A swimming
excursion
from the Sampo
Watching gigantic ice floes
break apart in the eerily quiet expanse of polar oceans
might not be everyone’s idea of a good time, but for groups who
otherwise have seen it all, a few companies offer this
once-in-a-lifetime experience (book now, before all the polar ice
melts).
Sailing from the town of Kemi in
Finland, Sampo Tours (011-358-1625-6548; www.sampotours.com)
takes up to 150 people on trips that slice through ice up to 25
feet in thickness. The Arctic adventures -- which run from the
middle of December to the end of April -- give cruisers views of
massive chunks of ice, the occasional Arctic animal, Lapland
settlements and, during overnight jaunts, the breathtaking light
show of the Aurora Borealis,the Northern
Lights.Special survival suits allow the truly cold-blooded
to jump into the water.
Another company braving the chill is
Arcticvoyager (011-47-77-624440; www.arcticvoyager.com). Based in Tromso, Norway, a
fleet of four boats includes the icebreaking Origo, whose
seven-day adventures head to the Norwegian Arctic island of
Svalbard, also known as Spitsbergen. Spotting walruses, whales and
polar bears is a highlight of the tour.
The Southern Hemisphere offers some
fantastic icebreaking opportunities as well as the Aurora
Australis,the southern equivalent to the Northern Lights,
but the icebreaking boats venturing down there tend to go on
multiweek excursions, too long for the vast majority of incentive
trips.