Circumnavigation Spitsbergen

Your Arctic adventure will begin with an included flight from the Norwegian capital of Oslo to Longyearbyen, the administrative capital of Svalbard, where upon arrival you will be transferred to your included hotel for an overnight stay. You can enjoy an evening here in this town perched on the edge of the Arctic wilderness. Longyearbyen is surprisingly cosmopolitan, with first-class facilities, charming architecture, an internationally renowned museum and several bars and restaurants. Enjoy a great night’s sleep in preparation for the adventures that lie ahead.

This morning we can enjoy an exciting excursion in Longyearbyen allowing you to get to know this unique town and get a glimpse into life here in this most remote of areas. In the afternoon embarkation will begin and after settling in to your cabin and exploring your new surroundings you may want to spend some time on deck as we sail through the scenic Isfjord and our adventure truly begins.

During these days we will explore the beautiful North West corner of Spitsbergen, an exceptionally scenic area scattered with islands, fjords and beaches, and a constantly changing frozen landscape. As with all Arctic expeditions our itinerary will be flexible, with your captain constantly monitoring the weather and ice conditions to establish the best routes to take to make the most of your time here and get the very best wildlife and scenic experiences. Throughout your time here we hope to make multiple landings to bring you up close to what this remarkable area has to offer and one of the highlights will be a visit to Kongsfjorden. Kongsfjorden is considered one of the most beautiful fjord areas in Spitsbergen, with mighty glaciers calving icebergs into the sea, framed by stunning mountain formations, and we hope to go on shore here to visit the former mining settlement of Ny-Ålesund.

We also hope to see the huge Monaco Glacier in Liefdefjord where we will take a Zodiac (small boat) cruise around the area. In the Magdalenafjorden and Gravneset areas we hope to offer the chance for guests to earn their Arctic Swimming Certificate as they take a dip in the frigid Arctic waters. Exciting hiking and kayaking excursions will also be offered as we take advantage of the midnight sun and enjoy every minute here.

This expedition offers the rare chance to explore the whole way around the island, and as we sail east we will be venturing even further into the wilderness to discover a world like no other. The eastern and southern areas of Spitsbergen offer the highest chances of seeing the “King of The Arctic” and with Eastern Svalbard boasting the highest population of polar bears on the archipelago our chances of unforgettable encounters are very high.

Our likely route here will be to sail to Isflakbukta on Phippsøya on the far north of the Svalbard archipelago to see the tens of thousands of seabirds that mate here and walrus diving for clams in the bay. We also aim to cruise in Sorgfjorden, which borders the North East Spitsbergen Nature Reserve, and was the site of a famous 17th-century battle between whalers. If the weather is favourable here, we can enjoy a hike in beautiful Eolsneset or a Zodiac cruise in the Hinlopen Strait area before travelling onwards to Torellneset to spot walruses sunning themselves on the flat beach.

We continue on to Edgeøya, the third-largest island in the archipelago, to discover its unique and largely un-glaciated landscape before making our way round the southern cape and heading towards Hornsund. Here we will find a wonderfully varied landscape and even more chances of spotting polar bears.

Our final adventure will be in the scenic Isfjord, the most extensive fjord system in Svalbard. Here we will spend a day exploring the inner and outer parts of the fjord looking for the large populations of Svalbard Reindeer and the thousands of Brunnich's guillemots which nest in the Alkehornet peak during the summer season. This delightful area offers excellent photographic opportunities with U-shaped valleys, carved out of the mountains by the giant glaciers that covered the area some ten thousand years ago, and as we make our way back to Longyearbyen our cameras will be as full as our memory banks.

Arrival back in to the port of Longyearbyen signals the end of our Arctic adventure and sadly it will be time to bid a fond farewell to our expedition team and fellow passengers. After disembarkation you will join your included flight back to Oslo. Longyearbyen is the gateway to countless Arctic excursions so should you wish to stay on here for more adventures please feel free to contact us for more details.