If you're looking for your next big adventure, this is surely it. A 24-day cruise through the Northwest Passage from Kangerlussaq in Greenland to Nome in Alaska next August on Hapag-Lloyd's expedition ship Hanseatic.
It's not the easiest of routes to sail, as explorers of old will testify. Sir John Franklin and his entire crew died while trying to get through in 1845 after their ship became trapped in the ice and it wasn't finally navigated until 1906, when Roald Amundsen managed to get through.
The route is now mapped and Hapag-Lloyd's captains have been through several times so you won't have to worry about freezing to death on the Hanseatic expedition, but it sounds quite thrilling even so.
The ship's captain Thilo Natke says the ship's ice-strengthened hull means it is well equipped to go through the Northwest Passage, "only needing the help of an icebreaker in extremely severe ice conditions". Well that's reassuring.
And of course the cruise line can't afford to make a mistake when calculating how much fuel, drinking water and food is needed for the journey as Carrefour has not opened a branch that far north yet.
So why go? Well, apart from the sheer excitement of going on such an expedition, there are the icebergs in Disko Bay in Greenland, the visit (hopefully) to the wreck of the Maud, the ship Roald Amundsen used to conquer the Northwest Passage, the chance to go ashore in Barrow, Alaska, the most northern city in the world, not to mention the various landings by inflatable zodiac at places along the way, weather permitting of course.
You'll also cruise close to the Canadian Arctic coast (look at the pictures below, one taken in warmer climes, the other off Ross Point in the Northwest Passage, to see how shallow Hanseatic's draught is) so you can see the shore and hopefully spot caribou, polar bears, musk ox, bald eagles and whales.
Unfortunately, such chills don't come cheap. Prices start from £12,136 per person for an outside cabin, but there'a a 5% discount if you book before January 18.
Although Hapag-Lloyd is a German cruise line, this is a bilingual cruise. Contact The Cruise People on 020 7723 2450 or Mundy Cruising on 020 7734 4404 for more details.
Jane Archer
