Dates, Prices & Info
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Trip Dates
- Departure
- Return
- Notes
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Trip Pricing
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Mouse over or tap dates above to view prices for specific departure dates.
Single Occupancy: For a single room add $2850. Click here to learn how you can avoid the single supplement.
Deposit: $1000 per person (nonrefundable)
Other Notes: Trip prices are per person based on double occupancy and are given in U.S. dollars.
Please read our Payment & Refund Policy here.
- Trip Price
$18795
Single Occupancy: For a single room add $2850. Click here to learn how you can avoid the single supplement.
Deposit: $1000 per person (nonrefundable)
Other Notes: Trip prices are per person based on double occupancy and are given in U.S. dollars.
Please read our Payment & Refund Policy here.
Accordion Options :
show
Mouse over or tap dates above to view prices for specific departure dates.
Single Occupancy: For a single room add $4850. Click here to learn how you can avoid the single supplement.
Deposit: $1000 per person (nonrefundable)
Other Notes: Trip prices are per person based on double occupancy and are given in U.S. dollars.
Please read our Payment & Refund Policy here.
- Trip Price
$19595
Single Occupancy: For a single room add $4850. Click here to learn how you can avoid the single supplement.
Deposit: $1000 per person (nonrefundable)
Other Notes: Trip prices are per person based on double occupancy and are given in U.S. dollars.
Please read our Payment & Refund Policy here.
Group Size
Limited to 30 Travelers
Nat Hab’s exclusive Aurora Quest adventure includes the private charter of a luxury train to the Russian Arctic. Though our full group aboard the train is larger than on a typical Nat Hab adventure, we travel with multiple Expedition Leaders, train and tour staff, ensuring that you'll enjoy the intimate nature and cultural encounters you expect on any Nat Hab trip. We're able to divide up for activities, and you're assured plenty of personalized interactions with our Expedition Leaders, as well as a richer interpretive experience, since our guide-to-guest ratio is still small.
Specialized 4x4 Land Rovers and Land Cruisers
Our Private Leaders
Included
Accommodations, services of Nat Hab's professional Expedition Leader(s) and local guides, all meals from dinner on Day 1 through breakfast on final day, most gratuities, airport transfers for those arriving by air on Day 1 and departing by air on the final day, all activities and entrance fees, all taxes, permits and service fees.
Not Included
Travel to and from the start and end point of your trip, alcoholic beverages, some gratuities, passport and visa fees (if any), optional activities, items of a personal nature (phone calls, laundry and internet, etc.), airline baggage fees, required medical evacuation insurance, optional travel protection insurance.
Physical Requirements
Easy to Moderate
This adventure does not require a significant degree of physical fitness. However, weather conditions can be snowy, icy and/or wet, and temperatures are typically very cold, often dropping to 0°F at night with daytime highs in the 20s. Travelers must feel comfortable walking on snowy and slippery surfaces. Many days we will be on our feet for 1–3 hours at a time while we are participating in activities that require walking such as city tours, museum visits, etc. Optional snowshoe excursions require moderate physical exertion and range from 1–3 miles in length over level ground and slight inclines, although snow and ice may create rough and/or challenging terrain conditions. On several nights we will stay up late to look for the northern lights, which typically appear after 9 or 10 pm.
Please note that to participate in the full tour of the nuclear icebreaker in Murmansk, guests must be able to navigate several sets of stairs. The main stairs aboard the vessel are wide and easy to negotiate, providing access to the captain's cabin and interactive information center featuring displays on Arctic ice and wildlife. To access the engine room, we must descend a narrow, steep staircase (with a railing) and return the same way. A similar steep staircase climbs up to the cockpit and requires guests to make their way back down via the same steps. Guests who do not wish to navigate these stairs can remain in the information center during that portion of the tour.
While travelers are not required to participate in all activities, if you should opt out of any of the day’s scheduled activities, we cannot guarantee that alternatives will be available. Due to the extreme remoteness of our destinations and a lack of advanced medical care facilities, particularly aboard our 3-day train trip, it is essential that travelers be of sound health and able to maintain a positive attitude in a wild and remote setting.
This adventure does not require a significant degree of physical fitness. However, weather conditions can be snowy, icy and/or wet, and temperatures are typically very cold, often dropping to 0°F at night with daytime highs in the 20s. Travelers must feel comfortable walking on snowy and slippery surfaces. Many days we will be on our feet for 1–3 hours at a time while we are participating in activities that require walking such as city tours, museum visits, etc. Optional snowshoe excursions require moderate physical exertion and range from 1–3 miles in length over level ground and slight inclines, although snow and ice may create rough and/or challenging terrain conditions. On several nights we will stay up late to look for the northern lights, which typically appear after 9 or 10 pm.
Please note that to participate in the full tour of the nuclear icebreaker in Murmansk, guests must be able to navigate several sets of stairs. The main stairs aboard the vessel are wide and easy to negotiate, providing access to the captain's cabin and interactive information center featuring displays on Arctic ice and wildlife. To access the engine room, we must descend a narrow, steep staircase (with a railing) and return the same way. A similar steep staircase climbs up to the cockpit and requires guests to make their way back down via the same steps. Guests who do not wish to navigate these stairs can remain in the information center during that portion of the tour.
While travelers are not required to participate in all activities, if you should opt out of any of the day’s scheduled activities, we cannot guarantee that alternatives will be available. Due to the extreme remoteness of our destinations and a lack of advanced medical care facilities, particularly aboard our 3-day train trip, it is essential that travelers be of sound health and able to maintain a positive attitude in a wild and remote setting.
Important Information About This Trip
Departures operate in reverse direction
We offer two different directions of this trip. The routing shown on our website reflects the northbound itinerary starting in St. Petersburg. The second departure runs in reverse, beginning in Finland and traveling south by train to finish in St. Petersburg. The northbound itinerary spends two nights in St. Petersburg and two nights near Inari, Finland. The southbound departure spends three nights in Inari, Finland and one night in St. Petersburg. The southbound itinerary will thus have fewer activities in St. Petersburg and additional activities in Finnish Lapland, including one extra night to seek the northern lights. Talk with an Adventure Specialist for further details.
Be prepared for cold temperatures
This exhilarating adventure goes to the European Arctic in midwinter! So naturally, we expect chilly temperatures. Daytime highs will likely be in the 20s while nightly lows may hover around zero on the most northerly parts of our journey. Come prepared with suitable layers including heavy outerwear, warm base layers, a warm hat, gloves and winter boots. Our pre-departure materials will provide specific direction for what to pack to ensure you stay comfortable no matter the weather.
In search of the northern lights...
This Arctic adventure takes place during the prime season to experience one of nature's most wondrous sights—the mystical northern lights. On the Norway and Finland portions of our itinerary, discover the nature and culture of Arctic Europe by day, then, once night falls, scan the skies for the undulating colors of the aurora. However, please join this trip knowing that while northern Norway and Finnish Lapland are consistently good spots for aurora viewing, we are never guaranteed to see the northern lights, and on some departures we may not. It's impossible to predict when we will view this natural phenomenon, though our odds are very good, given the frequency and intensity of auroral activity over this area and the geographic factors that minimize cloudy nights.
A note regarding the moon: When the moon is full, the foreground is brighter, making for interesting aurora images. During a new moon, the sky is darker, so the northern lights may appear slightly brighter. However, since we are in a place where the aurora tends to be quite bright anyway, the phase of the moon generally has very little effect on the quality of viewing. Any time one witnesses the northern lights, it is an experience to behold!
Click here for more information on the difference between viewing versus photographing the northern lights.
We offer two different directions of this trip. The routing shown on our website reflects the northbound itinerary starting in St. Petersburg. The second departure runs in reverse, beginning in Finland and traveling south by train to finish in St. Petersburg. The northbound itinerary spends two nights in St. Petersburg and two nights near Inari, Finland. The southbound departure spends three nights in Inari, Finland and one night in St. Petersburg. The southbound itinerary will thus have fewer activities in St. Petersburg and additional activities in Finnish Lapland, including one extra night to seek the northern lights. Talk with an Adventure Specialist for further details.
Be prepared for cold temperatures
This exhilarating adventure goes to the European Arctic in midwinter! So naturally, we expect chilly temperatures. Daytime highs will likely be in the 20s while nightly lows may hover around zero on the most northerly parts of our journey. Come prepared with suitable layers including heavy outerwear, warm base layers, a warm hat, gloves and winter boots. Our pre-departure materials will provide specific direction for what to pack to ensure you stay comfortable no matter the weather.
In search of the northern lights...
This Arctic adventure takes place during the prime season to experience one of nature's most wondrous sights—the mystical northern lights. On the Norway and Finland portions of our itinerary, discover the nature and culture of Arctic Europe by day, then, once night falls, scan the skies for the undulating colors of the aurora. However, please join this trip knowing that while northern Norway and Finnish Lapland are consistently good spots for aurora viewing, we are never guaranteed to see the northern lights, and on some departures we may not. It's impossible to predict when we will view this natural phenomenon, though our odds are very good, given the frequency and intensity of auroral activity over this area and the geographic factors that minimize cloudy nights.
A note regarding the moon: When the moon is full, the foreground is brighter, making for interesting aurora images. During a new moon, the sky is darker, so the northern lights may appear slightly brighter. However, since we are in a place where the aurora tends to be quite bright anyway, the phase of the moon generally has very little effect on the quality of viewing. Any time one witnesses the northern lights, it is an experience to behold!
Click here for more information on the difference between viewing versus photographing the northern lights.
Mandatory Insurance
Since the areas we travel to are remote and wild (that's why we go there!), we strongly recommend that all guests have, at minimum, medical evacuation insurance for this program. While this is not required, we make this strong suggestion in the interest of our guests' safety. We recommend that your chosen independent insurance plan includes at least $250,000 in medical evacuation coverage.
To protect your investment and to provide peace of mind while you travel, we also strongly recommend purchasing comprehensive travel insurance. Plans may cover everything from medical treatment to trip cancellations and delays and lost luggage. Please contact our office if you would like more information about the medical evacuation and comprehensive travel insurance policies we offer by calling 800-543-8917.
To protect your investment and to provide peace of mind while you travel, we also strongly recommend purchasing comprehensive travel insurance. Plans may cover everything from medical treatment to trip cancellations and delays and lost luggage. Please contact our office if you would like more information about the medical evacuation and comprehensive travel insurance policies we offer by calling 800-543-8917.
Getting There & Getting Home
Depending on the direction of your trip, please arrive in either St. Petersburg, Russia or Ivalo, Finland by 4 pm on Day 1 in order to participate in our group welcome dinner. You are free to depart either Ivalo or St. Petersburg at any time on the final day of the trip.
We can serve you best if our Natural Habitat Adventures Travel Desk makes your reservations, as we are intimately familiar with the special requirements of this program and can arrange the most efficient travel. Please call us at 800-543-8917. Note that while we offer you the best possible rates available to us on airfare and additional nights' accommodations, you may find better fares online.
We can serve you best if our Natural Habitat Adventures Travel Desk makes your reservations, as we are intimately familiar with the special requirements of this program and can arrange the most efficient travel. Please call us at 800-543-8917. Note that while we offer you the best possible rates available to us on airfare and additional nights' accommodations, you may find better fares online.
