INTRODUCTION ITINERARY DAY 1: Flight from Oslo to Longyearbyen, Svalbard Today we fly from Oslo to Longyearbyen on the island of Spitsbergen. Founded as Longyear City in 1906 by the US coal mining developer John Munro Longyear, the town is located on the southwest side of the Advent Ford and is surrounded by mountains most iconically the majestic Hiorthfjellet. The names Spitsbergen and Svalbard are used interchangeably although the archipelago was already named Svalbard in the Icelandic sagas in 1194, Dutch navigator Willem Barentsz later named it Spitsbergen in 1596 which means jagged mountains. Today, Spitsbergen denotes the largest island in the Svalbards, rather than the whole archipelago. Arrival in Longyearbyen, will see us go on a short orientation tour of the city learning about the settlement s fascinating history and contemporary society before we make our way to the port to board the ship. You will be shown to your cabin and the expedition leader will give you a full briefing of the journey. Now, we set sail! Out through the Advent Ford and the Ice Ford northwest towards Prins Karls Forland.
DAY 2: Smeerenburg and Raudfjordens glacial landscapes We are now in in north western Svalbard, a national park since 1973. Dramatic mountains and big skies define this area, while beyond the horizon lies the North Pole. The land is hostile and relentless, yet man and polar bear are able to coexist here giving it an other worldly dimension. The day starts in Danskergattet, between Danskøya and Amsterdamøya. Nearby Virgohamma was once described in 1912 as a lonely and scary place a closed inhospitable, bay but on a beautiful Arctic summer day this place is anything but. The bay is important historically because remains of S.A Andrée s balloon house were found here. The Swedish explorer led an expedition team of two others when he set off, by balloon, for the North Pole in 1897. Three days in and the balloon crashed, however it was the torturous journey back south that saw the expedition turn fatal for the explorers. Continuing to Amsterdamøya and the legendary former whaling town of Smeerenburg, we visit the ruins of an old whaling station from the early 1600s. The whaling period saw processing done on land where large amounts of Siberian driftwood were burned with train oil in large ovens. Smeerenburg aptly means blubber town in Dutch. We then sail into Raudfjorden, located on the north coast of Spitsbergen. The fjord flows two kilometres inland and on the eastern side, the reddish mountain that the fjord is named after are visible. Look out for Ringed and Bearded seals here!
DAY 3: Sorgfjorden, Crozeirpynten and Sjuøyane Begin the day with a Zodiac cruise at Crozeirpynten where you can do some good hikes and enjoy the incredible views of Sorgfjorden on the north coast of Spitsbergen. The journey continues north until we reach Phippsøya, the largest island in Sjuøane. This is the domain of not only the polar bear but also nesting puffins whom we may be lucky enough to spot as we are here in summer. As we approach the Arctic ice deck, all thoughts will be on spotting a polar bear. Pack ice around the pole retreats in summer and polar bears follow the ice edge north in the hope of catching their favourite seal meal. The bears that don t follow the ice edge stay on Svalbard all summer and these are the summer bears that can be found in Sjuøyane. Climate change has caused the ice edge to retreat further than it was a few years ago but we may be lucky enough to spot a bear through our binoculars. DAY 4: Into the ice - searching for polar bears Today we spend an entire day cruising into the ice in search of wildlife - specifically the largest bear species on Earth, the polar bear. Males may reach a colossal weight of 300kg 700kg while females weigh in at 150kg 350kg. Their weight is dependent on season and food availability; in 1995 a male bear was shot on Hopen which was 800kg 850kg. Polar bears are excellent swimmers easily covering tens and even over 100 kilometres.
DAY 5: Through Hinlopenstretet and Torellnesset We will now journey down through Hinlopenstretet between Svalbard s two largest islands, Spitsbergen and Nordaustlandet. Look out for Beluga whales, bearded seals and walrus particularly the ringed seal which is the polar bear s favourite prey. We may also see the beautiful Ivory Gull, when fully grown it is completely white so easy to distinguish from other birds. The southern part of Hinlopenstretet is dominated by huge glaciers and to the east, you can see the wide Wahlenberg Fjord stretching over the icy landscape. The other side of the Lomfjord peninsular on Spitsbergen is Alkefjellet, a cliff range which is home to thousands of thick billed murres during breeding season. We continue further to Torellnesset; an important habitat for the walrus population in the area. Walrus most striking feature is their tusks, which can be up to a metre long on males! Reaching one and a half tonnes in weight, they often look clumsy on land but this all changes once they hit the water, Killer whales and polar bears avoid hunting walrus because they are so good at defending themselves. Svalbard walruses are mostly males as the females and cubs are found on the archipelago of Franz Josef Island. 60 years of conservation efforts has seen their numbers increase in recent years. DAY 6: Monaco glacier, Liefdefjorden & Reindyrfla We find ourselves back at Spitsbergen s north coast again today. Depending on what weather comes our way, we will sail into Woodfjorden and into Liefdefjorden. Our aim today is to journey all the way to the bottom of Liefdefjorden to find the 5km wide Monaco glacier. Woodfjorden is characterised by red sandstone cliffs the red colour coming from when Svalbard was located near the equator over 400 million years ago. Look out for nesting eider ducks and pink footed geese, or perhaps the rare King Eider with its colourful head. Kiitiwake forage in front of the glacier where salt water meets fresh melted water. Polar bears have been sighted here in the past so there is a chance we may see them again. Weather permitting, lunch will be a barbeque out on the deck against a polar fjord backdrop. In the afternoon, we will journey by Zodiac around the Andøyane in search of nesting Red Phalarope, high Arctic King Eider and perhaps reindeer.
DAY 7: Ny Alesund, Blomstrand and Lillienhöökbreen Now that we have sailed around Spitsbergen, we enter Kongsfjorden to Ny Ålesund which is located on the south bank of the fjord. Whale species such as Beluga and Minke are often sighted in these waters. Ny Ålesund is one of the world s northernmost town, home to a post office and museum proudly bearing this title. Despite the harsh location, this is an atmospheric and interesting place. It is also an international centre for Arctic research every summer, scientists from all over the world station themselves here to examine everything from microbiology to global climate. Explore the beautiful tundra outside of the town where you may spot Svalbard reindeer or the amusing looking Svalbard grouse with its long boots of white feathers. You may also see Pink Footed geese, Barnacle geese and Arctic Tern. The polar bear boundary is clearly signposted and it is important to stay within this. Rifles are a necessity if you want to do the 100m walk to the Amundsen expedition airship mast. Before we leave, there is time to send a postcard from the world s most northerly post office. The journey back goes through Kongsfjorden and into Krossfjorden where we may spot the Arctic fox. We will pass beautiful Blomstrandbukta and continue further north into Lilliehöökfjorden where you will see the enormous Lilliehöökbren glacier at the foot of the fjord. DAY 8: Longyearbyen and return to Oslo This morning we will leave the vessel after some incredible experiences in Svalbard. Before our flight back to Oslo in the afternoon there is time to explore the city again. INCLUSIONS & DETAILS Accommodation Inclusions Difficulty Rating
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