Arctic Circle cruise, Spitsbergen
| country: | Arctic Circle, Norway |
| location: | Spitsbergen |
| departures: | 2009: 14 Jun, 24 Jun, 14 Jul, 13 Aug |
| price: | From £3353 - £3798 (12 days) including flights from the UK. From £2720 excluding flights. Price includes comfortable accommodation, full board on ship, breakfast in hotel. Minimum age 7 |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
the amazing things you'll be doing
With a constant backdrop of icebergs, glaciers and immense sea cliffs, and with the prospect of encountering the magnificent polar bear, this is an extraordinary expedition.
Sail to 80 degrees north, well beyond the Arctic circle, around the island of Spitzbergen, where snow-draped mountains rise high above the pack ice. This is the dramatic setting for many landings onshore. From the ship or on land, it is the wildlife that make many people return year after year: huge 200,000 strong colonies of little auk thronging the cliffs and shores, kittiwakes next to the Monaco Glacier, walrus wallowing in the shallows, arctic foxes, whales and, of course, one of the ultimate wildlife sightings, the mighty polar bear, frequently seen hunting in its icy backyard on ice floes.
With 24 hour daylight, the time is maximised amid this breathtaking glacial scenery, whether by the state-of-the-art Russian ship, Zodiacs or on foot. These expeditions are on the Vavilov, probably the best equipped and best staffed ship in the Arctic.
Sail to 80 degrees north, well beyond the Arctic circle, around the island of Spitzbergen, where snow-draped mountains rise high above the pack ice. This is the dramatic setting for many landings onshore. From the ship or on land, it is the wildlife that make many people return year after year: huge 200,000 strong colonies of little auk thronging the cliffs and shores, kittiwakes next to the Monaco Glacier, walrus wallowing in the shallows, arctic foxes, whales and, of course, one of the ultimate wildlife sightings, the mighty polar bear, frequently seen hunting in its icy backyard on ice floes.
With 24 hour daylight, the time is maximised amid this breathtaking glacial scenery, whether by the state-of-the-art Russian ship, Zodiacs or on foot. These expeditions are on the Vavilov, probably the best equipped and best staffed ship in the Arctic.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Fly to Longyearbyen, night in hotel. |
| Day 2: | Board ship and begin exploration. |
| Day 3-11: | Exploring the Spitzbergen Archipelago. |
| Day 12: | Disembark in Longyearbyen, afternoon flight to London. |
how this holiday makes a difference
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We take extremely seriously our responsibility to minimise our impact on these pristine areas. Our ship operators are Full Members of the Association of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators (AECO) and have agreed to abide by one of the world's most conscientious codes of conduct for tourism.
During the last Arctic season we started a pilot project, which raised awareness and funds to better understand how polar bears are being effected by the warming climate and loss of habitat (sea ice). The project was incredibly successful and our passengers purchased several satellite tracking collars to follow the bears movements. We also participate in the “Clean up Svalbard” project which resulted in several thousand tons of rubbish being removed from the shores of the archipelago. This interactive program has achieved a positive result that has made a tangible difference to the environment. We have at our offices worked to reduce our carbon footprint through a reduction of energy use and energy conservation measures. We also actively reduce the waste produced by having active reduction and recycling policies in place. We run annual staff workshops on Responsible Tourism. Global warming is a reality and to help you make a difference by reducing the carbon dioxide that is produced when you travel we offer a chance to carbon balance your flights. We encourage all our clients to do this and do so for all our staff travel. Go on do your bit! |
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. |