Highlights

Svalbard is characterised by a wonderful purity and spectacular scenery. The enchanting winter scenery features shimmering ice formations, snow-capped mountains, fjord ice, and pastel-coloured skies. It’s the time when polar bear yearlings venture out for their first adventures, Arctic foxes and Svalbard reindeer still don their winter coats, and seals and walruses often rest upon the fjord ice. As June arrives, the snow begins to melt, and the bird cliffs come alive with bustling wildlife, signalling the imminent arrival of summer.

Totally refurbished expedition ship
Hot tub on deck
Experienced guides
Every trip is unique
Intimate nature experiences

Map/Itinerary

Day 1Arrive Longyearbyen, Svalbard

You’ll arrive in Longyearbyen and be transferred to your hotel.

Day 2 - 8Expedition cruising

Explore Longyearbyen on your own before meeting up your fellow travellers and guides for lunch. In the afternoon we embark the expedition ship and sail out through Isfjorden – our Arctic adventure has started! We are now in a part of the world where we are totally dependent on the ice and weather conditions. Our exact itinerary depends on these factors and on the wildlife we encounter. Our ambition is to head out on Zodiac cruises every day and when the opportunity arises also go ashore. Here are some examples of places we may visit:

Prins Karls Forland

This narrow strip of land is covered by a magnificent and snow-covered mountain chain. The island is also home to many seabirds and harbour seals.

Virgohamna, Danskøya

Two of the most courageous attempts to reach the North Pole started on the island of Danskøya. Swedish explorer Andrée made an attempt with a hydrogen balloon and American journalist Wellman started with an airship. There are still interesting remnants from these expeditions left on this site.

Fantastic fjords

Svalbard offers the visitor countless spectacular fjords. During our journey we will explore a few of them such as: Liefdefjorden, meaning “The fjord of love”, is lined with snow-covered mountain peaks and here we hope to cruise along the face of the spectacular Monaco Glacier. Many common eiders and pinkfooted geese nest in the area and if lucky we could see the rare king eider. In Krossfjorden we revel in the beautifully sculptured front of the 14th of July Glacier to the raucous greeting of the large number of kittiwakes and Brünnich’s guillemots nesting on the nearby cliffs. Raudfjorden is an area of immense natural beauty – dominated by beautiful glaciers. It is also a favourite spot for seals and the bird cliffs are bursting with activity. The scientific village of Ny-Ålesund is situated in Kongsfjorden. It was from here that Amundsen and Nobile started their heroic expeditions to the North Pole.

Sjuøyane

These islands are situated north of Nordaustlandet and it is Svalbard’s northernmost outpost. On one of the islands, Rossøya, Andrée and his companions had one of their depots with supplies in case their, by now legendary, balloon trip in the late 1800s would fail.

North of Spitsbergen

North of Spitsbergen we might meet the edge of the pack ice. Not many ships venture here and we can marvel at the silence and grandeur of this icy landscape. We keep a lookout for the iconic Arctic wildlife.

Day 9Longyearbyen

Early morning we disembark our expedition ship and begin our journey back home.

Please note: All itineraries are for guidance only. Our exact route will depend on the ice, weather conditions, wildlife and government regulations. The places mentioned are just examples of some of the many sites Svalbard has to offer. We always strive to maximise your experience. Please remember that flexibility is the key to a successful expedition!

Please note: This itinerary is meant to serve as a general guide. Plans may change along the way, depending on weather, sea conditions, or choices made by the expedition leader and team to give you the safest and most rewarding experience.