Visit the Arctic Circle

Frequently Asked Questions

The remote Arctic remains one of the most unexplored regions of the world and encompasses the Greenland, the Canadian High Arctic, the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen, Russia, and at last, the North Pole.

• Greenland:  The best of Greenland can be found along its coastline, which is dominated by icebergs, glaciers, deep fjords, mountains and vast stretches of wilderness. Greenland’s traditional Inuit communities (descendants of the Thule people) appeal to travelers with a passion for ancient cultures. For nature-lovers, Greenland offers unrivalled wildlife-viewing: polar bears, muskoxen, humpback whales, walruses, sea eagles and reindeer. And of course, there’s the Aurora Borealis, commonly known as the Northern Lights.

• Canadian High Arctic: The Canadian High Arctic includes lands in the Northwest Territories, Yukon and Nunavut. There are more than 35,563 islands in the remote Canadian Arctic Archipelago, which includes Baffin Island and Ellesmere Island. The mountains, glaciers, tundra, remote rocky shorelines, granite cliffs and Arctic waters are home to polar bears, grizzly bears, muskoxen, beluga whales, harp seals, walruses and migratory birds, among other wildlife species.

• Svalbard: Spitsbergen is the largest island in the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard, and is often called “The land of the midnight sun.” The island is also known as “The Wildlife Capital of the Arctic.” Polar bears, walruses, reindeers, arctic foxes, beluga whales, seals and seabirds are found amongst the icebergs, glaciers and snow-covered mountains.

• North Pole: The chance to stand at the very top of the world lures travelers to the North Pole, which is often called “terra incognita,” the unknown land. No one lives on this constantly shifting ice domain in the middle of the Arctic Ocean at 90° North. The closest permanently inhabited settlement is Alert, Nunavut, about 800 kilometres (508 miles) away. There’s an otherworldly quality to the North Pole—where every direction you look is south.

• Russian High Arctic: Russia’s Arctic territory, most of which has no permanent human population, includes 24,140 kilometres of coastline along the Arctic Ocean, the Barents Sea, Bering Sea and the Sea of Okhotsk. Various Arctic archipelagoes, such as Novaya Zemlya and Severnaya Zemlya, make up much of the Russian Arctic. Russia’s remote, seldom-visited Franz Josef Land, 950 kilometres from the North Pole, attracts polar adventurers, as well.

Arctic inhabitants include, but are not limited to, polar bears, muskoxen, arctic foxes, beluga whales, reindeer, seals, walruses and migratory birds.

Most people interested in visiting the Arctic already have a general idea of what they want to see and experience. Most travelers think of a polar plunge or seeing polar bears in their natural habitat. Others seek to cruise amongst icebergs under towering fjords. Home to incredible species such as polar bears, muskox and endemic foxes, the Arctic is a magical place to witness wildlife and great for photographers.

One of the main differences between these two regions is the Arctic’s fascinating history and culture, as it has been inhabited for thousands of years. While Antarctica is one large land mass surrounded by water, the Arctic is a huge region that spans ⅙ the earth’s area and includes everything north of the Arctic Circle. It is not one country or destination, but a region that belongs to eight countries.