How to travel to the North Pole

‘Tis the season for Santa Claus, reindeers named Rudolph, elves, and the North Pole.

Ever wondered how you could travel to the North Pole? Read on with tripatlas.com/new as we take you to one of the farthest and hardest-to-reach places in the world.

Find out more about arctic + polar expeditions in our list of Top 10 Arctic & Polar Expedition Adventures or see the stunning Polar Expeditions Slideshow.

How to travel to the North Pole & the top of the world

In the past few hundred years, many adventurers and explorers have tried to reach the North Pole and failed miserably. Ships were often beset in ice and shipmates freeze to death in the arctic climate.

Even now, few ships have the capability to withstand the dangerous waters and ice of the arctic. In fact, even polar bears don’t travel as far as the North Pole because there are better swimming (and hunting) opportunities found more south within the Arctic Circle.

Want to see polar bears up-close in the sub-arctic? Read about Visiting Churchill, Manitoba: Polar Bear Capital of the World.

Reaching the North Pole. Today, if you try to visit the North Pole, you may be disappointed for two reasons. First, it’s likely you won’t be able to find Santa’s North Pole (since it’s obviously hidden from plain view). Second, once you reach the North Pole, you’ll find yourself in the middle of the Arctic Ocean that may or may not have an ice surface to stand on (depending on the time of the year).

Air voyages to the North Pole. Air voyages to ice mass surfaces in the North Pole are frequently made and safe enough for most travellers. These trips take place in April when the 6-month winter is over but the ice is still strong enough to stand on, departing from Longyearbyen in Svalbard, Norway. The journey is a combination of plane and helicopter travel with a visit to the Russian polar research station with options of hikes, skydiving, dogsledding, or skiing. An airplane-only sightseeing flight can start from approx $800 while an on-land excursion can start from approx. $10,000.

Cruise voyages to the North Pole. There are only a couple of ice-breaker ships that cruise to the North Pole in late-June and early-July. The ships depart from Helsinki or Moscow. On the trip, you can choose to take a “plunge” into the arctic waters, go for a short kayak ride or hike. The 2-week journey stats at approx. $18,000 USD.

Visiting Greenland. In some cultures, it’s believed that Santa Claus actually lives in Greenland. The good news that it’s cheaper to visit Greenland than the North Pole. These more affordable tours in and around the Arctic Circle begin from approx. $2,500 and visit places like Greenland, Baffin Island, Nunavut, Svalbard, and the Norwegian Fjords.

Want to book a trip? Check out the tripatlas.com/new Trip Builder where you can request a quote from local travel agents who are ready to offer you custom prices on your trip.

North Pole & Arctic Travel Resources

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