arctic is how different it is to Antarctica, where you will arrive at a destination where you know black browed albatross nest, where the Rockhopper penguins can be found. The Arctic was more of a treasure hunt, watching, waiting, searching for where and when the wildlife can be found which added to the adventure of the expedition.

In a heartbeat I would absolutely love to return to the Arctic – it has simply become one of my top favourite destinations!

Places Visited

Svalbard: Longyearbyen, Lilliehookbreen, Fjortende Julibukta, Kongsfjord, NY London, Bourbonhamma, Midterhukhamna, Smeerenburgfjorden, Isfjorden, Burgerbukta, Samarinvagen, Dolerittneset, Freemansundet, Negribreen, Isbjornhamna, Brepollen, Askeloya

Norway: Oslo

Iceland: Reykjavik, Thingvellir National Park, Borgarfjordur, Snaefellsnes Peninsula, Skagafjordur, Trollaskagi Peninsulta, Akureyri, Lake Myvatn, Modrudalur Valley, Jokulsarlon, Skaftafell National Park, Vik, Hvolsvollur, Golden Circle

Greenland: Disko Bay, Nuuk, Kangerlussuaq

Canadian High Arctic: Baffin Island, Pond Inlet, Beechey Island, Devon Island, Somerset Island, Lancaster Sound, Bellot Strait and Resolute (Northwest Passage)

Read about Rachel’s Travels to the High Arctic: