Fair Isle, Jan Mayen, Ice Edge & Spitsbergen

Your adventure begins in Vlissingen where, after having arrived independently, you will make your way to the port to board your expedition vessel. As you settle in to your comfortable cabin and explore your new surroundings your ship will set sail far north and into the North Sea.

Day 2 will be spent entirely at sea, where we will sail by the international wildlife reserve of the Frisian Islands, before arriving in Bremerhaven in the late evening.

Various air and land packages are available for transport to Vlissingen. There is also the option to join this voyage in Bremerhaven. Please enquire for further details.

Today you arrive in the German port city of Bremerhaven, where you will be joined by the travellers who have chosen to begin their itinerary here instead of in Vlissingen. There will be time this morning for a spot of exploring around the city and its attractions including a number of good museums, before we set sail again with our new shipmates. This afternoon we will sail for about 5 hours before reaching the small island of Helgoland where we will sail as close as possible to the island to see its steep seabird cliffs filled with kittiwakes, gannets and guillemots.

The following day will be spent crossing the North Sea, and as we sail past Doggersbank we recommend spending some time on deck as you are likely to enjoy many marine wildlife sightings since white-beaked dolphins, harbour porpoises, minke whales and more are native to these seas.

Today we will make the first stop of our voyage as we visit the small island of Fair Isle in the Shetland Islands. World renowned for its varied and abundant birdlife as well as its traditional knitwear, Fair Isle is home to a fantastic bird observatory and just 70 human inhabitants. As we make land you can enjoy a walk to the observatory to see an abundance of sea birds and hopefully some grey seals as well.

Over the course of the next two days your expedition ship will be sailing north towards the Norwegian island of Jan Mayen, 300 nautical miles northeast of Iceland. As we sail you can enjoy the fantastic range of presentations and performances that are unique to your vessel. This includes a wide range of interactive workshops that explore such topics as astronomy, navigation, and other related fields, including a special acoustics workshop designed around interpreting the songs and sound of whales and seals. There will also be a program of lectures by noted naturalists covering everything from the geology and wildlife of the areas you will be visiting to the history of polar exploration.

Despite the activity on board, however, the main highlight of this portion of your voyage may be simply spending some time on deck or in the observation lounge seeking out sightings of the minke, fin, orca, and blue whales that are known to frequent the waters below.

Today brings us to the stark volcanic island of Jan Mayen where upon arrival we will be greeted by the spectacular sight of the snow-capped summit of Mt. Beerenberg. This area offers excellent scenic photo opportunities with broken glaciers grasping out into the frigid sea from the imposing slopes of this 2300m high volcano.

After making your way to land via Zodiac boat you can enjoy a gentle hike across the barren volcanic landscape to see the remains of a 17th-century Dutch whaling station. With permission from the Norwegian authorities, we also hope to visit the weather station here.

As we sail under the midnight sun we will make our way north along the edge of the Greenland sea ice to continue our search for marine wildlife sightings. This time spent at sea will be filled with exciting exploration as your captain and experienced crew expertly choose course to offer the best chances of wildlife encounters. As we sail we hope to spot bowhead whales, harp seals and a wide variety of seabirds. It is during this part of our journey that we are also most likely to encounter polar bears, so make sure to have your cameras on hand!

As we reach 79° north we will change direction to sail westwards to the rocky edges of the continental shelf of west Spitsbergen. Here we will be on the lookout for the fin whales and minke whales which are often spotted near the glacial mouths of the gaping Spitsbergen fjords.

The last place we will visit on our fulfilling North Atlantic voyage will be the visually spectacular area of Forlandsundet. This 88 km long sound is found between the main island of Spitsbergen and the narrow Prins Karls Forland and is home to an abundance of enchanting Arctic wildlife including large haul-outs of walrus. As with all polar expeditions, flexibility is the key, and should conditions dictate an alternative route we will instead sail into St. Johns Fjord or land at Alkhornet in the mouth of Isfjorden. Here we will find huge numbers of seabirds nesting on the cliffs, whilst Arctic foxes stalk below hoping for eggs and chicks to fall within their grasp. You will also be able to see reindeers here grazing on the sparse vegetation that covers that the landscape.

Your thrilling Arctic cruise will come to an end in Longyearbyen, the administrative capital of Svalbard, where after breakfast you will disembark and bid a fond farewell to your expedition team and new-found friends. You may wish to spend some further time here exploring this unique Arctic town or enjoying some of the many extra excursions and activities that are on offer here. Please enquire for details of the land-based activities that we would be happy to arrange for you. Otherwise, it’s sadly time to make your way to the airport for your onward or homeward flights, filled with memories of the adventure of a lifetime.