Volga River Cruise: Tsars Waterways of Russia

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Ring of Fire - Kamchatka, Commander & Kuril Islands Expedition Cruise

A once-in-a-lifetime Russia cruise in the spirit of the great explorers, embark on a Russia Far East Cruise of unparalleled adventure into the Pacific Ring of Fire. Here, Mother Nature still reigns supreme. Mighty volcanoes (mostly only half-asleep), cast their magnificent shadows across bizarre and beautiful landscapes.

Nowhere else on earth can the eruptive forces of nature be experienced more intensely than where the Pacific Ring of Fire meets the Russian Far East. Stretching for 50,000km around the Rim of the Pacific Ocean, most of the earth’s volcanoes are located around the edge of the Pacific Ring of Fire. Along with one of the world’s most active plate boundaries, millions of years of volcanic and geothermal activity have brought islands up from the sea and carved the land into the most unique and amazing shapes and formations.

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Lake Baikal Cruise - 6 Days Exploring Islands of the Sacred Sea

This Baikal Cruise will take you on a journey and show you that it is so big it makes its own horizon – little wonder it is sometimes mistaken as an inland sea!

Having formed some 25,000 million years ago, Baikal is the oldest and deepest body of freshwater on earth. Containing almost a fifth of the world entire unfrozen freshwater supply, the local people of southern Siberia have treated the ancient, life-giving Lake Baikal with deep reverence.

Covered in ice for much of the year, it’s during the balmy summer months that Baikal becomes a boating paradise, with brilliantly blue calm waters, shimmering azure bays and a shoreline hugged by dramatic mountain ranges, pristine forests and quaint ethnic villages. READ MORE

Volga River Cruise - Russian Odyssey

This Volga River Cruise will introduce you to the rich cultural side of Russia, its architecture and history on a luxurious odyssey from  Astrakhan to St Petersburg. Navigating the longest river in Europe, you’ll experience local traditions, get the vibe of the historic townships, and enjoy the great views of Russia’s rural countryside.

Be ready to re-evaluate your knowledge of Russia, its culture and history, as you will meet local people and see their habitual lifestyle, explore traditional crafts and try the most delicious dishes of Russian cuisine, listen to the best pieces of Russian classical music, attend interesting lectures by experienced professors and learn some useful phrases in Russian – we guarantee you will find amusement to your liking!

Russian Odyssey – Volga River Cruise Highlights:

• Tick everyone’s bucket list while visiting Moscow’s main attractions: Red square, St.Basil’s Cathedral and the mighty Kremlin.
• Be enchanted by the ancient towns of the Golden Ring of Russia and watch the slow transition of churches into mosques as you move into the Tatarstan Republic.

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Kamchatka's Forgotten Coast - Expedition Cruise

On this Kamchatka cruise, venture into the forgotten landscape of the Kamchatka and Chukotka coasts, the sublime natural beauty of untouched landscapes and abundant wildlife! As the Kamchatka coastline has been largely uninfluenced by human interaction for years, natural habitats and colonies of birds, seals, foxes, bears, and marine life have been able to flourish in the region.

It is also home to many indigenous peoples such as the Itelmen, Even, Chukchi, and Koryak, whose cultures you can experience on this Kamchatka cruise.

Kamchatka’s Forgotten Coast Cruise Highlights:

• Take a unique journey to the Commander Islands, rich with bird and marine life like the Red-faced cormorant, horned puffin, Pigeon Guillemot, Crested and Whiskered Auklets, and Sea Otters. Cruising the surrounds, you’ll also have the opportunity to observe the humpback, northern minke, sperm, orca, and Baird’s Beaked whales.
• Multiple landings across the Koryak and Chukotka coast will provide an excellent opportunity for sightings and photography of the natural world. As this Kamchatka cruise expedition takes you from the forested fiords to lagoons and bays, you’ll be in awe of wildlife like the brown bear, Kamchatka marmot, red fox, Tundra Bean Goose, Asian Rosy Finch and Siberian Accentor.

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Top of the World - North Pole Cruise

Get on board for the ultimate North Pole adventure. Nothing compares to experiencing the untamed grandeur of the Arctic quite like seeing its majestic landscapes unfold from the deck of a state-of-the-art nuclear icebreaker. Imagine an endless expanse of ice under the polar midnight sun. Pristine waters teeming with marine life. Prowling polar bears in the tundra. This is Mother Nature at her breathtaking best.

From Murmansk, Russia, you’ll embark the icebreaker 50 Years of Victory for a roundtrip voyage to the earth’s geographic North Pole. Our mighty vessel will plough its way through the frozen Arctic Ocean on a cruise that literally circumnavigates the globe in a matter of days. In addition to the exhilaration of cruising to the very apex of the earth, passengers will have the extraordinary privilege to land, via helicopter, on the scarcely visited Russian Arctic archipelago of Franz Josef Land, a remote wilderness home to an incredible abundance of wildlife.

North Pole Cruise Highlights: 

• After 7 days of cruising from Murmansk, we’ll arrive at the geographic North Pole, the place where all meridians meet and the only direction is south. To celebrate our successful mission to the top of the world, we’ll ceremoniously drop anchor and disembark on a sturdy stretch of ice for the ‘International Round Dance’ – a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to literally walk around the world!

• Franz Josef Land: Weather permitting, we’ll spend two days exploring this uninhabited archipelago, one most pristine Arctic habitats on earth. It is comprised of 192 islands where glaciers cover 85% of the land, carving out a spectacular terrain of steep valleys, caves and pinnacles

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Franz Josef Land and Svalbard Cruise

A Franz Josef Land cruise is as unique and authentic as the place itself. Franz Josef Land is part of the Russian Arctic National Park which is a nature sanctuary. Starting in Longyearbyen in the Norwegian territory of Svalbard, the Sea Spirit cruise ship crosses the icy, wildlife-rich Barents Sea to the Russian High Arctic. This remote wilderness is home to a variety of wildlife, including polar bears. In the surrounding icy waters, it is possible to spot seals, walruses, and the elusive bowhead whale. The archipelago also hosts an abundance of nesting Arctic seabirds such as the rare ivory gull.

Franz Josef Land and Svalbard Cruise Trip Highlights:

• Upon our arrival in Franz Josef Land, we’ll spend a week exploring this uninhabited archipelago. We’ll navigate the shallow waters of the isles by Zodiac and make as many on-shore landings as possible. It is comprised of 192 islands where glaciers cover 85% of the land, carving out a spectacular terrain of steep valleys, caves and pinnacles

• Our mission during our time in Franz Josef Land is to observe (sometimes at an extremely close range) the iconic Arctic animal species that call the islands home, including polar bears, walruses, beluga whales and narwhals

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Grand Volga River Cruise from Moscow to Astrakhan

This Russian river cruise is an epic journey along a spectacular stretch of Europe’s largest river. This 11-day tour, staying onboard the five-star, luxury Volga Dream cruise liner includes 14 days cruising from the historic River Terminal on the Moscow Canal to the beautiful old city of Astrakhan on the banks of the Volga.

After a three day introduction to the main attractions of Moscow, you’ll set sail for some of the most picturesque towns of the Lower Volga, including Yaroslavl on the famous Golden Ring circuit. Marvel at iconic onion-domed churches and medieval forts while immersing yourself Russia’s extraordinary culture, arts, folklore, history, food and legendary love of lively celebration along the way.

Grand Volga River Cruise highlights: 

• Highlights of Moscow: Enjoy guided excursions to the most lauded landmarks of the Russian capital. Walk the Red Square, enter the halls of the imposing Kremlin and Armoury Museum, and marvel at the works of the Russian masters at the Tretyakov Gallery

• Uglich: With brightly painted historical buildings standing proudly along the banks of the river, Uglich is one of the most magnificent towns to behold from the Volga. Explore one of Russia’s oldest cities, home to Church of St Dmitry, built on the site where the last heir of Ivan the Terrible met his mysterious demise

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Wrangel Island - Expedition Cruise in Russian Arctic

Cruise to Wrangel Island, an area 140km off the northeast coast of Siberia, separated from northern Alaska by the Chukchi Sea. For 10 frozen months of the year, this lonely wilderness is completely cut off from the outside world. Reaching Wrangel and braving its polar climate is not for the faint of heart. Only the most dedicated nature lovers make the journey – but the rewards are without parallel. There is simply no better destination than to meet the wild denizens of the Arctic up-close, virtually undisturbed by human interference, and in numbers that will simply astound you.

Wrangel Island – Russian Arctic expedition cruise highlights:

• Whale Bone Alley is the name given to a beach on Yttygran Island in the Bering Sea. Landing on the beach, you’ll take in the haunting atmosphere of this ancient site, where gigantic whalebones appear to sprout out of the ground, stretching along the coast for nearly half a kilometre
• Wrangel Island: After 6 days we reach the highlight of our cruise. Explore the island on foot and via Zodiac, searching for wildlife such as polar bears, musk oxen and reindeer amid majestic tundra landscapes with brilliant pastel patches of Arctic wildflowers

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Volga River Cruise and Two Capitals

On this mesmerising and romantic Moscow to St Petersburg river cruise, you’ll take in the sights, sounds and history of Russia’s heartland from the comfort of a stunning 5-star modern cruise vessel. After three days of touring the must-see sights of Moscow, we’ll sail through the Moscow Canal which connects the city to the majestic Volga River, the longest river in Europe. Heading north, you’ll experience the contrast between life in a heaving megacity and the languid pace of the gorgeous Russian countryside. Traversing the Volga with port calls in the timeless townships of Russia’s ancient Golden Ring, our Russian river cruise finishes in the glittering far northern metropolis of St Petersburg, one of the world’s most beautiful cities.

Moscow to St Petersburg Volga river cruise highlights:

• Highlights of Moscow: Enjoy guided excursions to the most lauded landmarks of the Russian capital. Walk the Red Square, enter the halls of the imposing Kremlin and marvel at the works of the Russian masters at the Tretyakov Gallery

• Uglich: One of the most magnificent towns to behold from the Volga, with its brightly painted Kremlin standing proudly along the waters’ edge, Uglich is home to the Church of St Dmitry, where the last heir of Ivan the Terrible met his mysterious demise

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Legend of Lake Baikal

Dive into the Legend of Lake Baikal on this glorious summer excursion to the glittering Blue Pearl of Russia. Plummeting to 1,642m at its deepest point, Baikal is also the world’s most voluminous lake. Its mirror-clear waters are a reflection of Siberia’s wildness, its vastness, and its beauty. Baikal is a place where shamans still speak to the spirit world, wildlife-rich virgin forests thrive and lake-living seals fish and frolic in freshwater. Surrounded by jagged mountains and taiga of pine, fir, and cedar, Lake Baikal is a protected World Heritage site. Unsurprisingly, it is the most famous attraction in Siberia, but Baikal’s sheer size means there’s always an escape from the crowds.

Legend of Lake Baikal Tour Highlights:

• The Taltsy Museum between Irkutsk and Listvyanka is a fabulously comprehensive open-air museum, set over 64 acres. Over 40 historical buildings from both the Russian and Buryat cultures of Baikal have been painstakingly reconstructed and authentically furnished. Wander through the streets of an 18th-century Siberian village and get a feel for life in a nomadic Buryat summer camp

• Cruise to Olkhon Island, the largest of Lake Baikal’s islands and the “capital” of shamanistic culture. On a day tour of Olkhon’s natural wonders, discover untouched Siberian forests, craggy capes, pristine beaches, and jaw-dropping sunsets

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