Arctic

Lofoten, Bear Island & Svalbard

Lofoten, Bear Island & Svalbard 10 Days aboard M/S Quest

This exciting expedition aboard a small group polar vessel will take you through some of the most breathtaking scenery on earth to discover worlds of fjords, glaciers, mountains and abundant wildlife and birdlife. Sailing from the fjords of northern Norway, your ship will take you to the rocky islands of Lofoten to discover picturesque fishing villages, beautiful fjords and teeming bird cliffs before sailing on to the mysterious and seldom explored Bear Island which lies halfway between the Norwegian mainland and Svalbard and is a birdwatcher’s paradise. And if that wasn’t enough adventure for one trip we will then sail on into one of the world’s most magnificent wildernesses, the Arctic highlight of Svalbard, where we will explore along the southwestern coastline of Spitsbergen to discover its dramatic landscapes, impressive glaciers and fascinating wildlife.

Toni Hart

Namibia Birding and Photography Guide

An accomplished and experienced Namibia birding and photographic guide, Toni holds a Namibia Academy for Tourism and Hospitality Level 3 qualification (the highest level attainable in Namibia) and is widely renowned for her extensive knowledge of the cultures, ornithology, flora, astronomy and wildlife of the country. Read more >

Andy Pollard

Wildlife Guide & Photographer

Andy is a 6th generation Falkland Islander, with a passion for wildlife, plants and photography. Raised in the Falkland Islands, Andy developed a close affinity with the Islands natural environment at a young age. School holidays where spent in the ‘camp’ or countryside with friends and family. For more than 10 years, Andy had the privilege of spending a time on Sea Lion Island, visiting his mother who managed one of the Islands premier tourist destinations. Read more >

Chris Coe

Photographer and founder of the Travel Photographer Of The Year awards

A fascination with natural light and a passion with nature, landscape and travel underpin Chris Coe's photography. His images often have a striking simplicity and graphic quality. More recent work has introduced a subtlety with experimentation with both movement and light.Read more >

Jenny Luxton

Falklands Expert & Guide

Born in Chartres in the West Falklands, Jenny grew up on the family farm where her love for animals was nurtured by the25,000 sheep, horses and cows that lived alongside her. Forever a nature, conservation and wildlife enthusiast Jenny has travelled extensively throughout the Falkland Islands, visiting each and every wildlife island at least once, and even travelling around some by yacht. Read more >

Highlights

Cruise through the stunning Norwegian Lofoten Islands
Explore rarely visited Bear Island
Spectacular scenery in the Svalbard wilderness where fjords & glaciers abound
Polar bears, whales, myriad birds and other wildlife
Historical sites

What's Included

Full board accommodation on board ship
Programme of lectures by expert guides
Shore and Zodiac excursions
Illustrated post-expedition log

9 nights 5/6/2019 - 5/15/2019

From Only £4,408pp

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Shortlist

John Swindell
Arctic Specialist

Speak to someone who’s been to Arctic. Start planning your tailor-made trip by calling one of our friendly destination specialists on 0800 195 3385 or 44 1625 581143 for outside the UK.

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ITINERARY

9 ^Nights 10 ^Days

Itinerary Summary

Day 1 | Bodø
Days 2 - 4 | Lofoten Islands
Day 5 | Bear Island
Days 6 - 9 | Svalbard
Day 10 | Longyearbyen

1Day

Bodø

Your expedition begins in the Norwegian town of Bodø, where after having arrived independently you will make your way to the port to board your polar expedition vessel. After settling in to your comfortable cabin, meeting your expedition crew and familiarising yourself with your new surroundings, we recommend making your way to deck to watch as your ship sets sail and charts course for the dramatic Lofoten Islands.

2 - 4Days

Lofoten Islands

On the morning of day 2 our adventure will truly begin as we have arrived at the southern side of Lofoten, a vast collection of rocky islands rising from the sea that are simply a delight to explore. After breakfast the excitement will build as we board the Zodiac boats for the first time to enjoy a cruise around the spectacular island of Vedøya in search of the tens of thousands of nesting seabirds and eagles that are frequently spotted here. Over the course of the next 2 days we will also visit a number of charming picturesque fishing villages such as Reine and Nusfjord, one of the most well-preserved communities in the area. Here we will go ashore to explore this small historic village and see its UNESCO listed wooden structures and cod fisheries. As we continue our cruise along the Lofoten wall we will arrive at the magically beautiful Trollfjorden before making our way into the Barents Sea to head towards Bear Island on day 4. As we sail we recommend spending some time on deck as we pass one of the best whale watching spots in the area, and your programme of expert lectures and presentations will keep you entertained during your time at sea.

5Day

Bear Island

Today’s adventures will bring us to the fascinating and mysterious rocky outcrop of Bear Island, where we will board our Zodiacs for a thrilling exploration around the island. Our goal here will be to make land to explore this seldom visited area on foot to find one of the largest seabird colonies in the North Atlantic. The vertical 400-meter cliffs which rise dramatically from the sea are home to tens of thousands of guillemots as well as glaucous gulls, razorbills, puffins and kittiwakes. Very few expeditions manage to make a visit to this exceptionally remote area so you will be along the lucky few to have ever stepped foot on these enchanting lands.

After an exploration of the area we get back on board to sail on to Svalbard – one of the world’s most impressive and enthralling wildernesses.

6 - 9Days

Svalbard

Welcome to the wilderness wonderland of Svalbard, where stunning scenery and an abundance of Arctic wildlife combine to create one of the most fascinating places on earth. Over the course of the next 4 days we will explore along the southwest and southeast coasts of Spitsbergen, the largest and most beautiful island in the Svalbard archipelago. As with all polar expedition cruises, flexibility throughout our voyage will be key, and as we travel through this untamed wilderness your experienced crew and captain will determine the best course for unparalleled scenic and wildlife experiences based on ice and weather conditions and likelihoods of wildlife encounters. Your crew are there to ensure you experience the very best of what Spitsbergen has to offer. Exploring by ship, Zodiac and on foot, each day will bring a new experience and adventure. This could mean a wakeup call in the middle of the night as we sail by a polar bear on the ice, or spending more time in one destination than others due to the high concentration of wildlife. Whatever happens, this is sure to be the adventure of a lifetime!

Our route is likely to vary but there are some particular areas that we expect to visit during our time here. Our first stop is likely to be on the southeast coast and the island of Edgeøya where we will make land to enjoy a walk across the impressive tundra and see remnants of the first Pomors who came to the area in the 1600s. We also hope to visit the spectacular bay of Isbukta where we can enjoy a Zodiac cruise to see the beautiful snow covered mountain peaks and the front of the impressive Vasil’evbreen glacier, whilst also keeping an eye out for the Sabine’s gulls, Arctic skuas and bearded seals that are often found here.

Moving over to the southwest coast we will visit the majestic Hornsund to see the magnificent fjords and enormous glaciers that dominate the landscape. Here we will have our best chances of seeing the Kings of the Arctic…the iconic Polar bears! Next up will be Bellsund where we will visit beautiful Vårsolbukta where little auks nest by the tens of thousands and we can enjoy an exciting walk across the tundra.

Heading north towards Longyearbyen we will sail into the beautiful Isfjorden and the bird cliffs of Alkhornet. Here we will go ashore to discover the beautiful tundra and spot some of the abundance of birdlife that is usually found here including Brünnich’s guillemots, barnacle geese, snow buntings, glaucous gulls and tens of thousands of kittiwakes. We are also likely to see Arctic foxes here as they stalk below the cliffs searching for eggs and other treats that may have dropped from above.

10Day

Longyearbyen

Arrival in to the port at Longyearbyen, the administrative capital of Svalbard, sadly signals the end of our voyage. After breakfast you will disembark, bid a fond farewell to your expedition crew and begin your journey home filled with enchanting memories of your Arctic adventure.

Please note: Various land and flight packages are available for getting to and from Longyearbyen and Bodø, and also for extensions to your tour. Please enquire for further details.

See All Itinerary

M/S Quest

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What Our Customers
Say...

Ann Macleod, Scotland Sarah & David, Portsmouth James and Pamela Chapman, Halifax Geoff & Magda, Adelaide, Australia Ann & Paul, East Grinstead, Sussex Chris Janner, Manchester Gavin Burnett Stirling, United Kingdom Chris Pye, North Wales Chris Pye, North Wales Chris Conlan, Manchester, UK Boyan Todorov, Holland Karen Worton, Suffolk,UK Malcolm Green , UK Malcolm Green , UK Frances Hadfield, East Sussex, UK Mike Unwin, Brighton, UK Christine Matthews, London, UK Jan Broderick, Northumberland

Superlatives abound – a truly amazing experience...awesome. Thanks to all for making it such a memorable experience.

We have just returned from our Spitsbergen trip with Wildfoot and had to tell you what an amazing time we had! We saw 6 polar bears including a mother with 2 cubs as well as whales, walruses and lots of birds. The ship (Expedition) was really comfortable and the guides were so helpful and friendly. Thank you so much for making it all so easy.

I came to Wildfoot because a friend had booked with you when you were Antarctica Bound and they were right. Everything went perfectly, even when our flight was cancelled, you made sure we still made it to the ship with time to spare. L’Austral is a beautiful ship with first class service and food and the guides looked after us well. Very happy to recommend Wildfoot and L’Austral...

We had always wanted to see the Arctic and travelling all the way from Australia needed lots of information. After getting nowhere, we came across Wildfoot and found people who knew what they were talking about! Sara and John were so helpful and made the process easy, suggesting Iceland Greenland and Spitsbergen. This was perfect for us – amazing scenery and lots of wildlife, especially the polar bears in Spitsbergen. Thanks for everything. Ps, the ship was great too!

Just wanted to say thank you for suggesting a trip to Franz Josef Land as something different for the Arctic. We had a super trip and really enjoyed the Sea Spirit. Galapagos next!

Standing on the North Pole has been an ambition of mine since childhood and now I have done it! Thank you for making the process so easy - seeing polar bears and whales too was a real bonus.

The Sea Spirit expedition was excellent and the team organising it all were extremely good. 10 out of 10. Everything went very smoothly. The Iceland extension worked perfectly, all the organisation, connections etc. were excellent

The cruise was beyond my expectations. Got to see everything the captain wanted, even a polar bear mother with three cubs. Coal Miners Cabins were smashing. I did loads of birding and exploring over three days. All the people were great from the expedition leaders down to the passengers. So glad to have achieved my ambition of some 50 years standing and got amongst the ice of the Arctic, walked amongst it’s islands and witnessed the antics of its wonderful wildlife. What’s next??? I’ll need to speak with Sara again.

Thanks so much for enabling me to get to places I had always wanted to see from a very young age. “Ace” as my boys used to say!

Just wanted to send a quick note to say thank you very much for all your help in arranging our recent trip to Svalbard. Everything ran smoothly and the trip was a great success. Unfortunately I had to flew back a few days early and missed out on Isfjord Radio, which the rest of the team said was a brilliant place with amazing food, still the Basecamp Hotel and Nordenskiold Lodge were pretty amazing places, so I’m not complaining!

Writing back to tell you that the trip to the Arctic was all that it promised and more. It was a great wild-life sightseeing opportunity and the staff were really good.I had an excellent trip and have thousands of photos to go through.

I had an absolutely fabulous time won the Sergey Vavilov, it is an excellent ship. Sara was indeed right in her recommendation that they would be the most likely to push north into the ice to find the polar bears. We even circumnavigated Spitsbergen which was awesome and not o n the itinerary.It is such a wonderful way to take a trip when you are on your own – so if any of your potential single clients are unsure, definitely recommend it – I didn’t feel alone from the moment I stepped on board. I will be at the Birdfair next weekend and so will catch up with whoever is there – regarding this trip, and potentially my next!

Great cruise, staff and expedition team. Had a great trip.

We had a wonderful time, even though we didn't do all the places we were supposed to but we all felt were we went instead couldn't beaten. Saw animals I wanted to see. Bit worried what the food was like as some of the ships cooking leaves something to be desired, but food was very good. We thought all the guides were brilliant and informative, friendly and knowledgeable It was far better than we expected and even my husband thoroughly enjoyed it!

I wanted to let you know that I had a wonderful cruise in the Russian Far East. The landscape and destination were inspiring, we had some excellent wildlife sightings (sea otter, grey whale, Steller's sea eagle, snowy owl and Arctic fox were all firsts for me), and the Heritage team were superb. Rough seas forced a few changes to the itinerary but we also had some fabulous weather. All in all, a thrilling travel experience.Thanks once again for all your efforts

I thought you might like to know that this was an excellent holiday. Our guide, Brad, was absolutely wonderful, his enthusiasm and knowledge made the holiday even better. All in all the whole trip was excellent and we saw lots of bears, 24 on the first day. Fewer on the second and third days but still plenty, as well as arctic foxes,silver foxes and snowy owls. Even on the last day near the town we saw a bear on rocks by the beach.

What a great trip! Wildfoot built a great trip for us and every aspect was spot on. Our Iguazu guide was fun, interesting and helpful and all the transfers were timely and comfortable. The Antarctica Trip was superb - WIldfoot had given us the best advice and helped us choose the right ship and tour for what we wanted - A truly memorable Experience Thank You Wildfoot

Expedition Highlights Gallery

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John Swindell
Senior Travel Expert

Lofoten, Bear Island & Svalbard