Svalbard in Depth – Land, Sea & Ice

Your included flight from Oslo will bring you to Longyearbyen today, the administrative capital of the Svalbard archipelago, where you will board your vessel and begin your Arctic adventure. After a welcome drink and time to familiarise yourself with the ship, there will be voyage and safety briefings before your captain steers the ship out of Advent Fjord and into the wilderness.

Please note: Your flight from Oslo to Longyearbyen is included in the price of your expedition.

Your first adventure will see you head towards the remote southern and eastern shores of Svalbard as your ship navigates along the coastline and towards the Bellsund area where we will explore around in search of wildlife sightings and scenic photo opportunities. A landing at Vårsol Bay should bring us close to an impressive little auk cliff whilst a walk along the tundra and beach may reward in sightings of Svalbard reindeer and the chance to spot remains from early industrial eras. Next up is likely to be the spectacular Hornsund area, where the 30kms long fjord with its glaciers and towering coastal mountains make it one of the most beautiful and impressive regions in all of Svalbard. We will hope to spend some time here soaking up the incredibly impressive surroundings and the ice shows that may unfold before us, as well as enjoying a possible visit to the Polish research station that can be found here.

We will then sail along the southern coast to reach Edgeøya, Svalbard’s third largest island, to land at Kapp Lee and visit the walrus colonies of Andréetangen. We will also hope to enjoy a Zodiac cruise along the coastline.

As with all Arctic expeditions, our exact route in Svalbard will be dictated by weather and ice conditions, with your experienced captain and crew charting the perfect course each day for unforgettable sights and adventures. This itinerary describes the expected route but may be subject to change.

As this itinerary is a combination of 2 shorter voyages, we now make our way back to Longyearbyen to greet the guests who will be joining us for the next portion of our trip. This will be the ideal opportunity to enjoy some exploration of this unique high Arctic town, beginning with a quest to learn more about the town’s fascinating mining heritage with a visit to the, now inactive, Mine number 3. Walking through the mine you can get a close-up look at some of the equipment left behind when production was halted here and learn about the unique techniques used for mining in these mountainous areas.

After lunch back on the ship, we will disembark again to enjoy some further exploration of the town itself and sample the atmosphere of this bustling thriving community of around 2000 hardy souls that call this remote spot their home. You may wish to visit the wonderful Svalbard Museum, shop for mementos in the many excellent boutiques, or simply relax on a sunny cafe terrace and watch this remarkable little town in action.

Heading north, overnight we will have passed Prins Karls Forland to reach the beautiful North West Svalbard National Park area to enjoy some exploration of this historically fascinating and incredibly scenic area. Planned landings here include the legendary 17th century whaling town of Smeerenburg, and the old lookout area of Ytre Norskøya. Steeped in a dark human history of the whaling industry, the region is now a nature lover’s paradise, with wildflowers defying the brutal conditions while geese, eider ducks and other seabirds return to the island to raise their young. Walrus can be found hauled out on beaches, and we must always be on careful lookout for wandering polar bears in this wild region.

Over the next couple of days your captain steer far north towards the edge of the polar pack ice, pushing as northernly as possible with the goal of reaching 80 degrees north! This portion of the trip offers the best possibilities of spotting Polar bears and as we sail through the icy seas and floes we will be on a constant lookout for sightings of the “King of The Arctic”.

We now head back south along the coast and away from the pack ice to reach the beautiful Kongsfjord area to land at the famous former mining settlement of Ny Ålesund for an enjoyable walk to learn about the history and scientific importance of this area. Ny-Ålesund is today a research settlement, hosting permanent research stations from 12 countries. Where whalers once slaughtered, now researchers study in an effort to conserve the precious biodiversity of the region. There will also be chance to visit the world’s northernmost Post Office.

After breakfast this morning it will sadly be time to bid farewell to the crew as you disembark in Longyearbyen and transfer to the airport for your included flight back to Oslo.