Impressive Arctic Life with Quark Expeditions - Review and Useful Tips
This article includes:
Ship overview
Expedition overview
Packing lists incl what I didn’t use, what I wish I brought, and what I should have saved room for
Tips for your trip
“There wasn’t a day of disappointment, not one single day where I didn’t see, learn, or experience something that left us in a state of wonder”.
Have you ever dreamed of exploring the Arctic? I’ve followed incredible adventurers like Mike Horn for years. I’ve dove into creators like Cecilia Blomdahl from Svalbard and Qupanuk Olsen from Greenland. Several friends have traveled to Iceland, some braved the Drake Passage in Antartica, but never once did I think I’d travel to the Arctic. Sure, it was on my bucket list, but it seemed far-fetched.
But then the opportunity arose.
And I took it.
All thanks to my travel buddy, Carolyn of Wander Ramble Roam. But that’s a story for another day, for now, let’s dive into the trip itself.
Trip overview and PROPOSED route
This adventure was with Quark Expeditions, an environmentally responsible tourism company that hosts trips in the polar regions in their spectacular small ships designed specifically for those areas. My trip was the ‘Arctic Saga: Exploring Spitsbergen via the Faroes and Jan Mayen’ aboard the Ultramarine. It was a repositioning cruise as they bring the Ultramarine up from the Antarctic to be based out of Longyearbyen, Svalbard for the next few months of Arctic trips.
Our proposed route was to embark in Aberdeen, Scotland then travel to Orkney Islands, Fair Isle, Faroe Islands, Jan Mayen, and finally Svalbard before catching a chartered flight in Longyearbyen to Helsinki, Finland. The entire trip was 14 days.
Ship (The Ultramarine)
The ship is almost as impressive as the infamous expeditions once you learn a little more about it. From what I can tell, every square inch of the Ultramarine was thoughtfully designed by Quark Expeditions to handle the harsh environments, promote responsible tourism, and maximize passenger comfort.
Let’s start with the cabins. Myself and Carolyn were in an Explorer’s Suites on Deck 3. It is 285 sqft, incredibly roomy, and has a full sized couch in the the living space - perfect for relaxing or watching the seminars from your room. It surprised me how open this space felt. We have ample storage space, more than enough room to hang up our clothing and store gear. And the shower, it’s spacious, warm, and has better water pressure than most hotels. The room was cleaned twice a day by the hotel staff.
Speaking of which, those folks are gems. The hotel, restaurant, and bar staff keep the good vibe of the ship going. They are patient, kind, and fun! Often laughing with us or offering meal and drink recommendations.
Most of our time was spent in the Panorama Lounge at the front of the ship. Once again, there’s ample room with its windowed walls, games table, and library nestled in the corner. Other shared spaces that we used includes the gym (takes a minute to get used to treadmill runs on a ship), the lecture theater (grab as many as those seminars as you can, these guys are excellent presenters), and the wraparound deck (to get those steps in on sea days).
We missed out on the stunning sauna and spa, but honestly, it was everything just to keep up with the expeditions and seminars.
There’s something about either the sea air or the adventures, because we were always hungry, yet eat plenty! Not including the multitude of cookie breaks we took in the panorama lounge. I can’t say enough about the food. Breakfast was robust, lunch was always an array of options at the buffet, and supper was a 4 course meal. I’ve eaten more fish than I ever had because it was simply so well prepared (I don’t normally eat fish at home, and don’t worry, if that’s not your thing, there are always other options).
Sustainability
I’m no engineer or ecologist, so even though they do an incredible job, I’m not the person to explain it to you. Please visit their impressive Polar Promise page detailing their sustainability initiatives and principles.
“I’ve rarely seen a team work so well together and provide such a high level of experience for the customer”
Expeditions
The expeditions came in three main forms; it was either a zodiak ride, a shore landing and guided hike, or a shore landing with an establish perimeter by staff (hello bears) so that we could roam at our own pace. There were also cultural excursions, visiting towns and villages where we would immerse ourselves in the people and landscape. On average, good weather days, there were two excursions per day. If they could safely make it work, they did. When weather was less favourable we weren’t bored as the staff hosted seminars (plus, you know, rest days and the spa aren’t horrible).
I’m hesitant to share too much of what we did and saw, because so much of your experience depends on factors outside our control. Like visit restrictions by local communities (aka we were a day short of being allowed to visit Fair Isle) and weather (which is understandable).
I will say that I think we had lady luck on our side for this voyage. There wasn’t a day of disappointment, not one single day where I didn’t see, learn, or experience something that left us in a state of wonder. While we missed some things in the proposed plan, we got far more from what wasn’t in the original plan, but maybe plan E on the list of possibilities. The expedition leader, assistant expedition leader, and the team’s ability to continuously pivot in a way that was digestible to the passengers, is one hell of a talent.
Expedition Staff
I’m not sure what sorcery was in play to gather a team as mighty as this, but the expedition team on our trip (and I’m told it’s consistent throughout other trips) was nothing short of phenomenal. I mean it. I’ve rarely seen a team work so well together and provide such a high level of experience for the customer. I was in awe, just watching and experiencing the interactions.
They are all experts in their own rights. Geologists, marine biologists, ornithologists, historians, photography, sea kayaking, and wilderness guides with years of experience and studies behind them.
Our ornithologist, Noah Strycker, is an author with several books including his latest, Birding without Borders. As an avid birder, my travel buddy Carolyn grabbed a copy and got it signed after his talk (which was fascinating, about traveling the world to spot as many birds as possible to set a new world record). I ordered one online.
The next book I picked up was only available at the museum in Longyearbyen. Our (more than a) historian Karl shared the story of trapper Wanny Woldstad after we were lucky enough to visit her trappers cabin in Svalbard. It’s an interesting tale of a Norweigan woman who marched to the beat of her own drum and decided to become a trapper in the Arctic. The book includes her diary entries and was hard to put down.
The expedition staff is so knowledgeable, that even our expedition doctor mentioned that compared to them, she’s “just a doctor”. Which we quickly corrected, because she also has the experience and expertise to leave us average humans humbled.
They set the tone for the passengers. If they ever complained or had a negative emotion, we never heard it. They were thoughtful, caring, and very engaging with passengers. They would lead our expeditions, provide seminars, hang out in the lounge with us, and eat with us. Often striking up conversation to share tidbits about our location, answer our never ending questions, or ask about our own story.
I’ve learned a lot on this trip, some of which I’ll be sharing in posts on @girlgonegood (my hiking resource company) on Instagram and Facebook.
Wildlife and Landscape
I cried no less than 4 times on this trip. I’ve never been accused of being overly emotional, but here we are, crying because I was either in awe of nature or felt incredibly connected.
While I’ve always promoted wellness and wilderness through girlgonegood.com, this trip was another staking block of evidence in my mind of how much we need nature in our lives. More importantly, how we should treat nature, and each other, better.
So, what did we experience? An array of things.
A full day of culture and nature in Funnigar, Faroe Islands. The village prepared for days for our arrival, they treated us to homemade fish soup (a chowder like soup with a cream base, veggies, and haddock) that left us licking the bottom of the bowls. Some folks asked for the recipe. It was delicious. We took a town tour, the residents sharing different aspects of their lives, livelihood, and history. They danced and taught us how to join in. They sang hymns in Faroese in the church, accompanied by a violin and accordion. I was so beautiful and heartwarming, that I cried and hoped no one else noticed while sitting in the pews. We hiked, and saw how massive the fjord really was.
In Jan Mayen we saw the reminiscence of whale jaw bones, chatted with the few that work there, and hiked up to the view point. The expedition staff, after ushering us back to the ship, went back to clean up the beach from old fishing nets that washed ashore.
Once officially in the Arctic Circle we saw playful seals, arctic fox, whales, birds, walrus, reindeer, and yes, even polar bears.
We ducked into various fjords in Svalbard. Gloriously calm places with alpine peaks, calm waters, and massive glaciers.
At one point, they decided to take us further north to the back ice of the North Pole. We passed 80° North and reached the back ice. We went as far as 80° 50’ North. We were the northernmost vessel on the seas that night. We celebrate gladly and it was something I won’t soon forget. And every turn, many of us were thinking “how is this my life”. The trip was just that good.
MINDSET
What is the thing you need the most on a trip like this? A fluid and respectful attitude. Don’t stay stuck on seeing/doing one thing to make Arctic worthwhile. If you don’t see a puffin, you might see a bear. If you don’t visit Fair Isle, you might be warmly greeted in the Faroes. Attach meaning to what happens, not what doesn’t. There are plenty of moments to be in awe and enjoy if you keep the right attitude about you. Also kindly respect the staff and fellow passengers, this is a shared experience.
What to bring with you
Note: Quark provides you with an excellent packing light and directions, follow their list, mine is just to show my experience. Browse their FAQ to find their packing list and everything else you might be wondering about.
It baffled many people, passengers and staff alike, that myself and Carolyn brought carry-on only for two weeks of travel in the Arctic. We both like traveling light and dislike the added fees for checked baggage that some airlines insist on.
I still had another 4 weeks of travel after this trip, so lighter was definitely better.
Reasons to pack lighter:
Easier airport experience
No checked baggage fees
The ship is very comfortable (individual room temperature control)
On ship laundry is available at an added charge
It’s easier to hand wash in your room and dry overnight (see tips below)
Quark Expeditions provides the bulky items (parka and boots)
Quark Expeditions provides hand soap, body wash, shampoo, conditioner, lotion.
Room to bring home things (see below)
What I packed
Enough US dollars to tip the hotel and expedition staff at the end of the experience.
Personal emergency medicine kit by Jase Medical and electrolyte packs by BioSteel (sugar free and delicious)
First aid triage kit by Uncharted Supply and Whoop health tracker (but lost it on the first day in Scotland)
iPhone, laptop, chargers, and an adapter
1L water bottle and small YETI tumbler
GoRuck bullet ruck (any backpack will do)
Toiletries and vitamins
7x underwear/socks, 3x wool socks
1x wool base layer/pullover fleece/quick-dry synthetic long sleeve
4x leggings/tshirts
1x rain jacket/rain pants/toque/buff/sunglasses
2x mitts (light pair and a extra warm gortex pair)
What I wished I packed
A cardigan/zip up hoodie/light jacket
Bluetooth ear buds (I know, I know, wires are so outdated)
What I didn’t end up using
Second pair of shoes (canvas flats)
Ball hat
Emergency medicine kit (but wanted it for the rest of my travels)
Hair straightener (who was I kidding anyways, sea hair everyday all day)
What to leave room for (this is important!)
The parka is yours to keep if you wish or they will donate it. I recommend that you keep it. The park actually packs up well and the detachable inner puffer is ideal for the travel home. It makes for an excellent jackets to keep in your vehicle or cottage for emergencies during colder months.
The water bottle provided by Quark Expeditions, ours was a 500ml Nalgene bottle which makes it the ideal designated electrolytes bottle.
Local art, books, knits, and other products from stops. We had the most incredible experience in the Faroes and I was a little gutted that I didn’t have room to buy one of their handknit sweaters. I mean really, who wouldn’t want one?! They were gorgeous, warm, and made with heart. Most passengers got one and I settled for buying a knit hat which thankfully I could fit in my luggage.
Anything from the ship’s gift shop, like the cold plunge t-shirt after jumping into the Arctic or souvenirs for home.
What I bought
A handknit toque and postcard art from Funnigur, Faroe Islands and a book on local history in Longyearbyen, Svalbard.
And man-oh-man I wish I bought a hand knit sweater from the Faroes, the regret is real.
Added Bonus for This AUthor
The change of scenario, high dose of wilderness, and good vibes was exactly the boost needed to not only get ahead in the manuscript I’m currently working on, but write the final chapter! So excited for this book, the developmental edits will be done by end-August and then it’s full steam ahead with the publishing and marketing plan.
Tips that elevate the experience
Pack clothing that you can mix and match easily, dry easily, and is either wool or synthetic materials.
Bring eco-friendly laundry strips, or use the hand soap provided, to easily launder your clothes in the cabin’s washroom sink or shower. Because the washroom has heated flooring, quick-dry clothes (and even some light cottons) dry by the morning.
Prepare for sea sickness, I brought ginger tabs and used the meclizine tablets provided by the ship. As the ship’s doc said, you won’t die from seasickness but it is uncomfortable and might take a day to adjust to the ships movements.
Bring a minimum of SPF 50 for your face, even if you’re from Florida. Wear it daily, yes, even on cloudy days.
The day is packed, if you need extra rest, watch the seminars from your room instead of going to the lounge in person. That way you can listen while handwashing your clothes, packing, prepping for the next day, going through your zillion photos, etc.
What’s next?
Well, to be honest, there’s a few of us looking at future trips with Quark. Until then, I have another article to write about the lessons and reminders this trip provided.
Thinking of traveling to the Arctic? I can confidently 10/10 recommend Quark Expeditions. When they say they’re the leader in polar expedition, they mean it, they really are.
Feel free to tag me on Instagram or LinkedIn with your comments and insights, or email hello@vickiemlanthier.com
Disclaimer: Note that this article reflects my personal experience and opinions only. I am not affiliated with Quark Expeditions in any way and this was not a paid promotion.