Founded in 1976, Arktis Tours GmbH & Co. KG (Arktis Tours) is a special tour operator for Nordic countries, Arctic, and Antarctica, with the mantra of “Don’t travel. Explore!” Managing Director Ingo Oswald and his team take their guests on remarkable adventures, giving them a deep and exclusive insight into the locals, their cultures, and their ecosystems. In light of the company’s success within the European Travel Awards 2024, we speak to Ingo to learn more about what makes Arktis Tours such a pioneer within the tourism industry.
For almost 50 years, Arktis Tours has been tailoring unique and authentic FIT (flexible independent travel) guided small group trips and expeditions to make travellers’ dreams a reality and create memories that last generations. Taking its guests to the most spectacular locations in the Nordics, the experience is combined with knowledgeable, personal service, from the initial request and planning of the trip to support throughout the travel period. Ingo enthuses, “Arktis Tours was founded in 1976 – so we have long-term and high-quality knowledge and experience in our business, markets, and destinations, and really know how to create the best trips for our clients. We always offer unique trips and experiences away from mass tourism.”
The company is able to provide such one-off, exciting trips thanks to the help of its network, with Ingo saying, “We focus on small partners and family-run business partners and hotels instead of international working companies or chain hotels – to bring our customers in close contact with locals and create the deep understanding for people and the cultures.”
Arktis Tours has come a long way since its founding, operating successfully as an owner-managed company and revolutionary within the industry. It all began in 1974, when founder, Norbert Schehle launched the first tent safari around Iceland, followed by the first highland expeditions in the country in a Land Rover and tent. Two years later, at the end of October, he officially registered his company in the city of Kempten, Germany under the name of Safari Club International. By 1978, Norbert had purchased three Hanomag vehicles and a Unimog 416 to be used as expedition vehicles across the highlands of Iceland in the summer, and for trans-Saharan expeditions to Niger, Nigeria, and Cameroon in the autumn and winter.
In the 1980s came trekking trips to Nordic countries, including the Greenland West Coast Trail, Chilkoot Pass, and Yukon River, as well as winter expeditions in the highlands of Iceland. Northern Lights winter trips and husky tours in Lapland were also new additions to the growing portfolio. In 1984, the company was renamed Arktis Reisen Schehle due to its focus on travelling to Nordic countries. Shortly after, it began its first charter flights from Stuttgart and Düsseldorf to Keflavik, Iceland, and it also opened its office in Reykjavik. To end the decade, Norbert participated in a Canadian winter expedition from Resolut Bay via Grise Fjord, Eureka, and Ellesmere Island to the North Pole.
In 1993, trips to Alaska were being developed as a major project, with Arktis Reisen Schehle implementing charter flight contracts with Condor from Frankfurt to Anchorage, making the company the first provider to Alaska, and it also opened its first office in Anchorage. Fast forward to 2020 and Ingo Oswald took over the leading of the company just before the COVID-19 pandemic. This came with a rebrand and renaming to Arktis Tours, with the new strapline “Don’t travel. Explore!”, and a move to new offices in Salzstrasse, Kempten.
“True to our motto, “Don’t travel. Explore!”, we get out of our comfort zone and into adventure. And return with a suitcase full of emotions and unforgettable impressions.”
35 years after Norbert Schehle’s exhibition to the North Pole, Arktis Tours continues to make it possible for travellers to discover both the North and South Pole, allowing them to walk in the footsteps of brave explorers past, including Roald Amundsen, Robert Scott, and Richard Byrd. Travellers are flown to the Pole in a plane specifically equipped with ski runners, and this is the same journey that these first explorers spent years of their lives planning, followed by months of gruelling travel by ship, sledge, skis, and on foot. This history is brought to life by Arktis Tours’ specialist staff, making it a great adventure to never forget.
While trips to the North and South Pole remain a firm favourite among travellers, in recent years, Arktis Tours has observed an increasing demand for destinations such as Svalbard, Greenland, Canada, and Alaska, as Ingo tells us, “Customers look for experienced tour operators who offer the “backup safety package” for these “adventure” destinations. We have a team of people who have lived and worked already in our travel destinations. That guarantees a high level of advice quality and the knowledge of top spots and “secret places” to visit. We guide all of our trips ourselves to guarantee our quality standards.”
Also popular within Arktis Tours’ offering is its expedition cruises to Arctic and Antarctica, which use small vessels – with capacity for up to 12 people – and come with big experiences. Guests have the option to set sail via historic ships such as the MS Stockholm, which has only six cabins. By way of such one-of-a-kind modes of transport, travellers have the opportunity to explore untouched landscapes and incredible natural wonders that only few people will ever get to see. With each passing day on board, the anticipation builds as to what the next experience will hold, whether witnessing majestic iceberg views from the cabin, or anchoring down at stunning islands with each new shore bringing exciting animals species and curious ice caves.
“Expedition cruises are not just a journey on a ship,” Ingo tells us, “they are a profound experience where you can witness nature in its most untouched form. Every day offers new opportunities to discover the polar regions.”
He continues, “The company’s goal is to become the market leader for these small cruise ships in the D-A-CH (D – Germany, A – Austria, CH – Switzerland) region within the next year.”
“With Arktis Tours, I have realised a lifelong dream and rearranged my stars!”
Making everything that Arktis Tours does possible is an exceptional, experienced team who demonstrate a genuine zeal for each destination and type of travel on offer. Ingo explains, “Heart and soul, passion, and enthusiasm must be present as a foundation, because we can teach and impart specialist knowledge. New employees must be passionate about creating special, unique travel formats and have a strong understanding of the uniqueness of the destinations, cultures, and ecosystems. After new employees are hired, they receive in-depth training and take part in numerous trips in order to gain personal experience and later incorporate this into advising our customers.”
Now, Ingo tells us that 2024 is looking to be a special year for Arktis Tours. After having “survived” the last three years with the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine, the company is seeing a sharp increase in demand for trips to its destinations. He says, “The uniqueness of travel and authentic experiences is becoming increasingly important. Personal contact between the customer and the tour operator is now also decisive criterion for travel booking. We have therefore expanded our team and will be moving to a new, larger office in Kempten in the fall of 2024. In the future, we will focus even more strongly on designing unique trips in order to compete as a specialist tour operator against the large international tourism groups.”
Ultimately, it is easy to see what makes Arktis Tours the Best Northern Europe & Polar Tour Operator 2024 – Germany. From its extraordinary destination options to its knowledgeable team who will bend over backwards to deliver a top tier service, guests can rest assured that their experience with Arktis Tours will be nothing short of outstanding. Don’t just take it from us; here’s what a couple of its travellers have to say.
One person delights, “The Arktis team did a marvellous job in tailoring a perfect one-week trip through Northern Scandinavia (Finland, Norway). Our guide Christoph was very forthcoming and always made sure everyone was comfortable. He was very engaged in revealing his Lapland to us and always had photo stops and breaks to read historical short stories from the Sami people to us. We were very lucky with the weather and had the chance to enjoy most impressive aurora borealis for the majority of evenings. Transport and accommodation as well as catering were fantastic. I can warmly recommend Arktis Tours and me and my wife will certainly be looking forward to planning another tour with them in the future.”
Another equally elated individual shares, “If it were possible, I would give six stars. If you are looking for an organiser with personal service and a lot of knowledge, you have come to the right place! We did a 4×4 off-road tour “Iceland Westfjords” with a pickup camper in August. There were three of us, the accompanying lead vehicle, and very competent guides: Ingo, the owner, and Chris. Both very enthusiastic and Iceland fans with a lot of knowledge. As a result, we got to places that we had never visited on our own, even with a lot of study of travel guides and online resources.”
For business enquiries, contact Ingo Oswald from Arktis Tours GmbH & Co. KG, via email – [email protected] or on their website – www.arktis-tours.de
