Itinerary

Day 1: Arrive Longyearbyen
Arrival in the world's northernmost town
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. Our start and finish point is Longyearbyen, located on Spitsbergen, the largest island in the Svalbard archipelago. Longyearbyen is the world's northern-most town, located at latitude 78° North - just 1,316 km from the North Pole. With a population of only 3000, the archipelago is still virtually an untouched, pristine wilderness.

Day 2: Explore Longyearbyen and Embark
Encountering wild reindeer and setting sail
Today is yours to explore Longyearbyen. Sightseeing recommendations include the Svalbard Museum, the local brewery, and a meal of local delicacies in one of Longyearbyen's several cafes and restaurants. A highlight for first-time visitors to Longyearbyen is encountering wild Svalbard reindeer casually walking and grazing in between houses, alongside streets, and even sleeping right in the middle of town. Board the ship 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, pogies, lifejackets, and dry bags.

Day 3–11: Exploring Svalbard and the Pack Ice
Cruising dynamic ice fields, deep fjords, and polar wildlife habitats
Over the next nine days we will explore the amazing wilderness of Svalbard, experiencing as much time as possible outside, be it zodiac cruising, paddling, hiking, or wildlife viewing. Our experienced Arctic team will design a day-to-day itinerary that makes the best use of weather, ice conditions, and wildlife opportunities. In Isfjorden, we will explore Alkhornet, a 428-meter-tall mountain cliff where we can walk the beautiful tundra surrounded by Arctic foxes and tens of thousands of nesting kittiwakes, glaucous gulls, and barnacle geese. We will explore glacier-filled Kongsfjorden and Krossfjorden, paddling or zodiac cruising along the coastline to admire the beautifully sculpted front of the 14th of July Glacier, and visit Ny-Ålesund, the scientific village from which Amundsen and Nobile started their North Pole expeditions. We sail through picturesque Raudfjorden, dominated by magnificent glaciers, ruins of a wooden trapper's hut, seals, and polar bears. Heading towards the North Pole, our goal is to spend two full days exploring the vast pack ice north of Spitsbergen, enjoying the absolute seclusion and tranquility of this shifting icy landscape while scouting for polar bears, seals, and ivory gulls. If ice conditions allow, we head to Sjuøyane (the Seven Islands), the northernmost granite islands in Svalbard located 1024 km south of the North Pole, hosting lichens, Svalbard poppies, walrus groups, and polar bears. Finally, we pass through Hinlopen Strait to witness Alkafjellet, a basalt cliff where one-hundred-meter-high dolerite towers are home to millions of Brünnich's guillemots, and explore Palanderbukta bay on Nordaustlandet, an island covered by a massive ice cap where the giant Bråsvellbreen glacier stretches for 180 kilometres with hundreds of cascading waterfalls.

Day 12: Disembark Longyearbyen
Morning entry into Isfjorden and departure
During the early morning we cruise back into Isfjorden before docking in Longyearbyen. Say your farewells to the crew and expedition leaders as we disembark the vessel at around 9am, bringing trip arrangements to an end.

© SSV

© SSV