Spitsbergen Expedition

You will be met at the airport and transferred to the group hotel for your overnight stay. This evening you’ll meet your expedition leaders and other members of the group for a trip briefing.

Meals:  Nil

Today is yours to explore Longyearbyen. Recommendations include The North Pole Expedition Museum, the local brewery and a reindeer burger in one of the local restaurants. Board the MV Quest in the late afternoon. Cruising out of the beautiful Isfjorden, we’ll be escorted by gliding fulmars and perhaps the occasional puffin. The sea kayakers will attend a briefing to distribute dry suits, poggies (paddling mitts for your hands), lifejackets and dry bag.

Meals:  B,D

Explore Longyearbyen on your own before meeting up your fellow travellers and guides for lunch. In the afternoon we board the expedition ship and sail out through the spectacular Isfjorden - the Arctic expedition has begun! We are now in a part of the world where we are completely dependent on the ice and weather conditions. Our exact itinerary will depend on these factors and on the wildlife we encounter. Our aim is to head out on zodiac cruises every day and to go ashore when the opportunity arises. Here are some examples of places we may visit: Northwest Spitsbergen The scientific village of Ny-Ålesund is located in Kongsfjorden. It was from here that Amundsen and Nobile started their heroic expeditions to the North Pole. Two other courageous attempts to reach the North Pole started on the island of Danskøya. The Swedish explorer Andrée made an attempt with a hydrogen balloon, and the American journalist Wellman started with an airship. Interesting remnants of these expeditions can still be seen here. Magnificent fjords Svalbard offers visitors countless spectacular fjords. During our journey we will explore some of them such as: Liefdefjorden, meaning “The fjord of love”, is lined with snow-capped mountain peaks and here we hope to cruise along the face of the spectacular Monaco Glacier. Many common eiders and pink-footed geese nest in the area. In Krossfjorden we revel in the beautifully sculpted front of the 14th of July Glacier and are greeted by the many kittiwakes and Brünnich’s guillemots that nest on the nearby cliffs. Raudfjorden is an area of immense natural beauty – dominated by magnificent glaciers. It is also a favourite haunt of seals and the bird cliffs are abuzz with activity. Hinlopen Strait and Alkefjellet Ice conditions permitting, we enter the Hinlopen Strait. Here we find Alkefjellet, an impressive basalt cliff that is home to an estimated 200 000 Brünnich’s guillemots. We may also continue into the beautiful bay of Palanderbukta on Nordaustlandet. Eastern Svalbard The island of Nordaustlandet is covered by a huge ice cap and has fascinated naturalists and historians alike. Here the giant glacier Bråsvellbreen stretches for 180 kilometres! The 15-20 metre high ice edge is punctuated by hundreds of by hundreds of waterfalls. Barentsøya and Edgeøya offer magnificent scenery and vast tundra. Barentsøya and Edgeøya offer magnificent scenery and vast tundra. There is a good chance of seeing walrus, arctic fox and Svalbard reindeer. Southwest Spitsbergen The grand fjords of Hornsund offer spectacular glaciers and a breathtaking landscape of towering mountain peaks, often reaching above the clouds. On a clear day you can see the summit of the highest mountain, Hornsundtind, at 1431 meters. Hornsund is a favourite haunt of some of Svalbard’s polar bears and bearded seals can often be seen resting on the fjord ice.

Meals:  B,L,D

During the early morning we cruise back towards the docks in Longyearbyen. After a hearty breakfast, it is time to say your farewells to the crew and expedition leaders before a transfer to the airport.

Meals:  B