Spitsbergen in Depth

Your arctic adventure begins in Helsinki, where you may arrive at any time today. Known for its extraordinary architecture, Helsinki is a great place to spend time, exploring the many museums, galleries and restaurants. Perhaps relax at a Finnish sauna or wander the vibrant Design District before retiring at your included hotel.

This morning, transfer to the airport and board your private charter flight to Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen’s largest settlement, where you’ll have some time to explore before embarkation. As your ship sets sail, enjoy your first view of the island’s rugged, glacier-topped mountains rising majestically from icy waters.

Expect a new adventure every day as we begin our circumnavigation by heading north and around the island of Spitsbergen, exploring smaller, outlying islands. The variety of incredible wildlife and geological formations found here is astounding. We plan to circumnavigate the island of Spitsbergen, but if conditions are favorable, we will also attempt a circumnavigation of the whole Svalbard archipelago. Every expedition will be different, depending on the weather and ice, but we do hope to visit a few of our favorite landing sites, including the 14th of July Glacier, Ny London, Phippsoya, Alkefjellet and the seldom-visited Kvitoya.

The names may seem strange to you, but each has its own unique appeal. For birders, the 14th of July Glacier is home to purple sandpipers, common eiders, barnacle geese and arctic terns, while Alkefjellet is home to nesting Brunnich’s guillemots (thick-billed murres).

If you’re looking for confirmation that reindeer are real, then you’ll want to have your camera ready for visits to sites like Ny London, Sundneset and Alkhornet. As for the largest land carnivore in the world, searching for polar bears is a constant activity for our Expedition Team. Phippsoya and Isbukta are two of the bears’ preferred places for hunting, which translates into great potential for you to capture them in action.

A big part of appreciating Spitsbergen comes from understanding the culture—not just how people live today, but also how this land was first explored. Whaling was a key industry, and you will see old blubber ovens from the 16th century, plus other evidence of whaling at landing sites such as Smeerenburg. Colorful tundra meadows are complemented by glaciers, and sometimes there is a rare chance to spot beluga whales.

POSSIBLE LANDING SITES SVALBARD

ALKEFJELLET
This cliff is a seabird center, where Brunnich’s guillemots (thick-billed murres) raise their young. An estimated 100,000 breeding pairs reside in the basalt cliffs. The birds do not build nests, rather they lay an egg on the bare ledge.
DISKOBUKTA
This bay on the west shore of Edgeoya affords a landing
site with a box canyon where black-legged kittiwakes
raise their young. Arctic foxes have been seen combing the canyon floor to feed on scraps that have fallen from the
nests above. Watch for bones of ancient bowhead whales on the canyon floor, evidence that the shoreline has changed over millennia.
ISBUKTA
On the eastern shore of the southern tip of Svalbard is Ice Bay. Sabine gulls, skuas and bearded seals inhabit the bay. Polar bears are known to patrol the area as well.
ISISPYNTEN
Is an island! Both nautical charts and topographical maps define Isispynten as a point of land, but we’ve proved them wrong. Receding glaciers have turned this point of land into an island.
KAPP LEE
This is a well-known walrus haul-out. The pink color to a walrus’ hide as it lies in the sun is caused by blood pumped to the skin’s surface to aid cooling, similar to that of a hippopotamus in Africa.
KVITOYA
The western part of this island is only 98 km from Victoria Island in Franz Josef Land, which is part of the Russian Arctic. This remote outpost is actually closer to the Russian Arctic than it is to Nordaustlandet (117 km) and is actually located on the same longitude as Cairo, Egypt.
LILLIEHOOK GLACIER
In 1906, His Serene Highness Prince Albert I of Monaco visited Lilliehook Glacier to conduct scientific investigations. His great-great-grandson visited the glacier 100 years later. He, too, was part of a scientific investigation, this time to further our understanding of the arctic clam, a species that lives for more than a century. The growth rings of a single clam’s shell contain evidence of the chemicals encountered by the clam. Scientists can determine the variations of the water’s temperature and pollutant content by studying the shell.
LONGYEARBYEN
Eighteen hundred people inhabit the administrative capital of Svalbard, which is situated on the shore of Isfjorden. The settlement was founded in 1905 by John Munroe Longyear, the majority owner of the Arctic Coal Company of Boston.
MOFFEN ISLAND
This island is designated as a protected sanctuary for walrus.
MONACO GLACIER
HSH Prince Albert I of Monaco, a pioneer of oceanography, led an expedition to Svalbard in 1906. His team used sophisticated photographic techniques to understand the shape and position of several glacier fronts. Monaco Glacier honors the expedition, the prince and the principality over which he reigned.
PHIPPSOYA
This small archipelago is the northernmost land in Svalbard. Englishmen left their mark during a survey of the islands in the 1780s. The party named the islands after themselves, with the smallest and least significant island being named Nelsonoya, after the lowly midshipman.
ROSENBERGDALEN
This is an excellent location to stretch the legs and explore the Arctic on foot. We often head out hiking here in search of reindeer.
SAMARINVAGIN
The Samarin Glacier dominates the landscape that surrounds the bay, where icebergs, kittiwakes and Brunnich’s guillemots (thick-billed murres) may be seen.
VIBEBUKTA
This polar desert may seem barren, but traces of life can be found here, including fossils and whalebones that are 9500 years old. The bones provide nutrients for microenvironments that leach from the ancient bones.
VON OTTEROYA
Otter Island is an excellent location for Zodiac cruising to search for and photograph polar bears and walrus.
WORSLEYNESET
This is a beautiful and colorful tundra-covered island with moss campion (a small wildflower), saxifrage and arctic mouse-eared chickweed. Fun names on an island that is a pleasure to explore.

The following Optional Activities are available to participate in, on some or all of the departures of this itinerary. These must be booked in advance (additional costs apply) and space is limited.

KAYAKING – Our kayaking adventures are the best way to feel at one with the sea. Taken in small groups of maximum 16 people, multiple times per voyage, kayaking adventures are only conducted during calm weather conditions. Kayaking is open to all levels of experience, however kayaking in the polar waters is not suitable for novice kayakers. Beginners interested in kayaking should first take an introductory course prior to the voyage which includes how to do a wet exit. In addition regardless of your experience, we recommend you take part in some kayaking practise prior to the voyage to ensure that you are comfortable on the water in the icy conditions.


INCLUDED OPTIONAL ACTIVITIES offered on some or all departures of this itinerary

HIKING - Hiking is a great way to appreciate the immense windswept landscapes of the Arctic. The tundra comes alive during the brief arctic summer, with bursts of color from shrubs and plants that eke out a living in this polar environment. You’ll find each hike is different - exploring communities, shorelines or glaciated landscapes, often on the lookout for wildlife. Hiking participation is optional and your Expedition Team will advise you of what levels of activity you can expect prior to each excursion.

Your adventure ends back at the frontier-style settlement of Longyearbyen. From here we'll transfer you to the airport for your charter flight to Helsinki.