Day 1: | depart Longyearbyen
fly UK via Oslo or Keflavik* to Longyearbyen, the administrative capital of Svalbard. Time to explore this isolated but surprisingly modern town before embarkation - the Parish Church and Polar Museum are well worth visiting. The ship sets sail out of Isfjorden during the early evening. |
Day 2: | Krossfjorden & Ny Alesund
in scenic Krossfjorden, look for bearded seals and cruise by Zodiac along the sculpted front of the 14th of July Glacier to view kittiwakes and Brunnich’s guillemots nesting on the nearby cliffs, where arctic foxes may be seen patrolling for fallen chicks. In the afternoon sail to Ny Alesund, the world’s most northerly settlement, now a research centre. A breeding ground for Arctic terns, barnacle and pink-footed geese can be found here along with the airship mast used by Amundsen and Nobile before their flights to the North Pole in the 1920’s. |
Day 3: | Liefdefjorden & Monaco Glacier
depending on the weather either, sail to the mouth of Liefdefjorden and take a tundra walk at Andoya, observing pink-footed geese, common and possibly king eiders, or sail into Liefdefjorden and cruise along the 5km face of the Monaco glacier. Both options provide great photographic and wildlife watching opportunities. |
Day 4: | Hinlopen Strait & Nordaustlandet
sail into the Hinlopen Strait, home to bearded and ringed seals, polar bears and ivory gulls. Navigate through the ice floes at Lomfjordshalvoya in Zodiacs and observe Brunnich’s guillemots settled on bird cliffs. Later in the day, it may be possible to land on Nordaustlandet on the east side of the Strait for further wildlife encounters. |
Day 5: | Phippsoya
today reach the most northerly point on the voyage – Phippsoya. Before turning south once more, spend time taking in this amazing location – the expanse of pack ice, possible sightings of polar bear or Ross gull, as well as the fact that here at 81 degrees north, the geographic North Pole is a mere 540 miles away! |
Day 6: | Raudfjord & Ytre Norskoya
retrace the route westwards visiting beautiful Raudfjord, dominated by spectacular glaciers. Surprisingly, colourful vegetation thrives in sheltered pockets and it is not uncommon to spot thriving seabird colonies, ringed and bearded seals along the shoreline. Also go ashore at Ytre Norskoya to view impressive bird colonies and the remains of a 17th century Dutch whaling station. |
Day 7: | Prins Karls Forland / Isfjorden
land at the northern tip of Prins Karls Forland near Fuglehuken, where Barentsz probably first set foot on Spitsbergen. Here see nesting seabirds and the only population of harbour seals in Spitsbergen. Continue to Sarstangen, a haul out spot for walrus. Alternatively, sail into St Johns Fjord or south to Isfjorden – landings will be made as the weather and schedule allows. Later in the day, cruise through Borebukta and follow a glacier front before continuing to Longyearbyen. |
Day 8: | arrive Longyearbyen
disembark at Longyearbyen for the group transfer to the airport and the flight home*. *Flights from the UK to Spitsbergen are normally via Oslo, although it is sometimes possible to fly via Keflavik. Varying flight schedules may mean adding a night or two to your itinerary so please contact our team to discuss your flight options. Similarly, we shall be happy to discuss your travel plans should you wish to extend your holiday. |
Note: | Certain departures also offer a program for a maximum of 20 scuba divers. We will dive in the kelp beds of north Spitsbergen, the kelp offering some protection to sea-bottom life such as sea anemones, sea stars, sea cucumbers, shrimps and fish. |