This incredible journey aims to give you the opportunity to stand at 90 degrees North, the top of the world - on the very same spot that the early explorers struggled to reach.

Few places have stirred the hearts and minds of explorers more than the North Pole. It was not until 1926 that the pole first had a confirmed sighting and not until 1948 that anyone actually stood there - precisely what you could do on this extraordinary voyage. We are offering a choice of 15 or 16-day expeditions to the North Pole, sailing out of Murmansk, the home port of the Russian nuclear icebreaker fleet, onboard the Yamal, one of the world's most powerful icebreakers. This extraordinary vessel has the power needed to negotiate the challenging ice conditions to push northwards through the dense Arctic pack ice to reach the ultimate goal of 90 degrees North.

Your journey to the Pole will take you through an ever-changing panorama of wind-polished ice up to five metres thick, narrow channels of dark green water and aquamarine pools scattered across the frozen sea. Along the way, in this stunning setting of ice and snow, you will expect to encounter a variety of Arctic wildlife such as Polar Bears, Walrus and Ivory Gulls. Sightseeing on one of the ship's helicopters will provide you with unique aerial views of the icebreaker crushing through the Arctic Ocean pack ice.

On reaching the Pole you will join a rare and select group: those that can truly say they have stood at the top of the world. There will be time for a hike on the expansive ice; you can literally walk around the world in under a minute!

From the North Pole, the ship heads south towards Franz Josef Land, a remote archipelago of volcanic mountains with numerous colonies of seabirds. You will visit historic sights of early exploration, including Cape Norway where Norwegian explorers, Fridtjof Nansen and Hjalmar Johansen spent the winter of 1896-97 after a bold attempt to reach the North Pole. Depending on visibility, the helicopters will transfer you to one of the flat-topped islands that comprise the archipelago. Then it is back across the Barents Sea to Murmansk, where your amazing voyage ends.