Quark Expeditions has announced its 2020 lineup now includes two 14-day Arctic expeditions featuring visits to the North Pole, according to a press release. 

“The North Pole, the northernmost point on Earth, has appealed to global travelers since the dawn of time,” said Andrew White, President of Quark Expeditions. “Yet only a relatively small handful of travelers have actually been able to set foot on the North Pole, which is a hard-to-reach, ice-covered domain in the middle of the Arctic Ocean.”

Quark Expeditions led the very first consumer expedition to the North Pole on July 27, 1991, from Murmansk, Russia, on the nuclear-powered icebreaker Sovetskiy Soyuz.

Coincidentally, its sister ship, 50 Years of Victory, is part of the Quark Expeditions fleet today.

Passengers who join the North Pole: The Ultimate Arctic Adventure expedition (in June/July 2020) will travel with 128 fellow passengers during the 14-day journey onboard 50 Years of Victory.

Travelers will begin their trip with a one-night stay in Helsinki, Finland, and then fly to Murmansk, Russia, where they will embark the ship. The route will take passengers through the remote Frans Josef Land archipelago and the Arctic Ocean. Expedition highlights include helicopter tours as well as Zodiac cruises. Optional activities include hot-air balloon rides at 90º North.

The 50 Years of Victory is an Arktika-class icebreaker capable of breaking through ice up to 2.5 meters (9.2 feet) thick. When it’s not transporting polar travelers, the nuclear-powered icebreaker is employed in scientific exploration in remote areas of the Arctic, according to a statement.