North Spitsbergen by Sailing Ship

After arriving in Longyearbyen, the 'capital' (actually the administrative centre) of Spitsbergen, you may wish to visit the Svalbard Museum which has an interesting collection on the history of Spitsbergen, the mining industry and polar exploration. In the evening we sail, setting course for Trygghamna with the remains of a 17th century English whaling station and an 18th century Pomor hunting station, which we will visit next morning

From Tryghamna we walk to Alkhornet a large seabird cliff. Below the cliffs is a den with Arctic Fox which scavenge off fallen eggs and chicks. Reindeer graze on the lush vegetation. At noon we sail through the Forlandsundet. Weather permitting we will go ashore at Fuglehuken where the first Western Europeans (the expedition of Willem Barentsz) set foot on Spitsbergen. Here, near another big bird-cliff, we can see the graves of whalers. Nearby we may be able to visit a haul-out of Harbour Seal and Walrus.

Today we will try to visit Ytre Norskoya, a small island which was used for many years as a lookout point for Dutch whalers. There we can still follow their tracks to the summit of the island, passing excellent bird cliffs on the way. On shore the remains of 17th century blubber ovens can be found, while Arctic Skua and Common Eider breed among the graves of 200 Dutch whalers.

Raudfjord on the north coast of Spitsbergen is a beautiful fjord with spectacular glaciers. It is also a favourite with Ringed and Bearded Seal, has good seabird colonies, and offers good chances for spotting Polar Bear and Beluga. Jermaktangen, at the fjord's eastern entrance, is a geography lesson in the erosion of the land by the sea.

If sea-ice conditions allow, we may land on the northern-side of Reindyrfla, the largest tundra area of Spitsbergen. The vast undulating plain is a good grazing area for reindeer and several species of waders also breed here. The area's lakes offer good chances of spotting Red-throated Diver and King Eider. (On this voyage later in the season, we have the unique opportunity to land on the island of Moffen an important haul out place for Walrus. We see the extensive killing fields where those animals were slaughtered in previous centuries for their tusks)

We sail into Liefdefjorden and look Worsleyneset where King Eiders and Grey Phalaropes nest. Chances that fjord-ice is blocking our way to the front of Monacobreen and to the Warm springs in Bockfjord are there, but the life along the edge of the fjord ice is spectacular (chances for Bearded Seals, Polar Bears, foraging seabirds)

Sailing northwards we visit Magdalenafjord, one of the most beautiful places on Spitsbergen, with many impressive glacier faces. During a shore visit we will view the remains of 17th century English whaling activities. We can also visit some big seabird colonies particularly noteworthy for their Little Auk.

Today we will visit Ny Alesund, the northernmost permanently inhabited village in the world, a centre for polar research and a former starting point for many North Pole expeditions (Amundsen and Nobile for example). The local bird life has adapted itself to the human presence and is exceptionally tame. Barnacle Goose, Pink-footed Goose, Common Eider, Arctic Tern and several species of wader can be seen at close quarters. The reindeers here are smaller than their mainland relatives and do not form large herds.

In the morning we sail from Ny Ålesund to the 14th of July Glacier where we cruise in zodiacs. Not far from the glacier we see a breeding site for Brünnich’s Guillemot, Auk and Puffin. The guano of these bird colonies, the southward exposure and the sheltered situation, give rise to a relatively rich vegetation with many species of flowering plants.

On our way south, we will try to make a landing on Fuglehuken, where we see many remains form the Polar Bear hunting era. There are large seabird colonies and a haul out place for harbour seals. Alternatively we land on the coast of Forlandsundet at Engelskbukta or Sarstangen. Occasionally Walrus are hauled out here. The tundra offers some great walking in a beautiful setting.

In the morning of day 11, we find ourselves on Bohemanflya an extensive tundra area with their own avifauna and spectacular geological formations along the coast. In Gipsvika deep inside Isfjorden were we will go ashore near the majestic cliff of Templet. It is a stunning area with spectacular mountains eroded into shape in the sedimentary rock from the Upper Carboniferous created around 290 million years ago.

Arrive in the morning and disembark.