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Eight Facts About the Rowdy, Resilient Musk Ox

Given how violent their lives can be, it may come as some surprise that musk oxen live as long as they do. Twenty years, after all, is a long time when you’re regularly charging, kicking, and head-butting the fellow members of your herd.

From Teacher to Travel Guide: Interview with Ali Liddle

Being a good expedition leader isn’t just about making plans, giving briefings, and enduring the occasional sleepless night spent praying for wildlife sightings.

Taking the Polar Plunge

There are some human activities that for many people simply defy understanding: We juggle chainsaws, we breathe fire, we fling ourselves out of perfectly good airplanes.

Guide Tips, Testimonials, and Highlights from North Norway

Falling just inside the Arctic Circle, North Norway is a wildlife-rich span of majestic fjords, enchanting islands, and deep-forested Nordic coastline comprising roughly 35% of the mainland and encompassing its three northernmost counties: Finnmark, Troms, and Nordland.

Seven Tips to Get the Most out of Your Expedition Cruise

An expedition cruise you consider bland, poor, even disastrous, might be one another traveler calls the trip of a lifetime. And your appraisal may have been completely different with a little more planning, preparation, or slightly better boots.

Oceanwide Expeditions cleanup removes 1,000 kg of plastic from Svalbard

Thirteen Oceanwide guides and 50 passengers removed roughly 1,000 kg (2,200 pounds) of plastic from the beaches of Svalbard last week, about half the weight of an average car.

Top 10 Tips for Packing Your Polar Photography Equipment

One of the most common questions I get asked before a cruise is, “What photography equipment should I bring?” It’s a broad question, and answers vary based on the individual. There are, however, a few key pointers that apply to almost everyone.

A Day on m/v Plancius

Stepping aboard Oceanwide’s longest-running expedition vessel, it’s easy to forget she’s been making voyages to the polar regions since “Afternoon Delight” by Starland Vocal Band was on the Billboard Hot 100.

The Best Arctic and Antarctic Trips for Families

Polar expedition cruises are commonly taken by couples and a growing number of solo travelers, but that doesn’t mean the buck stops there. And if you have bucks enough for the whole family, there’s a variety of polar trips that’ll get your loved ones equally ice-happy.

Highlights from the First Arctic Voyage of Hondius

Our new ship Hondius completed its first Arctic expedition cruise on June 14, 2019. This being a new ship, the maiden voyage was not without its hiccups. But despite these, passenger response to the expedition was overwhelmingly positive.

Svalbard’s 12 Most Iconic Animals

Each of our Arctic areas of operation offers its own unique and equally unforgettable feature: Greenland is great for mountainous shorelines and record-setting fjords, Northern Norway is the place to go for the aurora borealis and historic masted schooners, and Svalbard (particularly Spitsbergen) is where you’re most likely to encounter the more common and coveted Arctic animals.

The Arctic’s Most Phenomenal Fjords

Fjords are typically associated with Norway, but they are far from exclusive to that territory and are in fact a relatively common feature of the Arctic

Our New m/v Hondius Makes Its Maiden Arctic Voyage

Today we celebrate the maiden Arctic voyage of our new ship, m/v Hondius. After more than two years from conception to construction, this newest member of our nautical family has finally left home.

Five Reasons Why Snowshoeing is a Perfect Polar Activity

Snowshoeing is one of the most longstanding and popular sports in the Arctic and Antarctica. Here are five reasons why.

50 Years Among the Poles: Interview with Ko de Korte

In a few short weeks, Oceanwide Expeditions consultant Ko de Korte will join 174 passengers aboard the world’s first-registered Polar Class 6 vessel, Hondius, when it makes its maiden voyage to the Arctic island of Spitsbergen.

Oceanwide Expeditions Donates €620 to Charity Based on Passenger Reviews

Thanks to our passengers, we’re donating €620 to four separate charities: Plastic Oceans International, World Wide Fund for Nature, BirdLife International, and 4Ocean.

Why Travel Solo to the Polar Regions?

Travelling solo means you’ll arrive among new friends and fellow adventurers rather than strangers in an unfamiliar group.

Peaks, Fjords, and Auroras: 14 East Greenland Attractions

Nothing against the west coast, but many travelers agree it is more touristic and developed (and hence, less wild and adventurous) than Greenland’s eastern shores.

Higher Ground: Interview with Polar Hiking Guide Philipp Schaudy

Imagine you’ve spent the last hour and change huffing up a rocky Arctic slope, pausing only to pull a drink from your water bottle or wipe sweat off your brow, when suddenly you realize your hiking group has stopped and you’ve reached the summit.

The Arctic Hare: Easter Bunny²

In preparation for Easter Sunday, let’s explore all the ways this so-called polar rabbit (which really isn’t a rabbit at all) might in fact make a better mascot than the traditional Easter bunny.

Port Pastimes: 7 Fun Things to Do in Longyearbyen

Waiting in port to begin an Arctic cruise can be a little like waiting for water to boil or coffee to brew or Game of Thrones to come back: Time seems to defy its own laws and, as life slows to a crawl, you begin to wonder if all of this is really going to be worth it.