Svalbard & High Arctic cruise
| country: | Arctic Circle |
| location: | Spitsbergen |
| price: | From £1595 - £3815 (10 days) excluding flights, depending on accommodation chosen (triple room to suite) |
read 2 travellers reviews
the amazing things you'll be doing
The remarkable islands of the Svalbard archipelago are part of Norway, lying far to the north of the Norwegian mainland and high above the Arctic Circle. All up, they total an area of about 62,000 square kilometres, about the same size as Ireland or Tasmania, mostly in the form of three larger islands, plus quite a number of smaller islands and outcrops. These larger islands rise to form a group of wild and rugged mountains, with much of their highland areas being covered in ice and snow.
Our aim on this expedition is to undertake a complete circumnavigation of the major islands of the group, making frequent shore stops to hike or simply enjoy the amazing scenery, and to undertake zodiac cruises, often in close proximity to sea cliffs and massive bird rookeries.
Our exact course will be much dependant on the location and movement of sea ice. The shores and seas along the west coast of Spitzbergen, the largest island, are usually clear of ice for about half of the year, including the time of our visit, as a result of the modifying influences of the (comparatively!) warm North Atlantic current. The fjords along the west and north coasts provide plenty of opportunity for enjoying the wonderful scenery and often-prolific wildlife. In other areas our progress may be just as effortless, but the movement and location of sea ice will be an important factor in determining our exact route and landing locations: one thing is certain, wherever we go we will be rewarded with exciting exploration opportunities.
Our aim on this expedition is to undertake a complete circumnavigation of the major islands of the group, making frequent shore stops to hike or simply enjoy the amazing scenery, and to undertake zodiac cruises, often in close proximity to sea cliffs and massive bird rookeries.
Our exact course will be much dependant on the location and movement of sea ice. The shores and seas along the west coast of Spitzbergen, the largest island, are usually clear of ice for about half of the year, including the time of our visit, as a result of the modifying influences of the (comparatively!) warm North Atlantic current. The fjords along the west and north coasts provide plenty of opportunity for enjoying the wonderful scenery and often-prolific wildlife. In other areas our progress may be just as effortless, but the movement and location of sea ice will be an important factor in determining our exact route and landing locations: one thing is certain, wherever we go we will be rewarded with exciting exploration opportunities.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Longyearbyen. You fly into Longyearbyen, the main settlement of Spitzbergen, and will be met at the airport by your Expedition Leader and staff members. In the afternoon, you should have some time to visit the museumsand investigate the shops before boarding our ship, the Akademik Sergey Vavilov. Once on board, we'll get together for introductions to the expedition team, learn a bit about the ship and its layout, talk about our itinerary, and participate in the obligatory lifeboat drill. We'll set sail from Longyearbyen around 6pm, heading north from Adventfjorden – the first of ourfjords - into Isfjorden. During the night the Akademik Sergey Vavilov will pass the long island of Prins Karls Forland and then turn east into Kongsfjorden inthe early hours. |
| Day 2-9: | Exploring Svalbard. Possible excursions may include - Anchor in 14th of July Glacier Bay to hike amoung the wildflowers. Visit Ny Alesund, one of the most northernmost communities in the world. Learn the history of the Dutch whalers of Smeerenburg. Reach within 600 miles of the North Pole and visit Moffen Island, a protected walrus sanctuary. Land in the polar desert of Sparreneset and search for polar bear on the ice-doomed island of Kvitoya. Head south to Hornsund and search for Belugas in Bourbonhamna. |
| Day 10: | Arrive in Longyearbyen where your voyage ends. |
travellers' tales
The most memorable part was seeing the polar bears on the beach at Phippsoya (29 of them) and getting up close to walruses in the Zodiac boats. We also saw fin whales and beluga whales and reindeer really close. (more)
highly commended
This tourism business was Highly Commended in our 2007 Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards - the largest awards of their kind in the world, and organised by responsibletravel.com in association with The Times, World Travel Market and Geographical Magazine, of the Royal Geographical Society.Since 2004, the Awards has recognised individuals, companies and organisations in travel making a big commitment to the culture and economies of local communities and helping to conserve biodiversity.
how this holiday makes a difference
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The operator is a full member of the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators (IAATO) and, as such, abides by some of the tourism world's most conscientious codes of conduct. The same stringent codes of conduct are applied to operations in the High Arctic, as well as Antarctica. A large part of that responsibility to minimise environmental impact and raise awareness involves educating their passengers on ways to minimise their personal impact, while still fully enjoying the wonders of the High Arctic This begins with the pre-departure information that includes a 'Guidelines for Low Impact Travel' booklet, as well as a comprehensive briefing document. On board there is a comprehensive educational programme that informs passengers about environmental issues affecting the Arctic, such as how to minimise personal impact on the environment to information on approaching wildlife and caring for fragile landscapes.
They are also involved in a number of environmental initiatives in the Arctic, including partnering Birds Australia and supporting a range of scientific research endeavours. They visit a number of remote Inuit communities on their voyages, delivering much-needed supplies and, of course, making an economic contribution to the local community. They also support 'Icebreakers', an exchange program for schoolchildren in the high Arctic. Their ships are widely regarded as the best expedition cruise ships operating in polar waters. They are the newest in the business and as such, have state-of-the-art waste management systems and run cleaner and more efficiently than older vessels. They believe that by taking passengers to the High Arctic, allowing them to experience its wonder and educating and informing them on the local and global issues affecting the polar regions, they are helping to create ambassadors for protecting the fragile polar wilderness. BirdLife's ‘Save the Albatross Campaign’ is trying to stop the needless slaughter of these magnificent birds by ensuring that relevant international agreements are implemented that will benefit both the birds and the legal fishing industry. Click here to find out about the problems, the solutions, BirdLife's campaign, how you can help and how you can sign the new online ‘Save the Albatross’ petition, being organised by Forest and Bird, BirdLife's New Zealand partner. You can also view photographs of the threatened species. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |