Other options during your stay can include morning dog-sledging across the tundra, or an afternoon visit to the parks centre. 
Flights from the UK.
Your Journey begins in Longyearbyen, the administrative capital of the Spitsbergen. Before embarking you will have an opportunity to stroll around this former mining town, whose parish church and Polar Museum are well worth visiting, while in the area surrounding Longyearbyen, more than 100 species of plant have been recorded. Some itineraries may include a night in a comfortable Longyearbyen hotel. (Please note that the duration of voyages does differ from vessel to vessel with 3, 4, 10, 11, 12 and 15-night voyages also being available. Please also note that some voyages depart from Tromso, Norway instead of Longyearbyen.)
The Arctic coastlines offer some of the finest scenery and wildlife experiences in the world. Visitors to the region can witness enormous colonies of seabirds thronging the cliffs and shores, and enjoy the thrilling antics of whales and dolphins at sea as well as seals and Walruses hauled out on the rocks and ice floes.
If you are lucky may even encounter the very symbol of the Arctic - a Polar Bear. Though remote and sparsely populated today, many of the places we explore hold historic sites which are a testimony to the thriving cultures of the past.
Spitsbergen is the largest island in the Svalbard archipelago. Thanks to the Gulf Stream, its west coast, some 400 kilometres long, is surprisingly rich in wildlife. With its rugged mountains, sweeping tundra, ice caps and glaciers, it is a true High Arctic archipelago only 975 kilometres from the North Pole. Its abundant wildlife was once a huge draw for whalers and trappers but now discerning visitors are discovering the attractions of huge Arctic seabird colonies and the chance to enjoy and photograph species like Walrus, Reindeer, Arctic Fox and of course, Polar Bear.
Programmes may vary depending on local ice and weather conditions and in order to take advantage of opportunities to see wildlife. You should go ashore once or twice each day by zodiac, shore excursions usually lasting two or three hours. Flexibility is paramount for expedition cruises.
Your itinerary may be as follows: Heading north along the coast, cruise by zodiac infront of sculpted glaciers, with large numbers of kittiwakes and Guillemots nesting on the nearby cliffs. Sail to Ny Alesund, the world's most northerly settlement. On Amsterdam visit the remains of a Dutch whaling station. Continue around the north-west coast of Spitsbergen. Visit the Little Auk colony of Fuglesangen and sail past the 80th parallel to Moffen Island where Walrus are often seen.
Depending weather conditions you may sail to the mouth of Liefdefjorden. Enjoy a walk on the tundra island of And where many Common Eiders and Pink-footed Geese nest here and the rarer King Eider may also be seen. The waters of the Monaco Glacier are a favourite feeding spot for thousands of Kittiwakes. Polar Bears have also been seen on the glacier, providing wonderful photographic opportunities. Ice-clad Nordaustlandet is a good place for seeing Bearded, and Ringed Seals, Polar Bears and Ivory Gulls. Journeying westwards you may visit Raudfjord, a beautiful fjord dominated by spectacular glaciers and favoured by Ringed, and Bearded Seals.
The cliffs and shoreline of the fjord also support thriving seabird colonies and surprisingly rich vegetation. On the island of Ytre Norsk visit a 17th century Dutch whaling site. The island's birdlife is prolific, with colonies of Little Auks, Black Guillemots, Brunnich's Guillemots, Atlantic Puffins and Arctic Skuas accessible to visitors. At Alkhornet, seabirds, Arctic Foxes and Reindeer are also on the agenda.
Some voyages return to Keflavik or Tromso, where you disembark and fly home.
If this example is not exactly what you are looking for please Request a Personal Quotation or contact us and we can discuss ways of tailor-making the perfect holiday for you.
