North Spitsbergen Explorer - Versatile landscapes, sea ice & wildlife 2024

The best opportunity to spot the King of the Arctic


Svalbard
OEX © Erwin Vermeulen-Oceanwide Expeditions

Duration: 8 days
Starts: Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen
Ends: Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen
Language: English speaking voyage, German Language assisted voyage

*Optional activities might not be available on all departures. Please ask about availability.


Included
Optional


Start your North Spitsbergen cruise with a trek around historic Longyearbyen, then join our expedition to the north of the island to take in the fantastically beautiful landscapes, the thousands of seabirds, and of course the star of the show, the polar bear.

Itinerary

© Erwin Vermeulen-Oceanwide Expeditions
© Erwin Vermeulen-Oceanwide Expeditions
© Rinie van Meurs-Oceanwide Expeditions

Day 1: Largest town, biggest island
You touch down in Longyearbyen, the administrative center of Spitsbergen, the largest island of the Svalbard archipelago. Enjoy strolling around this former mining town, whose parish church and Svalbard Museum make for fascinating attractions. Though the countryside appears stark, more than a hundred species of plant have been recorded in it. In the early evening the ship sails out of Isfjorden, where you might spot the first minke whale of your voyage.

Day 2-7: North Spitsbergen’s natural beauty, wildlife, and pack-ice
Sailing to Raudfjorden, on the north coast of Spitsbergen, you take in an expansive fjord spilling with glaciers – and maybe even visited by ringed and bearded seals. The cliffs and shoreline of this fjord also support thriving seabird colonies, rich vegetation, and the possibility of polar bears.

The massive Monaco Glacier
Depending on the weather, you could sail into Liefdefjorden and cruise within sight of the 5-kilometer-long (3.1 miles) face of the precipitous Monaco Glacier. The waters in front of this 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 sailing here early in the season, an alternate route along the west coast of Spitsbergen can be implemented.

Highlights of Hinlopen
Today you sail into Hinlopen Strait, home to bearded seals, ringed seals, and polar bears. At the entrance there is even the possibility to spot blue whales. After cruising among the ice floes of Lomfjordshalvøya in the Zodiacs, you can view the bird cliffs of Alkefjellet with their thousands of Brünnich’s guillemots. On the east side of Hinlopen Strait, you may attempt a landing on Nordaustlandet. Here reindeer, pink-footed geese, and walruses are likely sights. You can take an alternate route if ice prevents entry into Hinlopen.

Stop at the Seven Islands
The northernmost point of your voyage may be north of Nordaustlandet, in the Seven Islands. Here you reach 80° north, just 870 km (540 miles) from the geographic North Pole. Polar bears inhabit this region, so the ship may park for several hours among the pack ice before wheeling around west again.

Sailing the continental shelf
While retracing your route west, keep watch for polar bears and elusive Greenland (bowhead) whales. About 40 nautical miles west of Spitsbergen, you sail the edge of the continental shelf. Here fin whales forage during the summer in the upwelling zones (where cold, nutrient-rich water wells up from below the sea’s surface) that run along the Spitsbergen banks. At the mouth of Kongsfjorden, you have a good chance of sighting minke whales.

Reindeer, foxes, and so many seabirds
Walruses sometimes haul out in Forlandsundet, your next stop. Alternatively, you 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. You arrive in Longyearbyen later at night.

Day 8: There and back again
Every adventure, no matter how grand, must eventually come to an end. You disembark in Longyearbyen, taking home memories that will accompany you wherever your next adventure lies.

Itinerary

Day 1: Largest town, biggest island
You touch down in Longyearbyen, the administrative center of Spitsbergen, the largest island of the Svalbard archipelago. Enjoy strolling around this former mining town, whose parish church and Svalbard Museum make for fascinating attractions. Though the countryside appears stark, more than a hundred species of plant have been recorded in it. In the early evening the ship sails out of Isfjorden, where you might spot the first minke whale of your voyage.

Day 2-7: North Spitsbergen’s natural beauty, wildlife, and pack-ice
Sailing to Raudfjorden, on the north coast of Spitsbergen, you take in an expansive fjord spilling with glaciers – and maybe even visited by ringed and bearded seals. The cliffs and shoreline of this fjord also support thriving seabird colonies, rich vegetation, and the possibility of polar bears.

The massive Monaco Glacier
Depending on the weather, you could sail into Liefdefjorden and cruise within sight of the 5-kilometer-long (3.1 miles) face of the precipitous Monaco Glacier. The waters in front of this 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 sailing here early in the season, an alternate route along the west coast of Spitsbergen can be implemented.

Highlights of Hinlopen
Today you sail into Hinlopen Strait, home to bearded seals, ringed seals, and polar bears. At the entrance there is even the possibility to spot blue whales. After cruising among the ice floes of Lomfjordshalvøya in the Zodiacs, you can view the bird cliffs of Alkefjellet with their thousands of Brünnich’s guillemots. On the east side of Hinlopen Strait, you may attempt a landing on Nordaustlandet. Here reindeer, pink-footed geese, and walruses are likely sights. You can take an alternate route if ice prevents entry into Hinlopen.

Stop at the Seven Islands
The northernmost point of your voyage may be north of Nordaustlandet, in the Seven Islands. Here you reach 80° north, just 870 km (540 miles) from the geographic North Pole. Polar bears inhabit this region, so the ship may park for several hours among the pack ice before wheeling around west again.

Sailing the continental shelf
While retracing your route west, keep watch for polar bears and elusive Greenland (bowhead) whales. About 40 nautical miles west of Spitsbergen, you sail the edge of the continental shelf. Here fin whales forage during the summer in the upwelling zones (where cold, nutrient-rich water wells up from below the sea’s surface) that run along the Spitsbergen banks. At the mouth of Kongsfjorden, you have a good chance of sighting minke whales.

Reindeer, foxes, and so many seabirds
Walruses sometimes haul out in Forlandsundet, your next stop. Alternatively, you 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. You arrive in Longyearbyen later at night.

Day 8: There and back again
Every adventure, no matter how grand, must eventually come to an end. You disembark in Longyearbyen, taking home memories that will accompany you wherever your next adventure lies.


© Erwin Vermeulen-Oceanwide Expeditions
© Erwin Vermeulen-Oceanwide Expeditions
© Rinie van Meurs-Oceanwide Expeditions


INCLUSIONS

·Voyage aboard the indicated vessel as indicated in the itinerary
·All meals throughout the voyage aboard the ship including snacks, coffee and tea.
·All shore excursions and activities throughout the voyage by Zodiac.
·Program of lectures by noted naturalists and leadership by experienced expedition staff.
·Free use of rubber boots and snowshoes.
·Transfers and baggage handling between the airport, hotels and ship only for those passengers on the group flights to and from Longyearbyen.
·All miscellaneous service taxes and port charges throughout the programme.
·AECO fees and governmental taxes.
·Comprehensive pre-departure material.

EXCLUSIONS

· Any airfare, whether on scheduled or charter flights
·Pre- and post- land arrangements.
·Passport and visa expenses.
·Government arrival and departure taxes.
·Meals ashore.
·Baggage, cancellation and personal insurance (which is strongly recommended).
·Excess baggage charges and all items of a personal nature such as laundry, bar, beverage charges and telecommunication charges.
·The customary gratuity at the end of the voyages for stewards and other service personnel aboard (guidelines will be provided).


Dates & Rates


Ship: Plancius | Date: 03 Jun 2025 - 10 Jun 2025 (2844)
Quadruple Porthole
$4,300
Triple Porthole
$5,350
Twin Porthole
$5,950
Twin Window
$6,450
Twin Deluxe
$6,800
Superior
$13,175
Ship: Hondius | Date: 09 Jun 2025 - 16 Jun 2025 (2828)
Quadruple Porthole
$4,300
Triple Porthole
$5,350
Twin Porthole
$5,950
Twin Window
$6,450
Twin Deluxe
$6,800
Superior
$13,175
Junior Suite
$15,045
Grand Suite
$16,235
Ship: Ortelius | Date: 12 Jun 2025 - 19 Jun 2025 (3147)
Quad Porthole
$4,300
Triple Porthole
$5,350
Twin Porthole
$5,950
Twin Window
$6,450
Twin Deluxe
$6,800
Superior
$13,175
Ship: Hondius | Date: 16 Jun 2025 - 23 Jun 2025 (2826)
Quadruple Porthole
$4,300
Triple Porthole
$5,350
Twin Porthole
$5,950
Twin Window
$6,450
Twin Deluxe
$6,800
Superior
$13,175
Junior Suite
$15,045
Grand Suite
$16,235
Ship: Ortelius | Date: 19 Jun 2025 - 26 Jun 2025 (3148)
Quad Porthole
$4,300
Triple Porthole
$5,350
Twin Porthole
$5,950
Twin Window
$6,450
Twin Deluxe
$6,800
Superior
$13,175
Ship: Hondius | Date: 23 Jun 2025 - 30 Jul 2025 (2827)
Quadruple Porthole
$4,300
Triple Porthole
$5,350
Twin Porthole
$5,950
Twin Window
$6,450
Twin Deluxe
$6,800
Superior
$13,175
Junior Suite
$15,045
Grand Suite
$16,235
Ship: Plancius | Date: 24 Jun 2025 - 01 Jul 2025 (2845)
Quadruple Porthole
$4,300
Triple Porthole
$5,350
Twin Porthole
$5,950
Twin Window
$6,450
Twin Deluxe
$6,800
Superior
$13,175
Ship: Hondius | Date: 13 Jun 2026 - 20 Jun 2026 (3055)
Quadruple Porthole
$4,450
Triple Porthole
$5,550
Twin Porthole
$6,150
Twin Window
$6,700
Twin Deluxe
$7,100
Superior
$13,685
Junior Suite
$15,640
Grand Suite
$16,915
Ship: Hondius | Date: 20 Jun 2026 - 27 Jun 2026 (3056)
Quadruple Porthole
$4,450
Triple Porthole
$5,550
Twin Porthole
$6,150
Twin Window
$6,700
Twin Deluxe
$7,100
Superior
$13,685
Junior Suite
$15,640
Grand Suite
$16,915
Ship: Plancius | Date: 21 Jun 2026 - 28 Jun 2026 (3057)
Quadruple Porthole
$4,450
Triple Porthole
$5,550
Twin Porthole
$6,150
Twin Window
$6,700
Twin Deluxe
$7,100
Superior
$13,685

* The prices are per person in US Dollars, unless expressly specified in a different currency. In that case, payment will be in US dollars at the exchange rate of the day.
** All prices will be re-confirmed by email at the time of booking.
NOTE: Embracing the unexpected is part of the legacy—and excitement—of expedition travel. When traveling in extremely remote regions, your expedition staff must allow the sea, the ice and the weather to guide route and itinerary details. This itinerary is a tentative outline of what you’ll experience on this voyage; please be aware that no specific itinerary can be guaranteed.

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