Day 1: Set sail from Longyearbyen
You will be met on arrival at Longyearbyen Airport and transferred to the ship (if overnighting in Longyearbyen prior to your cruise, we will arrange for you to be collected from your hotel/lodge).
Your cruise does not depart until this evening, meaning much of the day is free for you to relax on board or take a stroll around the former mining town of Longyearbyen, whose fascinating parish church and polar museum are well worth visiting.
In the early evening, the ship will sail out of Isfjorden where, in the mouth of the fjord, you may be lucky enough to spy Minke whale.
Day 2: Glacier cruise and birdwatching
You arrive this morning at Krossfjorden, where you have your first excursion aboard a zodiac, allowing you to get up close to the starkly beautiful Fourteenth of July Glacier.
Given its name in the early 20th century by the Prince of Monaco, this glacier runs for 10 miles and its cliffs, tinged green in the summer months, provide a nesting ground for huge flocks of kittiwakes, guillemots and Arctic puffins. With a bit of luck, you may also spot an Arctic fox prowling for prey on the cliff tops, while bearded seals are often seen frolicking in the icy waters at the foot of the glacier.
In the afternoon the voyage continues to Ny Alesund. Formerly a mining village, Ny Alesund is now a research outpost with a breeding ground for barnacle geese and Arctic terns. It is also one of Svalbard’s few historical sights of interest, having served in decades past as the starting point for many a polar expedition – to this day you can still see the anchoring mast used by polar explorers Amundsen and Nobile in their airships, Norge (1926) and Italia (1928).
Day 3: Monaco Glacier
Setting sail once more, your cruise continues through Liefdefjorden and alongside the long and impressive Monaco Glacier.
The waters of the glacier front are a favourite feeding spot for kittiwake, which occur here in their thousands. Polar bears, too, are sometimes spotted on the glacier.
Day 4-5: Polar bear spotting
Your voyage arrives at the Seven Islands on day 4. 81 degrees north and approx. 540 miles from the geographic North Pole, this is the northernmost region of Svalbard that you will visit during your cruise.
The Seven Islands are remote and beautiful, and offer great opportunities for wildlife-viewing, with polar bears frequently sighted in the region. Depending on the level of pack ice and the quality of the wildlife sightings, you may stay for some time here or continue to Sorgfjord, where walrus are often seen. Those with an interest in the history of the region may also like to make a short side trip to Eolusneset, a former trapper’s outpost containing a small, isolated graveyard where the bodies of 17th-century whalers rest.
Day 6: Hinlopen Strait
Today you begin the journey south into the Hinlopen Strait and along the eastern coast of Spitsbergen. Here you have a good chance of seeing ringed and bearded seals, and on very rare occasions blue whales are also sighted in these waters.
During the day, you’ll make trips by zodiac to get up close to the ice floes and the polar wildlife, exploring beneath the cliffs of Alkefjellet. If sea conditions allow, you’ll land on the east side of the strait, where you can hopefully see reindeer, pink-footed geese and walruses. Near Torrelneset you may have the chance to visit the polar desert of Nordaustlandet, next to the world’s third-largest ice cap.
Day 7: Barents Island
The plan for today may vary depending on the movements of the wildlife. Typically, the day will see you sail into the sound of Freemansundet and stop on the shores of Barents Island.
Weather allowing, on Barents you will be able to enjoy a hike onto the tundra at Rindedalen, visit the old trappers hut at Sundneset, and/or stop at Kapp Lee, a walrus haul-out where there are also good walking opportunities.
Day 8: Hornsund
Spitsbergen’s most southerly fjord, Hornsund, is also often described as its most beautiful, and with good reason!
The scenery here is simply fantastic, with huge peaks that rise out of the water to heights as great as 1,400m. While cruising in the fjord you will also witness dramatic glaciers and plentiful marine and birdlife.
Day 9: Bellsund
Today you arrive at the Sound of Bell, or Bellsund, entrance to Van Keulenfjorden and Van Mijenfjord. Bellsund was one of the first fjords in Spitsbergen to be used by whalers, a haunting reminder of which can be seen in the form of piles of whale bones at the mouth of Van Keulenfjorden.
The belugas still return to this area and it is possible that you may see some during the voyage back to Longyearbyen. Weather-permitting, you will also have the opportunity to hike inland on tundra where reindeer are frequently seen.
Day 10: Arrive Longyearbyen
Your voyage disembarks in Longyearbyen this morning. A bus transfer will be arranged from the pier to the airport or to your hotel in Longyearbyen if overnighting in town.
Circumnavigating Spitsbergen
Please see price guide for upcoming departures. For rates, cabin availability, and information on currently available special offers, please contact us.
Circumnavigating Spitsbergen
2023/4 Departures Available | This 10-day cruise sees you circumnavigate the island of Spitsbergen in the Svalbard Archipelago. Travelling north from Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen’s de facto capital, you’ll journey through the Krossfjorden and to the Seven Islands, in northernmost Svalbard, before returning to Longyearbyen via Barents Island. Along the way, you can hope to see fascinating wildlife and stunningly beautiful ice floes.
Outline Itinerary
Price guide
Please see departures chart below for upcoming departure dates. For triple and double cabin rates, cabin availability, and information on currently available special offers, please contact us.
Pricing
10 days from £4200pp
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