Master a snowmobile and save the North from garbage: 6 ideas what to do for a tourist in the Arctic

1. Take a ride on a mountain snowmobile

You can travel in the North not only by reindeer sledding - try, for example, conquering snow-capped mountain passes by snowmobile. You can master it at the extreme skiing school, where experienced instructors will teach you how to maneuver smartly on the slopes and descents. For the northern extreme, go to the Murmansk region - you can get here by plane from Moscow in just a couple of hours.

Just imagine: the roaring sound of a motor, adrenaline spilling over the body and a feeling of complete freedom - for the sake of this, it is definitely worth breaking out of the city bustle and going to the Arctic for a few days. And in your free time, go on excursions - this is a great opportunity to admire the landscapes of the Arctic.

2. See reindeer and spend the night in a traditional indigenous dwelling

The Arctic covers almost the entire Arctic Ocean and the outskirts of Eurasia. And the main occupation of the indigenous peoples of the North is reindeer herding. The life of local residents is inextricably linked with it, because it is difficult to do without warm skins, tasty meat and a maneuverable team in the snowy expanses. The most numerous herds now graze in the Nenets Autonomous Okrug, as well as on the Taimyr and Yamal peninsulas, where the Dolgans, Nenets, Enets and Nganasans live.

To make your trip unforgettable, you can visit the reindeer herders. As part of the expeditionary tour, you will be able to feed the animals, ride in a sled, taste local delicacies and even spend the night in a real chum - a cone-shaped dwelling of nomadic northern peoples. And if you're lucky with the weather, you can even enjoy the northern lights.

3. Get into snowkiting

Those who love snowboarding will certainly appreciate snowkiting - a combination of sailing and boarding or downhill skiing. You just need to stand on the projectile and grab the towing kite - this is a large kite. No additional equipment is required: a gust of wind will allow you to smoothly cut through the snowy expanses. The safest way to practice snowkiting is on a flat surface, where there are no vegetation, power lines and other obstacles - this way you will definitely not get caught on anything. Therefore, endless tundra fields or frozen northern reservoirs are ideal for such purposes.

You can get a boost of energy in the Murmansk region: in this region there are picturesque kite bases that are ideal for beginners. If you have already snowboarding or windsurfing, you will be able to master a new sport almost immediately. For those who have never tried anything like this, the instructors will quickly teach you how to drive at speed. Traditionally, the season opens in December and ends in April.

4. Meet polar explorers and swim in the Arctic Ocean

Don't want to be limited to traveling to the northern regions of Russia? In this case, conquer the North Pole - as part of express tours, you can reach the top of the world by helicopter in just 3 days. Moreover, the matter will not be limited to a simple sightseeing tour, because tourists will be able to disembark at a drifting ice station. "Barneo", chat with real polar scientists and even swim in a special pool in the waters of the Arctic ocean. Fans of extreme sports will receive a treasured dose of adrenaline: there will be a chance to jump with a parachute or go underwater diving.

True, such an expedition will not be cheap, and it will take more time than a trip to Murmansk for the weekend. To fly to the Barneo base, you first have to get to the Norwegian Longyearbyen on the Svalbard archipelago - this is the northernmost settlement in the world. In addition, be prepared that the tour program may change immediately after the start, because it directly depends on weather and ice conditions.

5. Take an icebreaker cruise

Perhaps the most vivid memory will be a trip on the atomic icebreaker "50 Let Pobedy". The ship leaves Murmansk, easily overcomes frozen blocks of water and reaches the point of the geographic North Pole, passing through Franz Josef Land. Famous travelers and other stars often go with tourists, and on the way passengers will find a rich entertainment program with creative and dance evenings.

Be sure to grab a camera - it will definitely come in handy in the Arctic, because walruses and polar bears may well appear overboard. And tourists are also offered to fly around the fantastic landscapes of the North by helicopter: imagine how impressive photographs you can bring from your trip! And don't forget to send your loved ones a postcard from the northernmost post office in the world, located in Tikhaya Bay. It was opened specifically for travelers traveling to the North Pole.

Such a cruise should be planned in advance. As a rule, there are practically no places on board already six months before the departure of the vessel, although the cost of the tour exceeds two million rubles.

6. Take part in a volunteer project

Unfortunately, today the Arctic is associated not only with picturesque landscapes and amazing nature, but also with tons of garbage. The fact is that due to the intensive development of the region during the Soviet period, industrial waste, scrap metal and plastic accumulated in the North for decades. In the end, the pollution reached such a scale that the cleaning of these territories became one of the most pressing environmental problems in the country.

The situation is complicated by the undeveloped infrastructure of the region: there are far from everywhere settlements or roads, so it is not easy to take out garbage from the endless Arctic lands. According to various estimates, the elimination of the resulting landfills will take at least 10 years.

Today in Russia there are several public projects that actively attract volunteers to carry out general cleaning of the Arctic. Anyone can join the ranks of volunteers - all you need to do is to submit an application on the website of the environmental program you like.