Circu
Circu
From the lush green mosses and bustling bird cliffs of Iceland to the stark, sublime volcanic beauty of Jan Mayen and following the ice edge to the Arctic wonderland of Svalbard, you will delight in the breathtaking contrasts as you sail across the Arctic Circle to the High Arctic attempting to reach N80˚ latitude. From the comfort of our state-of-the art vessel, we keep a close watch for tail flukes as whales prepare to dive or a pronounced blow as they surface for breath, and our binoculars are constantly focused on the pack ice looking for the majestic polar bears. Zodiac excursions reveal glacier-filled fjords and walruses hauled out on ice floes. Stretch your legs on guided hike across arctic tundra or enjoy a guided kayak along towering bird cliffs if you have signed up our kayak program.
• In Iceland, experience one of the planet’s youngest countries and marvel at its spectacular volcanic landscape.
• Cross the Arctic Circle from Iceland to Jan Mayen Island as we head to magical Svalbard situated in the High Arctic.
• Be one of few people to attempt to land on remote Jan Mayen Island, home to Mount Beerenberg, the northernmost active volcano in the world.
• Explore Svalbard, where dazzling scenery, mesmerising wildlife and adventure awaits.
• All airport transfers mentioned in the itinerary.
• One night’s hotel accommodation including breakfast, in Reykjavik on Day 1.
• Half-day tour of Reykjavik on Day 2, prior to embarkation.
• Onboard accommodation during voyage, including daily cabin service.
• All meals, snacks, tea and coffee during voyage.
• Beer, house wine and soft drinks with dinner.
• Captain’s Farewell reception including four-course dinner, house cocktails, house beer and wine, non-alcoholic beverages.
• All shore excursions and Zodiac cruises.
• Educational lectures and guiding services provided by Expedition Team.
• Complimentary access to onboard expedition doctor and medical clinic (initial consultation).
• One 3-in-1 waterproof, polar expedition jacket.
• Complimentary use of Muck Boots during the voyage.
• Comprehensive pre-departure information.
• Port surcharges, permits and landing fees.
• Gratuities for ship’s crew and local guides.
• International or domestic flights – unless specified in the itinerary.
• Transfers – unless specified in the itinerary.
• Airport arrival or departure taxes.
• Passport, visa, reciprocity and vaccination fees and charges.
• Travel insurance or emergency evacuation charges.
• Hotel accommodation and meals – unless specified in the itinerary.
• Optional excursions and optional activity surcharges.
• All items of a personal nature, including but not limited to alcoholic beverages and soft drinks (outside of dinner service), laundry services, personal clothing, medical expenses, wi-fi, email or phone charges.
My voyage was great. All of the logistics worked out perfectly, right down to the correct size of allocated wellington boots!
I enjoyed Spitsbergen. The wildlife was like nothing I have ever seen before (polar bear, puffins, reindeer, birdlife). I still get a thrill every time we cruise around in Zodiacs and the glaciers were quite spectacular. Looking back at my photo’s reminds me of how astonishing the scenery is in Spitsbergen. The crew were great, and it was nice to meet up again with some familiar faces on board.
June 23, 2018
My trip in June to Svalbard was one of the high spots of my life. I am a wildlife devotee and green supporter so for years I have had a huge conflict about pursuing the former without transgressing the latter too much. Somehow, this cruise felt right – Ice Tracks and the entire ship’s crew are really conscientious about their environmental impact and told us about it – very reassuring. I loved the zodiac trips out right up to huge glaciers – one of which we saw calving – and onto the land where we trekked and got a real sense of the presence of polar bears – their tracks and where they’s scrambled out of the water onto the snow. We saw all 3 land mammals of the Arctic – wonderful birds including King Eiders – a bird high up on all birders’ ‘must see’ list, and whales including a Beluga with two calves, swimming so close to us!
I was travelling on my own – but everyone was very sociable and I was never on my own for long. The on board staff were always kind, helpful and hugely knowledgeable. A brilliant trip.
June 20, 2018
