The Polar Travel Company

Explore a frozen fairytale in Svalbard as life awakens after winter. On this micro cruise expedition, you will navigate through iceberg-strewn fjords and snowy peaks, enjoying unique pastel light while searching for polar bears, reindeer, and walruses in sublime Arctic landscapes.

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Duration: 10 days / 9 nights on board.
Starts: Longyearbyen, Norway.
Ends: Longyearbyen, Norway.
Language: English speaking voyage

The itinerary is a guide only and is subject to change due to weather and ice conditions. Your Captain and Expedition Leader will make the necessary adjustments to ensure the best possible experience.

Included

Svalbard in springtime is Svalbard at its most compelling. Emerging from the depths of winter, the archipelago presents its wilder side under a light that is deliciously soft and beguilingly coloured, adding an otherworldly glow to the frozen seascape. As early-season pioneers, we will navigate in an agile expedition ship through an unbroken blanket of snow and splintering sea ice. This is an intrepid adventure designed for those who seek to be the first to read nature�s new bestseller as the sun reintroduces itself after the long winter darkness.

Spotting wildlife in the early season requires patience, but there is nothing like witnessing Arctic animals�reindeer, walruses, Arctic foxes, and polar bears�against the springtime backdrop. As a micro cruise, you will enjoy small group sizes that allow for a deeper connection with the natural world, less waiting to board Zodiacs, and more time exploring and photographing. From bird-filled cliffs to Europe�s largest glaciers, every day promises total immersion in the continent's last great wilderness.

Highlights:
Best time to visit for quintessentially Arctic scenery of frozen seascapes and snow-covered mountains.
Chance to encounter iconic wildlife including whales, polar bears, and walruses against a snowy backdrop.
Europe�s last great wilderness wrapped in the soft light of the early season and pastel sunsets.
Exciting Zodiac cruises to explore stunning glaciers and scenic, hard-to-reach bays.
Visit to Ny-�lesund Research Station, the world�s northernmost year-round scientific facility.

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Day 1: Depart
Sailing from Longyearbyen
Depart Longyearbyen at 4pm. Sail past striking Fuglefjella (Bird Mountain), a fine example of plateau mountainous landscape, as we leave Longyearbyen.

Day 2: Prins Karls Forland and Krossfjord
Walruses and majestic glaciers
Explore Poolepynten, a headland on Prins Karls Forland, home to a walrus colony and burial site. Take a Zodiac cruise of Fjortende Julbreen, a stunning glacier, and Fjortende Julibukta, a scenic bay in Krossfjord.

Day 3-8: Northern and Eastern Exploration
Whaling history, ice edges, and great glaciers
Visit Sallyhamna and its remains from the 17th-century whaling period. Search for wildlife at the ice edge and explore the island of Kvit�ya. Sail past Br�svellbreen, part of the Austfonna ice cap, and marvel at the Alkefjellet bird cliff. The route includes historical Alicehamna, Ny-�lesund, and the Kronebreen and Kongsbreen glaciers, ending with the alpine geology of Alkhornet.

Day 9: Return to Isfjorden
Sailing Southbound
Return to Isfjorden and Longyearbyen, taking in final views from the ship�s deck as we approach the end of the journey.

Day 10: Disembark
End of the expedition
Disembark in Longyearbyen at 9am. The city, surrounded by mountains, marks the conclusion of our Spitsbergen voyage.