Bering Strait, Wrangel Island - Along the North-East Siberian Coast

ITINERARY

Day 1: Flight to Moscow
Opportunity for sightseeing, hotel overnight
Day 2: Flight to Anadyr (Chukotka)
Day 3 Anadyr
All expedition members will arrive in Anadyr, you will be picked up at the airport and brought to the ship.
We will depart when everybody is on board.

Day 4: Egvekinot
Egvekinot has been founded in 1946 to supply the mines in the interior of Chukotka. We will be driven into the tundra along a road, which has been earlier built by prisoners. Our destination is a monument indicating the Polar Circle.. .Meanwhile another half of passengers will visit the museum with an exhibition about the native Chukchi culture. Very interesting also will be the narration of the museum leader about the cruel circumstances the proisoners had to cope with before...
Day 5: We will reach Konegin, a small remote Chukchi settlement
The locals will welcome us already at the beach and guide us to the school where a buffet with local delicacies has been prepared.
You may purchase carvings from antler or mamoth ivory. if we are lucky, we may attend a dancing and music presentation .

Day 6: Yttygran, Nuneangan and Arakamchechen Islands
Yttygran Island is home to the monumental ancient aboriginal site known as Whale Bone Alley. Whalebones stretch along the beach for nearly half a kilometre. Gray Whales are frequently seen around the island, we will also cruise by Nuneangan and Arakamchechen Islands where seabirds nest and walrus can be found.

If you had booked.the first tour in the season you might be able to attend the colorful Beringia Festival of the indigenous people.
Day 7: Cape Dezhnev and Uelen Village
Sea conditions permitting, we will land at Cape Dezhnev early this morning. The north-eastern most point of the Eurasian continent, it is sometimes possible to see the coast of America from this remote and lonely outpost. A few nautical miles to the west of Cape Dezhnev we visit Uelen Village the most north-eastern village in Russia. The population is predominantly Chukchi and the village is one of the largest centres for traditional Chukchi and Inuit art in the world. We’ll be entertained by villagers and visit the bone-carving workshop during our visit.
Day 8: Passage to Wrangel island
Our lectors will present interesting lectures about wildlife and history of this remote part of the world.
It is very likely, that we will be interrupted by the Captain and his officers several times, once Grey Whales, Greenland Whales or Orcas were detected. from the bridge
We will also see lots of sea birds. And closer to Wrangel walruses, pehaps already polar bears.
Days 9 to 11: Wrangel and Herald Islands
Ice and weather conditions permitting, we will spend the next few days on Wrangel Island and we will also attempt to include a visit to nearby Herald Island. There are many landings that we can make to search out wildlife, wild flowers and Arctic landscapes. Polar Bears will be high on our list of animals to see and with a little patience we should be rewarded with a number of encounters. Musk Oxen and reindeer were introduced to the island in 1975 and 1948 though reindeer numbers are low. We also have a chance to visit Dragi Harbour where the survivors of the Karluk which was crushed by ice in 1914 scrambled ashore and lived until they were rescued. Wrangel Island is a Russian Federal Nature Reserve of international significance and importance particularly as it is a major Polar Bear denning area. Also each summer thousands of birds migrate here to breed, including Snow Geese, Snowy Owls, skuas, Arctic Terns, Ross’s, Sabine and Ivory Gulls.
Day 12: Kolyuchin Island
This small island was once an important Russian Polar Research Station and one of a number dotted across the Arctic. Near the derelict buildings are some of the most spectacular bird cliffs in the Arctic where puffins, guillemots and gulls can be observed and photographed up close.
Day 13: Kolyuchin Inlet
So huge that it is visible from satellite photos, this inlet contains vast numbers of waterfowl and migratory waders. We concentrate our visit on the Belaka Spit near the mouth of the inlet. It is a wild, desolate landscape that is strangely beautiful. We search the dunes and tidal areas for birdlife including Emperor Geese and Spoon-billed Sandpipers. Gray Whales frequent the area and are sometimes spotted feeding only metres offshore.
Day 14: Bering Strait and Chukotka Coast
Early morning we will pass the Diomede Islands, sometimes called Tomorrow Island and Yesterday Isle because they straddle the International Date Line. Here Russia and America are separated by only 2.3 nautical miles of ocean. We will remain in Russian territory as we cruise south past the islands. Later this afternoon we make an expedition landing on the Chukotka coast, our last chance to enjoy the wildlife and tundra landscape.
Day 15: At Sea
Relax as we sail across Anadyrskiy Bay towards Anadyr.

Day 16: Anadyr
After breakfast it will be time to say our farewells. There will be a complimentary transfer to the airport or to a central downtown hotel.
Day 17: Return fligtht


Please note:
All itineraries are for guidance only. Programs may vary depending on local ice and weather conditions and in order to take advantage of opportunities to see wildlife. Flexibility is paramount for expedition cruises.