Andrea Klaussner

Until 1906, the Northwest Passage was considered an absolute mystery. All previous attempts to cross the legendary sea route, which connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans north of the American continent, had failed. Only the Norwegian polar explorer Roald Amundsen, who had spent two years acquiring the Arctic experience of the Inuit, succeeded in completing the expedition in the early 1900s. The secret he learned: the passage is only completely passable in the summer months, when the sun is in the sky for almost 20 hours and only dips below the horizon for a short time during the day – knowledge that expeditions still benefit from today. Based on this discovery, the sustainable tour provider HX Hurtigruten Expeditions will set off around midsummer alongside some brave adventurers on a once-in-a-lifetime expedition into the untouched region in 2024.

© Photo Competition

The journey on the ultra-modern expedition ship "MS Fram" takes 19 days, starting in Reykjavík, Iceland, and ending in Montréal, Canada. Following the bold spirit of earlier pioneers, the ship makes its way through ice floes, remote communities as majestic landscapes pass by the window. Here, on the "roof of North America", it feels like being on another planet. The almost endless whiteness of the rugged icebergs towering on the horizon and the drifting ice that stretches above and below the surface of the water seem almost surreal. "There is only silence, and peace and freedom," Amundsen once recalled of the special atmosphere, and hardly anything could sum it up better.

Mads Phil

When you stand on the deck of the "MS Fram" and breathe in the cold polar air, look into the distance and observe seals, walruses and polar bears in their natural habitat as the sun illuminates everything brightly, everyday life seems far away. The Northwest Passage alone is 5,800 kilometers long, and there are hardly any photos of this route on the internet – only vague notions and myths. Those who cross it take the pictures of a lifetime. In any case, a borderline experience like this is something you usually only do once. To make it as unforgettable as possible, an expedition team and polar scientists are on board for lectures, workshops and exploratory tours, sharing their knowledge and teaching mindfulness. Those who explore the icy channels of the Northwest Passage with HX Hurtigruten Expeditions can look forward to unique travel experience.

Web: hurtigruten.com
Price: 19-day expedition from €14,949 p. p. (limited contingent, subject to change)