Start your North Spitsbergen cruise with a trek around historic Longyearbyen, then join our expedition to the north of the island to take in the fantastically beautiful landscapes, the thousands of seabirds, and of course the star of the show, the polar bear.
Depending on your departure date, your voyage can start in Oslo or Longyearbyen.
You touch down in Longyearbyen, the administrative center of Spitsbergen, the largest island of the Svalbard archipelago. Enjoy strolling around this former mining town, whose parish church and Svalbard Museum make for fascinating attractions. Though the countryside appears stark, more than a hundred species of plant have been recorded in it. In the early evening the ship sails out of Isfjorden, where you might spot the first minke whale of your voyage.
Sailing to Raudfjorden, on the north coast of Spitsbergen, you take in an expansive fjord spilling with glaciers – and maybe even visited by ringed and bearded seals. The cliffs and shoreline of this fjord also support thriving seabird colonies, rich vegetation, and the possibility of polar bears.
Depending on the weather, you could sail into Liefdefjorden and cruise within sight of the 5-kilometer-long (3.1 miles) face of the precipitous Monaco Glacier. The waters in front of this glacier are a favorite feeding spot for thousands of kittiwakes, and the base of the ice is a popular polar bear hunting ground. If ice conditions prevent sailing here early in the season, an alternate route along the west coast of Spitsbergen can be implemented.
Today you sail into Hinlopen Strait, home to bearded seals, ringed seals, and polar bears. At the entrance there is even the possibility to spot blue whales. After cruising among the ice floes of Lomfjordshalvøya in the Zodiacs, you can view the bird cliffs of Alkefjellet with their thousands of Brünnich’s guillemots. On the east side of Hinlopen Strait, you may attempt a landing on Nordaustlandet. Here reindeer, pink-footed geese, and walruses are likely sights. You can take an alternate route if ice prevents entry into Hinlopen.
The northernmost point of your voyage may be north of Nordaustlandet, in the Seven Islands. Here you reach 80° north, just 870 km (540 miles) from the geographic North Pole. Polar bears inhabit this region, so the ship may park for several hours among the pack ice before wheeling around west again.
While retracing your route west, keep watch for polar bears and elusive Greenland (bowhead) whales. About 40 nautical miles west of Spitsbergen, you sail the edge of the continental shelf. Here fin whales forage during the summer in the upwelling zones (where cold, nutrient-rich water wells up from below the sea’s surface) that run along the Spitsbergen banks. At the mouth of Kongsfjorden, you have a good chance of sighting minke whales.
Walruses sometimes haul out in Forlandsundet, your next stop. Alternatively, you might sail into St. Johns Fjord or south to the mouth of Isfjorden, landing at Alkhornet. Seabirds nest on these cliffs, Arctic foxes search below for fallen eggs and chicks, and reindeer graze the sparse vegetation. You arrive in Longyearbyen later at night
Every adventure, no matter how grand, must eventually come to an end. You disembark in Longyearbyen, taking home memories that will accompany you wherever your next adventure lies.
Depending on your departure date, your voyage may end in Oslo.
The Arctic trip turned out exactly as it said on the tin. Well done Ice Tracks Team. That old saying: ‘it is better to travel than to arrive’ certainly didn’t apply to my trip. Angie has a way of always being in the right place at the right time to help.
I was so impressed with the crew’s attention to safety and particularly with the handling of the Zodiacs.
June 27, 2018
Just returned from my second trip with Ice Tracks this time to the Arctic and the Svalbard archipelago and once again it was a wonderful journey. Again, I was most impressed with the personal involvement of both Angie and Caro and their friendly, professional approach and the way in which they strive and ensure that all their charges are looked after in detail. Ice Tracks association with One Ocean is also noteworthy. The staff and crew aboard the Akademik Sergei Vavilov were very professional in all their undertakings and their ethical commitment to the environment and polar wildlife is inspiring. The itinerary was flexible and optimised opportunities for the best possible experiences. Ice Tracks continues to provide unique encounters with the most beautiful and extraordinary places. I have much pleasure in highly recommending Ice Tracks to anyone seeking a special journey, very well planned and organized in a friendly and convivial atmosphere that will remain incomparable lifetime experiences.
May 13, 2014
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