A Guide to Arctic Wildlife Watching

The Arctic has a brief but intense summer that bursts with life. After a long, frozen winter dominated by darkness and sea ice, the region awakens between late April and September, which also marks the expedition cruising season. During these months, ice retreats, temperatures rise slightly, and wildlife becomes more active, making it the ideal time to visit.

The peak wildlife viewing period is from June through August, when the midnight sun brings nearly 24 hours of daylight, giving you extended opportunities for exploration and sightings. This is when most animals are raising their young, and migratory birds return in vast numbers to breed on cliffs and shorelines. If you’re particularly interested in birdlife, early to mid-season is best, as some species begin their migration south by late August.

While no two voyages are the same, a few regions stand out for their consistently strong wildlife experiences:

• Svalbard (Norwegian Arctic) is one of the top destinations for spotting polar bears, walrus, reindeer, and a wide variety of seabirds. Its remote fjords and sea ice edges offer the right conditions for a broad mix of Arctic species. Here are 15 things you (probably) don’t know about Svalbard.
• The Canadian High Arctic, including Lancaster Sound and Ellesmere Island, offers some of the best chances to see elusive narwhals and pods of beluga whales, along with polar bears and musk oxen roaming the tundra.
• The Russian Arctic (when accessible) is rich in wildlife, from enormous walrus haul-outs to nesting seabird cliffs and polar bear habitats.
• Greenland offers an incredible mix of wildlife and scenery, from musk oxen on the tundra to whales in the fjords. While not as well known for polar bear sightings, the landscapes and opportunities to see marine mammals like humpback and bowhead whales make it a standout destination.

Known as the “King of the Arctic,” the polar bear is the region’s most iconic species and a major draw for travellers. These powerful predators rely on sea ice to hunt, so they tend to stick to areas where the ice lingers longest, like Svalbard, East Greenland, and parts of the Canadian High Arctic. Your best bet for a sighting? Early in the season, around June or July, when there’s still plenty of ice.

Curious how likely it is you’ll actually see one? We’ve broken it down (plus shared some tips to boost your chances) in this blog: Are you likely to see a polar bear on your Arctic cruise?

With their tusks, whiskers, and loud, social antics, walruses are some of the Arctic’s most entertaining residents. You’ll often spot them piled up on ice floes or beaches, grunting and jostling for space. They love shallow, icy waters, so places like Svalbard, Franz Josef Land, and East Greenland are your best bet. Seeing a group up close from a Zodiac is a moment you won’t forget.

With their tusks, whiskers, and loud, social antics, walruses are some of the Arctic’s most entertaining residents. You’ll often spot them piled up on ice floes or beaches, grunting and jostling for space. They love shallow, icy waters, so places like Svalbard, Franz Josef Land, and East Greenland are your best bet. Seeing a group up close from a Zodiac is a moment you won’t forget.

With their bright white skin and constant chatter, belugas are some of the most recognisable whales in the Arctic. Nicknamed the “canaries of the sea,” they’re social, curious, and often travel in pods, sometimes even surfacing near boats to check you out. In summer, they’re spotted around Svalbard’s glaciers and other shallow, icy areas like Lancaster Sound, West Greenland, and the Mackenzie River Delta, Canada. Catch a group in full song, and you’ve officially got the Arctic’s cutest soundtrack.

Bowhead whales are true Arctic giants, growing up to 18 metres long and weighing over 100 tonnes. With massive skulls built to break through thick sea ice and no dorsal fin to help them slip beneath it, they’re perfectly adapted to this frozen world. They’re also among the longest-living mammals on the planet, with some believed to be over 200 years old. Spotting one is rare (and getting a photo even rarer), but your best bet is near the ice edge in early summer, especially around Disko Bay and Baffin Bay.

With their long white whiskers and chunky, blubber-rich bodies, bearded seals are one of the Arctic’s most recognisable (and endearing) seal species. They usually hang out solo, lounging on sea ice or floes near the coast between deep dives. You’ve got a good chance of spotting one around East Greenland or parts of the Canadian Arctic, especially where summer ice still clings on. Polar bears love them, and historically, so did Arctic communities, using their tough hides for everything from boots to sled covers.

Ringed seals are the Arctic’s most common (and smallest) seal, about the size of an adult human. They’re easy to miss, often spotted solo on sea ice or slipping through coastal waters near Svalbard, Greenland, or the Canadian Arctic. Named for the pale rings on their dark fur, these agile swimmers can dive deep and stay under for up to 45 minutes. One clever trick? They blow bubbles before surfacing to throw off polar bears. Keep your eyes peeled—they’re shy, but often nearby.

Small, swift, and built for the cold, the Arctic fox is one of the region’s most elusive land mammals. Its coat changes with the seasons, from white in winter to brown or grey in summer, to help blend perfectly with its surroundings. Found across the Arctic, from Svalbard to the Canadian High Arctic, this clever scavenger survives on everything from seabird eggs to polar bear leftovers. They’re tricky to spot, but keep an eye out near coastal areas and den sites – You might just catch one darting across the tundra!

Reindeer (called caribou in North America) are tough, tundra-adapted grazers found all across the Arctic. Unlike other deer, both males and females grow antlers. In places like Svalbard, they’ve evolved into smaller, stockier versions to cope with the cold, and they’re so used to people, they might even stroll past during a shore landing. You’ll also find them in Greenland, Canada, and Russia, where they remain vital to Indigenous communities for food, clothing, and tradition.

Shaggy, tough, and straight out of the Ice Age, musk oxen are Arctic survivors through and through. Though they look like true oxen, they’re actually closer relatives to goats and sheep. Standing up to 1.5 metres tall and weighing up to 400 kilograms, their thick coats and soft underwool, called qiviut, keep them warm in the harshest conditions. Usually found in small herds, these surprisingly speedy animals can sprint up to 60 km/h when threatened. You’re most likely to spot musk oxen on an Arctic cruise around East Greenland, especially near Kangerlussuaq, or in the wild tundra of the Canadian Arctic.

With their bright beaks, upright posture, and undeniable charm, puffins are some of the Arctic’s most loved seabirds. Often called “sea parrots,” they spend most of the year at sea but return by the thousands each summer to nest in grassy burrows along coastal cliffs. Top spots to see them include Iceland, Jan Mayen, northern Norway, and Svalbard’s west and north coasts. Around 10,000 pairs nest in Svalbard every summer across 15 colonies. 

Beyond puffins, the Arctic bursts with seabird life each summer. Cliffs across Svalbard, Iceland, and East Greenland fill with bustling colonies of Brünnich’s guillemots, kittiwakes, northern fulmars, and glaucous gulls, all busy raising their young in a short breeding season. One standout is the Arctic tern, a small but mighty bird that makes the longest migration on Earth, from Antarctica all the way to the Arctic. Often seen gliding above ships or diving for fish, these seabirds create a lively, noisy backdrop to any Arctic adventure.