Greenland cruise and northern lights

Planet

On this fantastic Greenland cruise you will discover up-close the wonders of the remarkable Scoresby Sund region, an area teeming with natural beauty and spectacular landscapes that we place a huge emphasis upon protecting for generations to come. Our aim is to provide visits to this beautiful part of the world in the most conscientious and responsible manner. One of the most important ways in which we do this is to ensure that we solely use operators that are active members of the Association of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators (AECO) and the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators (IAATO), and are committed to delivering “respectable, environmentally-friendly and safe expeditions in the Arctic”.

The operators of this cruise were one of the founding members of the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators (IAATO), and as such they are wholeheartedly committed to ensuring that all of their expeditions are carried out with the utmost consideration for the vulnerable natural environments in which they operate. The operators work hard to protect and conserve the destinations they visit and employ a range of successful methods and initiatives to limit the impact of their operations. This includes the building and use of ships which have been built to have as minimal of impact on the environment as possible, exceeding the requirements of the Polar Code as adopted by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), allowing you to enjoy the polar regions as much as possible while impacting them as little as possible.

They also work hard to instil a firm sense of environmental responsibility in all passengers, and your expert expedition crew will be on hand at all times to offer insights and advice on reducing your carbon footprint. Throughout your tour you will be offered advice and guidelines on how to travel in an environmentally conscientious manner. These guidelines will include appropriate waste disposal methods and responsible usage of water.

As well as our commitment to protecting the natural environments we also place a huge deal of importance on ensuring the protection and conservation of the wildlife of the areas that are tours visit. Throughout your tour you will be briefed on how to act around any wildlife that you encounter with the firm ethos of “Do not leave anything but footprints and do not take anything but memories” being maintained throughout. The natural history experts that will accompany you on your expedition will highlight the conservation issues that the wildlife of this area face. As a company we support many wildlife organisations worldwide including Save the Albatross, Wader Quest and the South Georgia Habitat Restoration Project and in an effort to further enhance the positive effects of our tours on the wildlife of the Arctic we actively encourage our customers upon return to donate to charities concerned with the Arctic.

As a company we firmly believe that environmental responsibility starts at home. We encourage recycling of waste as a company and as individuals. Where possible for business use we use public transport. We are also heavily involved with a project to recycle used or damaged binoculars, which are then sent to conservation projects across the world. All pre-departure information is also sent digitally in the first instance, as opposed to printing, and as a company we actively encourage limiting printing wastage.

People

This Greenland cruise will offer you the chance to visit some of the world’s most remote communities to learn about their ways of life, traditions and cultures. The operators of this tour are fully committed to their responsibilities to the local communities that their tours visit and you will be offered first-hand insights on respecting the traditions of the communities you will be visiting, including appropriate behaviour at any heritage or cultural sites. As a company we are committed to ethically working with overseas partners who employ and support local communities and local guides who know and love their region like no other, delighted to share knowledge and are dedicated to looking after our valued passengers. With first-hand experience of the areas we visit we have up to date local information and can therefore provide the most relevant information in our pre-departure literature. This includes information on on-going initiatives and community efforts that we actively encourage our customers to become involved in, cultural etiquette and advice on how to engage with and help the local communities.

We are proud of our principle based values which our community can always depend on. We support several home and overseas charities, organisations and campaigns including AfriCat, Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF), the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT), Save the Albatross, South Georgia Habitat Restoration Project, Wader Trust, Wildlife SOS India and sponsorship of individual and underprivileged children in many countries.

We encourage our customers to extend their journeys with a pre or post-departure stay in one of Iceland’s enchanting towns or villages and we can offer first-hand advice on creating meaningful and respectful relationships between tourists and residents. We can suggest local areas and communities to visit gaining cultural insights along the way, along with advice on where to buy souvenirs (to ensure the proceeds are going directly to the vendors) & locally owned restaurants & bars. Likewise, the operators of your tour support a broad range of charities throughout the world. The utmost respect is given to all local cultures and the valuable cultural sites that you may visit on your trip.