Itinerary

Day 1 Longyearbyen
Your expedition begins in the most Northerly town in the world, Longyearbyen. In the afternoon you embark the expedition vessel at the port of Longyearbyen. After an introduction from the expedition leader and a safety briefing from the Captain, you set sail out through the majestic Adventfjord. As Longyearbyen disappears astern, you wave goodbye to civilisation for the next 9 days. As yousail out through the Isfjord youwill spend time on deck watching for the whales that frequent the waters.

Days 2 Prins Karls Foreland & Sea Ice
In the morning you approach Prins Karls Foreland, an uninhabited island of beautiful scenery off the west coast of Spitsbergen. You will drop anchor and launch the Zodiac landing craft to go ashore and visit an area where walruses haul out. In the afternoon you will do a wilderness hike. You frequently see Svalbard reindeer here. If the conditions allow you will sail up to the edge of the sea ice which extends all the way to the North Pole. In calm conditions, you will cruise the edge of the sea ice keeping a sharp lookout for wildlife including polar bears that hunt on the ice.

Days 3-7 Encountering Sea Ice and North-West Spitsbergen
We will sail as far north as possible along the west coast of Spitsbergen keeping a lookout for wildlife including polar bears that inhabit the area. Our ultimate plan if the conditions allow is to venture up to the edge of the sea ice and spend some time searching for polar bears that use the sea ice to hunt from. The sea ice itself is a mesmerising photography subject and in calm conditions, it can be possible to launch the landing craft to cruise in between the ice. We will then explore the frozen north-west coast travelling as far as the ice will allow us in search of photography opportunities.

Days 8 Hornsund
Another option, if the time and conditions allow, is to sail south to visit Hornsund or Belsund. Early in may the fjords are usually still full of fast ice and it is possible to encounter polar bears hunting along the ice edge. Alternatively we may use this time to maximise our exploration of the North.

Day 10 Longyearbyen
Longyearbyen
Either late the previous evening or early in the morning we will arrive back at the port of Longyearbyen. Today our Svalbard photography tour ends after After breakfast when we say our goodbyes after making new friends and sharing a wonderful adventure together.

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