Celebrating 30 years of expedition cruising in 2021, Abercrombie & Kent has announced that Geoffrey Kent, A&K’s founder, will host a new 26-day expedition, “The Northeast Passage: Across the Russian Arctic with Geoffrey Kent,” departing August 27, 2021 from Tromso, Norway to Nome, Alaska.
A&K’s 30th Anniversary season of luxury expedition cruises will also include a “Antarctica and the Total Solar Eclipse Cruise” (departing November 28, 2021), as well as voyages to Antarctica, the Arctic, Baltic Sea, Greece and other destinations.
“In this rarely-transited, vast wilderness, each day’s activities are determined by the captain and expedition leader based on ice, weather and sea conditions,” said Kent in an announcement. “That’s the appeal of expedition cruising – the unpredictability (and thrill) of adventure.”
Expedition Highlights
During A&K’s “The Northeast Passage: Across the Russian Arctic with Geoffrey Kent” voyage, A&K’s guests will visit remote settlements, seldom-seen Siberian islands, wildlife habitats and Arctic nature reserves. They’ll also discover Soviet-era Russia with visits to Murmansk, the world’s largest city north of the Arctic Circle, and Provideniya, a former military port.
Other highlights? Cruisers will visit Wrangel Island, a UNESCO World Heritage Site recognized for its biodiversity—including 400 species of plants, walruses and bird life. They’ll also explore a humongous nature reserve in the Kara Sea, home to polar bears, Arctic fox, reindeer, beluga whales and more.
Cruisers will be accompanied on the voyage and guided on expedition outings by A&K’s expedition team members—from award-winning scientists to habitat conservationists, historians and recipients of the prestigious Polar Medal—some who have been with A&K since its founding. The team will also give enrichment lectures.
The Northeast Passage cruise will also sail with two featured experts: Kiliii Yuyan, a National Geographic photographer of Siberian descent who specializes in photographing indigenous people, and Steffen Graupner, a trained scientist/explorer who has explored extensively in Russia and will serve as the voyage’s expedition leader.
To recognize A&K’s 30th anniversary of cruising to Antarctica and other far-flung destinations, A&K also has created a series of videos celebrating these intrepid explorers, including a 30th Anniversary celebration video:
Small-Ship Luxury
For its expeditions, Abercrombie & Kent charters a small expedition ship, which it says offers a safe and immersive destination experience. Each ship has a private yacht-like ambiance and delivers luxury onboard including butler service in all suites. The staff-to-guest ratio is 1-to-1.3.
In addition, A&K limits capacity to approximately 80 percent so no polar voyage exceeds 199 guests and no cultural journey exceeds 148 people. Every stateroom and suite has a private balcony. This commitment to added space is also reflected in shore excursions as A&K places capacity limits on Zodiacs and sets up small groups for exploring ashore to ensure physical distancing.
Onboard, Ponant has implemented strict sanitary protocols that reflect the “best practices” for cleanliness and disinfection established by the World Health Organization (WHO). In addition to constant and systematic cleaning and sanitizing of all onboard areas and management of air circulation, lounge areas and dining rooms have been reconfigured to provide physical distancing.
A doctor and nurse are available 24/7 and they have access to advanced hospital equipment and isolation areas, if needed.
Tip: Guests booking any A&K luxury expedition cruise by December 31, 2020, have the flexibility to change their travel plans for up to 30 days prior to departure in the event of a COVID-19-related reason.
This article originally appeared on www.travelagentcentral.com.
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