Fancy a cold one? Arctic adventures with Steppes Travel

When you decide to go cold, you earn your place in adventure. Your first breath of frozen air catches in your lungs. The world falls quiet and every movement feels sharpened. These places offer perspective, a reminder of the fragility and resilience of the natural world. From the ice-choked arctic waters of Antarctica to the volcanic landscapes of Iceland, the world’s frozen places are anything but lifeless. They’re landscapes rich in wildlife, culture and transformation. Steppes Travel invites you to explore them differently, whether by small-ship, sled, snowmobile or skis, guided by those who know every floe, channel and trail.
Image: Scott Portelli, Aurora Expeditions

The Call of the Polar Seas

There is something elemental about travelling by small expeditionary ship in the polar regions. Days fall into a rhythm of discovery with mornings spent scanning the horizon for a spout of a whale, afternoons stepping ashore on islands sculpted by wind and ice, evenings warmed by stories shared in the lounge.

Here, scale humbles you. Icebergs loom, their deep blues and whites shifting with the light. Silence dominates until humpbacks breach beside your Zodiac, or a penguin playfully pikes past your paddleboard. In the Arctic, a polar bear pads across floes as it surveys its frozen kingdom.Adventures on Frozen Land

Prefer land to sea? Not all cold is ocean-bound. Across Scandinavia, Canada and the far north, adventure awaits. The jingle of harnesses as a team of dogs pulls you across Norway’s endless white, or the surge of adrenaline as a snowmobile carries you through Svalbard’s glacial valleys towards the world’s most northerly expedition lodge.

In Iceland, ice takes on a different character: glaciers flowing from volcanic peaks, ice caves glowing turquoise beneath the surface, geysers hissing into crisp air. Further west in Canada’s Ungava Bay, tundra and taiga forest stretch to the horizon, where the northern lights ripple across a sky unpolluted by city glare.Lives and Legacies in the Cold

The polar regions have long drawn those seeking to test themselves against extremes. Early explorers like Shackleton etched their names into history through feats of endurance and survival, their stories becoming touchstones for human resilience in frozen frontiers.

Yet the truest legacies belong to those who call these regions home. In Greenland, Inuit communities still live by rhythms dictated by ice and sea, their traditions rooted in respect for the environment. In northern Finland, Sami reindeer herders continue to guide their animals across snowy pastures, practising skills handed down through generations.

Both past and present reveal the same truth: survival in the cold depends on ingenuity, cooperation and deep connection with the landscape. To travel here is not only to witness dramatic scenery, but to share meals, learn crafts and hear stories that reveal how culture survives in the most testing conditions. Where the great expeditions endured for seasons, local communities have adapted for centuries.Cold as Transformation

What does it mean to stand in a place where the sun never rises over the horizon? To watch a sky alive with shifting auroras? To feel small beneath the immensity of ice? Travellers often speak of how time slows; priorities shift and perspective widen in these environments. We believe travel should leave more than photographs. It should provoke questions, spark curiosity and create stories that endure long after the ice has melted from your boots.
Sue Grimwood at Elephant Island Antarctica

Guided by Experience

Behind every cold journey with Steppes are experts who have lived these places. Sue’s obsession with the polar regions began in the late 90s on an expeditionary voyage to the Antarctic Circle. For Roxy, what started as a spark of curiosity for landscapes whilst studying geology grew into a lifelong love of travel.

Their knowledge is more than logistical; it’s personal. They understand not just where to go, but how to go. Their insight shapes journeys that match your sense of adventure, whether that means kayaking alongside icebergs, meeting Sami herders or simply standing still under the northern lights.

To choose cold is to choose contrast. It’s to step into places that are fragile, raw and intensely alive. Steppes Travel designs journeys that bring these cold worlds into focus. We help you see them better: not just as icy landscapes, but as places of perspective, resilience and beauty.

So, are you ready for the greatest show on earth? Then perhaps it’s time for a cold one.

Voted a Conde Nast Leading Specialist Tour Operator 2023 and 2024, Steppes Travel have been creating beautiful adventures and remarkable holidays for more than 30 years. +44(0) 1285402195

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