To fly from Norway, you should expect to pay between ten and twelve thousand dollars. Visit the Polar Explorers website, open the “expeditions” tab and pick “North Pole Flights. " The information and forms you need to register for the trips are all located on this page. Chartering a flight from Canada can cost as much as ten times as much as trip from Norway. [2] X Research source For rates and booking, you’ll need to contact Kenn Borek Air by phone, email, or fax. Contact information is available on their website. [3] X Research source Because of the harsh conditions at the North Pole, booking a trip there will require you certify that you are in good health, and also to purchase medical evacuation insurance. Other forms of insurance, such as trip-cancellation insurance are also recommended. If you just want to see the North Pole but don’t feel strongly about actually standing on the spot, you can take a sight-seeing flight that will pass over the North Pole but will not actually stop there. This is a considerably cheaper option. [4] X Research source Flights are available from Berlin, Germany, and start from about $500 dollars. These flights can be booked through the Air Events website.
Norwegian Airlines flies regularly to Longyearbyen from Oslo. You’ll probably need to book two separate flights–one to Oslo from wherever you live, and then a second flight to Longyearbyen. You’ll need to contact Kenn Borek Air to establish details as to where you’ll fly out of. [6] X Research source
Accommodations and meals at Barneo are provided as part of many North Pole visit packages.
The helicopter ride is 20-40 minutes long, via an MI-8 helicopter that is stationed at Barneo. Polar Explorers will give you several opportunities to take pictures and typically provides a champagne toast to their North Pole travelers. However, because of the intensely cold temperatures at the pole, you’ll only have about an hour to take it in before the helicopter takes you back to Barneo. Alternatively, you can ski in from Barneo, an adventure known as “skiing the last degree. " Tour packages to do this with a trained guide will cost you roughtly $25,000. You can also go by snowmobile or dogsled. The Polar Explorers website has information about the itinerary and cost for each of these options, as well as the application forms you’ll need to fill out. Visit the North Pole Expeditions page and select the option you are interested in. If you’re an athlete, you also have the option to participate in marathon that departs from Barneo in April. This will cost you roughly $15,000 dollars, but includes a flight from Svalbard, Norway to Barneo (and back), as well as accommodations and a helicopter trip to the pole. [9] X Research source Visit their website and fill out the online application to register for the race. [10] X Research source
You should expect to spend a minimum of about $26,000 dollars for one of these cruises. Registering is easy: just visit the Adventure Life Website, select the “North Pole Ultimate Adventure” cruise, pick a departure date, and fill out the application. [12] X Research source Adventure life has options ranging from a simple room with a twin bed to several luxury suites. Prices for suites range from $40,000 to $45,000 for these luxury accommodations. [13] X Research source
This flight is included in the travel package. [16] X Research source
Expect to spend between five and eight days on board the ship as it travels through the Arctic Ocean to the North Pole. The 50 Years of Victory (the ship that sails to the North Pole) has a variety of amenities to keep you busy during the voyage, including a swimming pool and a bar. [17] X Research source
There are several organized races to the North Pole, including the Polar Challenge and the North Pole Race, which take you 300 miles (480 km) over the ice to the magnetic north pole. [18] X Research source Starting in 2016, the Ice Race will provide a similarly grueling overland trip. Expect to spend roughly $35,000 dollars to participate in one of these expeditions. The cost includes training, flights, equipment, food, and insurance. Because these races are only open to a relatively small number of people, you’ll have to contact the organizers for more information about registration, cost, etc. The Ice Race has an online form you can fill out, or you can email the organizer. Note that these races take you to the magnetic North Pole (the point the compass points to), rather than the geographical “True North” North Pole. Private guides can also be hired for an even longer trip from Russia or Canada. This 500 mile trek is known as a “full distance” North Pole expedition. [19] X Research source These expeditions typically depart in February. [20] X Research source The full distance trip is by far the most extreme and costly option, and is only open to those with the funds and experience to make the trek. You’ll need to contact the company providing guides for pricing. [21] X Research source Adventure Consultants, one company that offers guides for full distance journeys, has a booking form on their website that you can fill out if you are serious about one of these trips. [22] X Research source After you fill it out, they’ll contact you to let you know whether you are eligible and if they can accommodate your adventure. To even consider one of these overland trips, you should be in excellent health and must be able to certify that this is the case. Additionally, some guides for full distance trips require climbing experience and in some cases even prior experience with an ice axe and crampons. [23] X Research source
Organized races typically start from Resolute Bay in the northern Canadian region of Nunavut. [24] X Research source Regularly scheduled flights from major Canadian cities such as Ottawa and Montreal are available through the First Air, Calm Air, and Canadian North airlines. Full distance trips typically leave from Cape Arktichevsky, Russia, or Ward Hunt Island, Canada. To reach either of these locations, you normally have to charter a private flight, which can be extremely costly. [25] X Research source If you take one of these trips through Adventure Consultants, however, they will organize a flight to Ward Hunt Island from Resolute Bay. [26] X Research source
This journey is treacherous, and will require you to navigate over pressure ridges, search for routes around areas where the ice has melted, and camp on pans of ice. [27] X Research source At night, you’ll take part in cooking dinner, and set up camp by building snow walls to block the wind. Temperatures can be as low as -40 degrees. If you are going with one of the race groups, expect to spend about four weeks on the ice. If you are going on a full distance trip, you should expect to spend roughly 60 days. [28] X Research source Some of the races and some private guides also have options for shorter trips that begin closer to the pole and only take about two weeks. [29] X Research source If you can’t commit to a month or more on the ice, it may be worth considering one of these options. Upon reaching the pole, you’ll either camp there for the night, or be picked up by a helicopter and taken to Barneo ice station to spend the night, depending on conditions. The next day, you’ll enjoy a hot meal at Barneo before flying back to civilization.
