Svalbard Arctic Tour

Situated in northern Europe, Svalbard is located at Norway’s northern extreme and is separated from the North Pole by a mere 965 km of ice. Although human habitation is scarce, there are some signs of human activity in the past – such as the abandoned whaling stations at Smeerenburg, and the remains of camps of early explorers.

The massive glaciers, rugged, sheer snow covered mountains, steep fjords, and crisp light create a backdrop for encountering some of the most sought after wildlife on the planet.

The area is gripped by ice for 8 months of the year, and 4 of those months are spent in darkness. But when the sun returns, as is does in May, the world is transformed again into a remote and majestic wonderland.

Your Arctic expedition begins in Longyearbyen, the capital of Svalbard, where you board the ship, for departure. The first evening is spent getting to know one another during dinner and after an introductory briefing.

The ship will be your floating base for the next 8 days, as you explore an area that defies description.

We have a flexible itinerary for the next days, as we travel north and around the towering cliffs on west coast of the Spitsbergen to reach the pack ice where we begin our search for Polar Bears, Walruses, Whales, Seals, and the countless birds.

The pack ice and Ice floes will determine where the ship can be navigated. We get guidance from almost daily update reports on the ice conditions

As you sail, the rich and abundant birdlife is immediately apparent, with Arctic Terns, Glaucous Gulls, Little Auks, Purple Sandpipers, Black Guillemots, Brünnich’s Guillemots, Atlantic Puffins and Arctic Skuas. You can also expect to see Northern Fulmars and Long-tailed Skuas.

As we cruise along we will pass spectacular scenery, making for many great landscape images, through fjords backed by huge glaciers and towering mountains, to Polar Deserts, which appear quite barren and remote.

Zodiacs will ferry us from our vessel to shore where we can view the towering cliffs at close range, with the thousands of Brunnich’s Guillemots that call this home. There are so many Little Auks wheeling around that they resemble a sandstorm!

From the Zodiak, you can expect to sight Polar Bears as they roam the ice shores in search of food – including Harbour Seals, Ringed Seals and walruses.

You can leave the Zodiac to walk amongst the tundra and trek up to high points, for sweeping views across vast glaciated inland valleys, all the way down to iceberg-strewn bays where our ship is dwarfed by the rugged, monumental landscapes.

Whilst ashore, keep an eye out for Arctic foxes who hunt in the bird – rich areas. You could encounter Reindeer, and a meeting with a Polar Bear is a memory that will be etched in your mind forever.

You can expect to see Pink-footed Geese, King Eider, Grey Phalarope, Long-tailed Duck, Red-throated Diver, Barnacle Geese, Ptarmigan and Skuas as you wander around.

After this exhilarating and rewarding photographic tour to the northern archipelago, we journey south again, to dock at Longyearbyen, memory cards filled with spectacular and very special memories from a trip of a lifetime.