Ultimate Polar Bucket List | 15 Top Polar Places & Activities

The polar regions are some of the least explored places on the planet. Every year, adventurous travellers worldwide are drawn to the raw nature, wildlife and mystique of visiting the Arctic and Antarctica.

To inspire your next journey to the polar regions, I, along with the help of the team at Polar Escapes, have collected our top 15 polar places and activities in the Arctic and Antarctic regions based on our own experiences. 

From reaching the North and South Poles to camping on the ice in Antarctica, these are the most epic adventures in the polar regions. 

1.Take an icebreaker cruise to the North Pole

Reaching the Geographic North Pole is considered one of the greatest achievements in polar exploration. Located on the frozen Arctic Ocean, it is the holy grail for many polar explorers.

Today, thanks to the advancement of icebreakers, the North Pole is easier to reach than at any time in history and is achievable by anyone. Each year, the luxury icebreaker Le Commandant Charcot sails from Longyearbyen in Svalbard, crushing through the thick sea ice of the Arctic region to reach the North Pole.

Do you want to stand on top of the world? Polar Escapes offers the best selection of North Pole Cruises.

2. See Polar Bears In The Wild in Svalbard

Seeing a polar bear in the wild is a memory you will never forget. It is one of the main reasons travellers pilgrimage to the Arctic yearly. I’ve been lucky enough to see polar bears in the wild on many occasions, and nothing beats the feeling of connection to the natural world more than seeing a polar bear in its living home. The Northern Polar region of Svalbard also has many other highlights including Arctic foxes, walruses, and whales.

While polar bears can be seen all over the Arctic, an expedition cruise to Svalbard offers the best opportunities for sightings. Polar bears can also be seen on the Northwest Passage and on the sea ice in East Greenland. Polar bears have strong environmental protection, and every encounter is undertaken with minimal disturbance.

To find out more about how to see polar bears please see our guide How To See Polar Bears In The Wild.

3. Traverse The Northwest Passage

Completing a full traverse of the North West Passage is another outstanding polar achievement. While completing the Northwest Passage was attempted many times across the centuries, it wasn’t completed until 1906 by Norweigan Explorer Roald Amundsen, who navigated the entire length of his ship Gjøa.

Today, a handful of expedition ships complete the Northwest Passage each year, opening it up to curious explorers. Cruises often start in Greenland and sail through the passage to Nome in Alaska.

Is conquering the entire Northwest Passage on your bucket list? Polar Escapes offers the largest selection of Northwest Passage expedition cruises and tours.

4. Explore the world’s longest fjord – Scoresby Sund

The longest natural fjord on Earth, Scoresby Sund, is located on East Greenland’s remote east coast. Situated above the Arctic Circle, it borders the Northeast Greenland National Park, carved by retreating glaciers from the Greenland Ice Cap.

Steep-sided fjords rise to jagged mountains that tower above cruise ships, exploring the narrow iceberg-filled waterways. From my experience, no other polar places on Earth compare to the awe-inspiring scenery and sheer remoteness of Scoresby Sund.

To See Scoresby Sund for yourself please see our Greenland cruises and tours.

5. Camp Out With Penguins in Antarctica

While camping may not be the first activity that comes to mind when visiting the world’s coldest continent, a night out on the ice offers a different perspective. Guests begin digging their holes to shelter from the wind in the snow with shovels, after which it’s time to snug up in a bivvy bag and soak in the sounds of raw nature.

Camping experiences are available on select Antarctica expedition cruises. The team at Polar Escapes has heaps of camping experience if you want to know more.

6. Fly to the South Pole

Reaching the South Pole is one of the ultimate three polar challenges, along with the North Pole and crossing the Greenland Ice Cap. Due to its remoteness, only a few people reach the South Pole each season.

The easiest way to reach the South Pole is to fly there on a specialist expedition from South Africa or South America. For the ultimate experience, expeditions also involve camping in tents or luxury pods on the Antarctic ice sheet.

7. Dog sled in East Greenland

Dog sledging is the traditional form of travel for the Inuit living in Greenland’s Arctic climate. As the fjords freeze over during the long, harsh winters, dog sledging allows local hunters to travel quickly over the ice.  

It’s possible to join an expedition cruise to Greenland during the springtime and experience dog sledding for yourself. I joined a trip to Tassilaq in early May and experienced it myself. Local hunters arrive at the ship and take guests out on a dog sledding experience along their frozen fjords, which are only usually seen by locals at that time of year. It’s incredible to witness the strength and resilience of the sled dogs and a great insight into life in the polar regions. This activity also helps the local economy by employing local guides and hunters during ship visits.

8. See The Midnight Sun

The midnight sun is one of the most extraordinary phenomena in polar places. During the summer, 24 hours of sunlight is visible throughout the polar regions and is experienced in the Arctic and Antarctica.

The midnight sun is visible above the Arctic Circle during the northern summer. The further north you venture, the longer the midnight sun is visible. In Svalbard, located above 78 degrees north, the midnight sun can be seen from late April until mid-August.

In Antarctica, the midnight sun is visible south of the Antarctic Circle between December and January.

9. Circumnavigate Spitsbergen

Svalbard is a Norwegian archipelago of remote islands situated between the North Pole and mainland Norway. While most cruises only explore a section of Svalbard, a longer expedition can circumnavigate Spitsbergen, the largest island.

Often, Spitsbergen circumnavigation cruises are longer and offer more in-depth exploration. If seeing a polar bear and wildlife watching are high on your list, a longer cruise is perfect for spending more time exploring to maximise sightings.

10. Encounter The world’s most enormous icebergs in Disko Bay

An ice sheet covers 80% of Greenland, and where it meets the sea, large glaciers calve off huge chunks of ice, which form icebergs. Nowhere in Greenland is more epic than Disko Bay, situated on the mouth of the Illulisat Icefjord. Fed by Greenland’s largest glacier, Sermeq Kujalleq, massive icebergs form and are carried by the wind and the tide into Disko Bay.

Having visited myself, nothing beats the size of the icebergs in Disko Bay for their breathtaking scale. A great way to see them is on an expedition cruise along the west coast of Greenland.

11. Penguin Watching On South Georgia Island

One of our favourite polar places, South Georgia Island, is often overlooked as a destination for polar travellers. Located in the Sub-antarctic Ocean, the island’s steep beaches and rocky coastlines are a haven for wildlife.

Over one million penguins live on South Georgia Island, making it one of Earth’s most significant concentrations of birdlife—four species of Penguin breed on the island: macaroni, Gentoos kings, and chinstraps. At Saint Andrew’s Bay, visitors are greeted by 450,000 breeding pairs of King Penguins nesting. Cooper Bay offers the perfect place to see Macaroni penguins with their distinctive yellow hair nesting in the tussock grass.

The only way to see South Georgia is on an expedition cruise. Many cruises also include Antarctica as part of the voyage. At Polar Escapes, we have over 35 years of experience exploring South Georgia. Please see our South Georgia Cruises to find out more.

12. See The Northern Lights & Southern Lights

Many travellers in the polar regions want to see the northern lights (Aurora Borealis) in the Arctic or the southern lights (Aurora Australis) in Antarctica.

The phenomenon is experienced during the dark hours when the skies are clear. If seeing the Northern or Southern lights is your goal, choose a trip during autumn when darkness returns to the polar regions. It’s a common misconception that they can be seen in the summer when there are 24 hours of daylight!

One of my best experiences witnessing the northern lights over dramatic landscapes and iceberg-filled fjords was in East Greenland. Northern Lights cruises sail from Iceland up East Greenland’s coast in September, providing the perfect dark skies for viewing.

13. Kayak amongst icebergs in the polar regions

Sea kayaking or paddling is a top bucket list activity in the polar regions. This adventurous activity is a great way to connect with nature and appreciate the silence. Nothing quite beats the awe and excitement of wildlife sightings from a kayak.

Kayaking is offered on a variety of expedition cruises. For travellers who wish to do multiple kayaking trips as part of their expedition cruise, we recommend contacting our team for inside advice on which trip is the best fit for them.

14. Explore The Northeast Greenland National Park

One of the least visited parts of the Arctic region, Northwest Greenland National Park, is off-limits for most of the year due to the heavy pack ice surrounding the coast. During the late summer, however, it opens up for a few months and allows travellers to experience untouched, never-ending fjords, glaciers, and icebergs.

At a staggering 972,000 Square kilometres, this vast wilderness is the largest national park on Earth, larger than many countries. Exploring it should be on everyone’s polar travel bucket list.

15.Explore Antarctica’s Ross Sea region.

Famed for its history of exploration, from Shackleton to Scott and Amundsen, the Roaa Sea region was the starting point for the race to the South Pole. Today, Antarctica’s least visited southern polar region is due to the vast distances (it takes around 6 days from New Zealand across the Southern ocean) and short weather window.

If you crave to see a different side of Antarctica, a Ross Sea cruise could be for you. Witness the colossal Ross Sea ice shelf, emperor penguin colonies, and the historic huts of Shackleton and Scott and learn about the Antarctic treaty system.

I hope you enjoyed reading about our top polar places and are inspired to explore them.

At Polar Escapes, we specialise in the polar regions and offer the largest selection of expedition cruises and tours to the Arctic and Antarctica. If you need expert advice to plan your trip, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Happy Exploring