Over the coming days, you explore the remarkable Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard. Your exact itinerary will be dependent on weather, sea and ice conditions, but your experienced expedition team will use their expertise to choose the best options and seek out memorable wildlife encounters for you.
As you explore the icy waters of the North Atlantic, you’ll uncover phenomenal fjords, immense glaciers and magnificent mountain ranges. As you cruise around these magical islands located above the Arctic Circle, your expedition team will constantly be searching for wildlife. Svalbard’s wildlife habitat is well-protected and almost entirely uninhabited, meaning it's one of the world’s best places to spot polar bears in their natural landscape of ice, Arctic desert and mountain scenery. With luck, you’ll hopefully see walrus hauled-out on sea ice or lazing on nearby beaches. There will be plenty of opportunity to hop ashore and enjoy a gentle walk or hike across the Arctic tundra, which, later in the season, is covered with a carpet of delicate yet hardy wildflowers. You’ll visit towering cliffs noisy with nesting guillemots and puffins, and scree slopes that hold Svalbard’s largest little auk colonies.
In Spitsbergen, there's no shortage of natural beauty, each day you’ll see something interesting, whether it’s an ever-changing gallery of spectacular icebergs, a polar bear resting between hunts, or perhaps even a breaching humpback whale.
Whilst itineraries vary, highlights often include:
A Zodiac excursion along the 14th of July Glacier. Nearby colourful wildflowers bloom, while large numbers of kittiwake and Brünnich’s guillemot nest on the nearby cliffs. There's also a good chance of spotting Arctic fox and bearded seal.
Andøya & Monaco Glacier where notable bird species here include common eider, pink-footed geese, king eider and kittiwakes, whilst occasionally polar bear are seen on the glacier
Phippsøya, at 81 degrees north, just 540 miles from the geographic North Pole. Here, polar bear inhabit this region, along with ivory and Ross gull.
Laagøya Island for herds of walrus, Sabine's gull and ptarmigans.
Hinlopen Strait where you can expect to see bearded seal, ringed seal, polar bear and ivory gull. You may also make a landing at nearby Palanderbukta on Nordaustlandet, home to reindeer, pink-footed goose, breeding ivory gull, and walrus.
Barentsøya to search for Spitsbergen reindeer and barnacle goose.
Diskobukta for Arctic fox and polar bear watching. Possible bird species include thousands of kittiwake, black guillemot and glaucous gull.
Hornsund, renowned for its 14 magnificent glaciers, spectacular scenery of towering mountain peaks and polar bear and seal encounters.
Ahlstrandhalvøya to search for beluga whales.
