HIGHLIGHTS
- Journey
to Ny Ålesund, the world's most northerly settlement, and
Phippsøya, just 540 miles from the geographic North Pole
- See
extraordinary bird cliffs with puffins, nesting guillemots, kittiwakes
and little auks, plus ground nesting barnacle and pink-footed geese, as
well as arctic terns
- Visit
historic whaling sites and mining villages, even remains from the era
of polar bear hunting
- Observe
polar bears, reindeer, walruses and arctic fox
DATES / RATES
Rates are listed per person in USD
|
| Start Date | End Date | Quad Porthole | Triple Porthole | Twin Porthole | Twin Window | Twin Deluxe | Superior |
|---|
| Jul 02, 2024 | Jul 10, 2024 | 4,600 | 5,500 | 6,400 | 6,900 | 7,300 | 8,300 |
Rates are listed per person in USD
|
| Start Date | End Date | (Starting from)
Quad Porthole | (Mid-range)
Twin Window | (High-end)
Superior |
|---|
| Jul 02, 2024 | Jul 10, 2024 | 4,600 | 6,900 | 8,300 |
ITINERARY
Day
1
Arrive
in Longyearbyen, the administrative capital of the Spitsbergen
archipelago of which West Spitsbergen is the largest island. Before
embarking there is an opportunity to stroll around this former mining
town, whose parish church and Polar Museum are well worth visiting,
while in the surrounding area of Longyearbyen. In the early evening the
ship will sail out of Isfjorden.
Day
2
On
the offshore island of Ytre Norskøya, we visit a
17th-century Dutch whaling site, whose large graveyard is a reminder of
the hardships and dangers of life here at the time. The island's bird
life is prolific, with colonies of Little Auks, Black Guillemots,
Brünnich's Guillemots, Puffins and Arctic Skuas accessible to
visitors. Eastwards, we visit Raudfjord on the north coast of West
Spitsbergen, a beautiful fjord dominated by spectacular glaciers and
favoured by Ringed and Bearded Seals. The cliffs and shoreline of the
fjord also support thriving seabird colonies In the evening we will
sail by the island of Moffen where a big herd of Walrus can be found.
Day
3
We
sail through Beverleysundet named by Parry in 1827 and also sailed by
the Swedish-Russian Arc-of-Meridian Expedition in 1898. Today we will
reach our northernmost point at Phippsøya, in the Seven
Islands north of Nordaustlandet. Here we will be at 81 degrees north,
just 540 miles from the geographic North Pole. Polar bears inhabit this
region, along with ivory gulls.
Day
4
We
push east to reach the area of Nordaustlandet, where the Nobile
expedition drifted around in 1928 and where the Italian Sora tried to
come to the rescue. There we hope to get to Alpinøya,
reached by Sora in 1928, and then to the mouth of Finn Malmgrenfjord,
and Albertinibukta and to climb Soraberget (205 M) from where we have a
fantastic view on the icecap of Nordaustlandet. Alternatively, we will
land at Storøya, where again we may meet a group of Walruses.
Day
5
Today
we hope to get to the rarely visited Kvitøya farthest to the
east, close to the Russian territory. The island is dominated by an
ice-cap, which leaves a small area bare of ice and snow. We will land
at the western tip at Andréneset, where the Swedish explorer
André and his companions perished in 1898. We will also try
to get to Kraemerpynten in the east, where an enormous group of
Walruses resides.
Day
6
South
of Nordaustlandet we will try to land at Isispynten a Nunatak area
surrounded by glaciers. Later we sail along the front of the Brasvell
Glacier, the longest glacier front in Spitsbergen. In Olga Strait we
have chances to spot the elusive Greenland Whale.
Day
7
In
Freemansundet we plan to land at Sundneset on the island of
Barentsøya to visit an old trapper's hut and then take a
brisk walk across the tundra in search of Spitsbergen Reindeer and
Barnacle Geese. Later we cruise south to Diskobukta on the west side of
Edgeøya. After a Zodiac cruise through the shallow bay, we
land on a beach littered with whale bones and tree trunks, which have
drifted here from Siberia. We can also climb to the rim of a narrow
gully which is inhabited by thousands of Kittiwakes, together with
Black Guillemots and piratical Glaucous Gulls. During the breeding
season, the base of the cliffs is patrolled by Arctic Foxes and Polar
Bears, searching for young birds that have fallen from the nesting
ledges.
Day
8
We
start the day quietly cruising the side fjords of the spectacular
Hornsund area of southern Spitsbergen, enjoying the scenery of towering
mountain peaks. Hornsundtind rises to 1,431m while Bautaen shows why
early Dutch explorers gave the name "Spitsbergen"—pointed
mountains—to the island. There are also 14 magnificent
glaciers in the area and very good chances of encounters with seals and
Polar Bears. We may visit the Polish research station where the
friendly staff will give us an insight into their research projects.
Behind the station, the mountains are home to thousands of pairs of
nesting Little Auks.
Day
9
Today
we land on Ahlstrandhalvøya at the mouth of Van
Keulenfjorden. Here piles of Beluga skeletons (the Beluga is a small
white whale), the remains of 19th-century slaughter, are yet another
reminder of the consequences of thoughtless exploitation. Fortunately,
Belugas were not hunted to the edge of extinction and may still be seen
locally. Indeed, there is a good chance that we will come across a pod.
Cruising into Recherchefjorden during the afternoon we can explore an
area of tundra at the head of the fjord where many Reindeer feed.
Day
10
Return
to Longyearbyen and disembark for the transfer to the airport and the
flight to Oslo and home.
(Click image to view Ship details)
WHAT'S INCLUDED
- Voyage
as indicated in the itinerary
- All
meals throughout the voyage aboard the ship including snacks, coffee
and tea
- All
shore excursions and activities throughout the voyage by Zodiac
- Program
of lectures by noted naturalists and leadership by experienced
expedition staff
- Transfers
and baggage handling between the hotels, airports and ship only for
those passengers on the group flights in
Longyearbyen—Spitsbergen
- All
miscellaneous service taxes and port charges throughout the program
- Comprehensive
pre-departure materia
