Known for its harsh conditions, nothing quite compares to the Arctic. The frozen wilderness may seem uninviting but in reality, it’s actually one of the most pristine environments in the world.
Fully remote, yes, but it offers an awe-inspiring beauty that is both raw and untamed. The towering glaciers and icy seas are certainly something to see once in your lifetime.
The Arctic’s wildlife is nothing short of incredible to witness. Elusive Arctic foxes, inquisitive seals and stocky polar bears roam the snowy terrain, while the Northern Lights light up the sky.
It’s a challenging habitat, but there are definitely some adventure-seekers out there who wouldn’t turn it out down.
Popular Arctic Regions To Visit
If you do happen to be one of these thrilling adventure-seekers, there are several Arctic regions to choose from around the world.
- Lapland: Located in Finland and Sweden, Lapland is known for its stunning winter wonderland escapes, especially around the festive season. It is most well-known as the hometown of Santa Claus, and offers activities such as snowmobiling and reindeer safaris.
- The Canadian Arctic Archipelago: This area is made up of a few remote islands and boasts dramatic snowy landscapes with some truly magnificent glaciers.
- The Russian Arctic: These islands are some of the most untouched in the world and have thriving Arctic wildlife from walruses to polar bears.
- Greenland: This is the world’s biggest island and has no shortage of things to see and do. Visitors can spend time whale watching or dog sledding around the icebergs and fjords.
Tech And Startups To Navigate The Arctic
With the Arctic’s unforgiving conditions, it’s crucial to be prepared if you plan on taking a trip there.
These apps have been designed to assist you while visiting the Arctic, from tracking wildlife to GPS maps.
1. Antarctic Wildlife Guide
Antarctic Wildlife Guide is an app available on iPhones and Android for wildlife enthusiasts. It offers a guide to the wildlife that you are most likely to encounter in the Antarctic continent, Falkland Islands or South Georgia.
Notably, it features more than 100 species with almost 700 images to distinguish them. Filtering by region, you can see exactly which species at found within it and the compare feature can put species side-by-side for analysis.
2. Windy
Windy is a handy tool to find detailed weather forecasts, local weather reports and a live world wind map. As the weather conditions in the Arctic can be unpredictable, keeping track of the weather is a must.
With the app, you can see the weather conditions up to ten days in advance for better planning of your trip. One of the most notable features is that it doesn’t require a Wi-Fi connection to update, so it can still work even without a connection.
3. Polarsteps
More than 10 million explorers have chosen Polarsteps to document and share their adventures. This all-in-one travel app showcases the world’s most captivating destinations, provides insider tips, and tracks your route, locations, and photos as you travel.
When travelling in the Arctic, you can receive a personalised digital map of your journey even while offline.
4. Quark Expeditions
Quark Expeditions has been designed to act as a comprehensive mobile resource for Arctic and Antarctic itineraries. With the app, you can learn about the various expeditions available and book them well in advance.
It will give you a good idea of what to expect while on an expedition, which is useful if you are a first-time Arctic traveller.
5. Arctic Lifestyle
Arctic Lifestyle is a great app to have for those planning on travelling to Lapland. By using the app, you can book safaris and excursions in and around Rovaniemi, including snowmobiling.
The activities are designed for families, groups or friends or couples so there really is something for everyone to truly experience everything that Lapland has to offer.
6. SafeTravel
The roads and weather conditions in Iceland are known to be difficult, and may be very different from what inexperienced travellers are used to.
SafeTravel app provides updates on the roads as you drive with the additional feature of sending your GPS location to emergency services in case of any accidents.
7. SeaNav
If your trip to the Arctic includes any boat expeditions, make sure to download the SeaNav app.
This app will help you to find, plan and navigate all of your boating trips in real-time and with detailed map charts. A few of the helpful features include offline charts, route planning and local wind. Moreover, you can see the tides, streams and weather forecasts for your upcoming trip.
