Itinerary

Day 1: Largest town, biggest island
Embarkation and sailing out of Isfjorden
You touch down in Longyearbyen, the administrative center of Spitsbergen. Enjoy strolling around this former mining town, whose parish church and Svalbard Museum make for fascinating attractions. In the early evening the ship sails out of Isfjorden, where you might spot the first minke whale of your voyage.

Days 2-9: North Spitsbergen’s natural beauty, wildlife, and multi-day pack-ice
Raudfjord, Monaco Glacier, and The Seven Islands
This voyage will take you into the pack ice and along the remote shorelines of rugged North Spitsbergen. Destinations you might visit include:

Raudfjord
On the north coast of Spitsbergen, you can enjoy this expansive fjord spilling with glaciers – and maybe even visited by ringed and bearded seals. The cliffs and shoreline at Hamiltonbukta support thriving seabird colonies with Brünnich's guillemots, rich vegetation, and the possibility of polar bears. We will try to land at Alicehamna or Buchananhalvøya.

Ytre Norskøya
This small island was used for many years as a lookout point for Dutch whalers, and in fact we can still follow their tracks to the summit of the island. The remains of 17th-century blubber ovens can also be seen near about 200 graves. The north side of the island offers the rare opportunity to see puffins near their breeding places, and there is even a small colony of kittiwakes.

Monaco Glacier
Depending on the weather and sea ice, you could sail into Liefdefjorden, land at Texas Bar and cruise within sight of the 5-kilometer-long (3.1 miles) face of Monaco Glacier. The waters in front of this precipitous glacier are a favorite feeding spot for thousands of kittiwakes, and the base of the ice is a popular polar bear hunting ground. If ice conditions prevent us from sailing here early in the season, we can implement an alternate route along the west coast of Spitsbergen.

Northwest of Raudfjord
We aim to sail into the pack ice outside the territorial waters of Svalbard, watching for polar bears and elusive Greenland (bowhead) whales. As we sail from 80 N to 76 N along and in the outer fringes of the ice edge, we will also look for harp seals, hooded seals, polar bears, and migrating seabirds like little auks, Brünnich’s guillemots, and kittiwakes. On previous voyages in this area, we have sometimes seen up to hundred bowhead whales. We also have the chance to see northern bottlenose whales and the first fin whales of the season. The pack ice sailing will be a highlight of this voyage and may take up to three days.

Forlandsundet, St. Johns Fjord, or Alkhornet
Walruses sometimes haul out in Forlandsundet at Poolepynten. Alternatively, we might sail into St. Johns Fjord or south to the mouth of Isfjorden, landing at Alkhornet. Seabirds nest on these cliffs, Arctic foxes search below for fallen eggs and chicks, and reindeer graze the sparse vegetation.

We will sail along the edge of the continental shelf, a favorite feeding spot for thousands of kittiwakes and fin whales.

Day 10: There and back again
Disembarkation
Even great adventures must eventually come to an end. The vessel arrives back in Longyearbyen in the early morning, and bus transportation to the airport will be provided.

© OEX

© Olga Lartceva

© Rinie van Meurs