Beginning in Anchorage, Alaska, and ending in Helsinki, Finland, this 28-day expedition takes you through the exotic Siberian and Russian Arctic. You'll visit four separate groups of islands, enjoying both shore landings and helicopter sightseeing. See polar bears, walrus and musk oxen in the wild, add many rare and endangered seabirds to your birding notebook, and pay a visit to a traditional reindeer-hearding camp. Your ship, the Russian polar-class icebreaker Kapitan Khlebnikov, will be making its final transit of the Northeast Passage as an expedition vessel.

July 10, 2011— Overnight in Anchorage, Alaska.
July 11/12, 2011— Embarkation Day, Anadyr, Russia. (Day lost crossing Date Line.)
July 13 to 15, 2011— Bering Strait.
July 16 to 17, 2011— UNESCO World Heritage Site—Wrangel Island.
July 18 to 24, 2011—New Siberian Islands.
July 25 to 30, 2011— Severnaya Zemlya.
July 31 to August 2, 2011—Franz Josef Land.
August 3 to 4, 2011— At sea.
August 5, 2011— Disembark Murmansk, overnight Helsinki.
August 6, 2011—Depart for home.

Your adventure begins with an overnight stay in Anchorage, Alaska, just south of the Arctic Circle.

From Anchorage, board our charter flight to Anadyr, Russia, where you'll join Khlebnikov. Remember you lose a day when you cross the International Date Line!

Begin your cruise by sailing north through the Bering Strait - site of the ancient land bridge over which the first humans are said to have crossed to North America. Be on deck when you pass Cape Dezhnev, the most easterly point in Asia.

Wrangel Island is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, designated due to its remarkable biodiversity. This fascinating island is:

* A breeding ground for polar bears, walrus and seals.
* A summer destination for grey whales.
* A nesting spot for many endangered birds.
* The last place on Earth to support a population of woolly mammoth (alive here as recently as 1700 BC).

During your visit, you may also spot reindeer, musk ox and arctic wolves. If the island is surrounded by fast ice (sea-ice frozen fast to the coast), Khlebnikov's onboard helicopters will transfer you ashore, giving you a chance to snag some unforgettable aerial photographs.

These are the least accessible islands in the Arctic, and Khlebnikov will get you there! Enjoy aerial sightseeing from the onboard helicopters, and a planned visit with the reindeer-herding people of the Tundra Nenet tribe. This visit has been a highlight of past Quark voyages, and we will do our best to introduce you to these fascinating and warm-hearted people.

This group of 191 islands forms the most northerly archipelago in Eurasia, and lies entirely within the Arctic Circle. Here you'll explore Cape Flora, and discover historic remains from three ill-fated Arctic expeditions. When conditions permit, Zodiac trips beneath towering cliffs will explore remote seabird rookeries. Khlebnikov's on-board helicopters will again provide aerial sightseeing, and transfer you to otherwise inaccessible landing sites.

Sail the Barents Sea to Murmansk, Russia. Along the way you may see a beautiful milky-blue phytoplankton bloom. This naturally occurring event provides food for the Barents Sea zoo plankton and krill populations, which in turn feed the Russian Arctic's many sea mammals.

Your final Arctic port is Murmansk, Russia's most northerly city. After you leave the ship, we'll transfer you to the airport, where you'll board your flight to Helsinki, Finland.

After breakfast at your centrally located hotel, you are free to leave for home or extend your stay. Helsinki, Tallin (capital city of Estonia) and St. Petersburg (the Venice of the North) are all fascinating cities, just waiting to be explored.