Circumnavigating Svalbard The Ultimate Expedition

After an early breakfast, you’ll fly to Longyearbyen. A short panoramic bus tour offers a first glimpse of the town and its surroundings before lunch. Afterwards, enjoy some free time in Longyearbyen before being transferred to the ship for boarding. 

This former coal-mining settlement is small and easy to explore on foot. Wander along the main street, lined with boutique shops, an art gallery, and inviting restaurants. You might even spot a Svalbard reindeer wandering by.

If you’d like to experience even more of Longyearbyen’s unique surroundings, consider joining our voyage with an extended stay in Longyearbyen.

Experience pristine Arctic wilderness

Over the next two days, we’ll explore the natural beauty and rugged tundra of this breathtaking national park where steep mountains, glaciers and beautiful offshore islands form a unique Arctic landscape. 

We’ll scout for some of the animals of the Arctic – seals, walruses and reindeer. Early in the season, there’s a good chance we may spot polar bears too, so we’ll always be on the lookout for these iconic but elusive predators. 

Be ready for adventure. We’ll seize any opportunity to launch our kayaks or set out in our small boats (RIB) to go ashore and hike or participate in a beach cleanup.

Experience the opportunity of sailing to the edge of the polar ice cap 

If conditions allow, we’ll sail north and cross the 80th parallel to explore the ever-changing ice edge. The transition zone between the ice cap and the sea is a magical yet ephemeral place where the waters are filled with ice floes and drifting pack ice. From the ship, there are great opportunities for spotting wildlife, such as seals and walruses who lounge on the sparkling ice. And if the conditions are right, we’ll lower our expedition boats into the water and enjoy an unforgettable close-up experience amid the floating ice.  

The ice edge isn’t a fixed boundary, and it moves depending on the season and conditions, so visiting it will be an attempt rather than a certainty. From May to August, as summer progresses, it retreats further towards the pole, meaning it may be out of reach for us. If so, we’ll explore the no-less-impressive fjords, glaciers and incredible scenery of the Svalbard coast.   

Wildflowers start blooming in July and into August, this is a time when the wildflowers appear, blanketing the landscape with a blaze of beauty and color.  

Scouting for polar bears, seabirds and walruses 

Over these three days, we attempt to venture far into eastern Svalbard. Be ready for anything. This might include Sjuøyane (Seven Islands), Svalbard’s northernmost point, where moss-covered granite peaks are home to thousands of breeding seabirds and walrus haul out on rocky shores. Or Zodiac landings in the ice-capped wilderness of Nordaustlandet, where reindeer and Arctic foxes roam the barren tundra. Or Kvitøya, one of the archipelago’s most remote islands: a polar bear stronghold with a haunting history of early polar exploration. These are places few ever see, let alone set foot on. 

Majestic glaciers, birds and pioneer history 

Your expedition cruise continues south towards Hornsund – one of Svalbard’s most beautiful fjords. Colourful vegetation makes way for towering mountains along this picturesque waterway. The cliffs here are home to large colonies of auks, guillemots and Northern Fulmars along with Arctic foxes and Svalbard reindeer below. Head out on deck to spot seals and whales, Mount Hornsundtind, and glaciers reaching into the sea, and learn about Wanny Woldstad, the first female trapper to hunt in Svalbard. 

Then we head to admire the classic beauty of the snowcapped mountains of Bellsund – a historic area where you can see the evidence of former whaling and mining activity on the shoreline. 

Our activities today will be determined by the ever-changing weather conditions of Hornsund and Bellsund. Your Expedition Team will decide on the best possibilities for exploring on the day.