Svalbard & NE Greenland National Park

Welcome to Longyearbyen, the administrative
center of Svalbard and starting point of our Arctic
expedition. At the Longyearbyen airport, you will be
greeted by our staff and transferred to a quality
hotel, which has been arranged by us and is
included in the price of the program. Since guests
will be arriving on various flights during the day,
we ask you to stop by our Poseidon Welcome Desk
at the hotel where you will receive some
preliminary information and suggestions for dining
(on your own today).
Depending on your flight’s arrival, you may have time to visit some of the town’s cafes, restaurants, shops
and post office. If you notice that daytime has stretched well into the evening, get used to it! The sun
won’t set for the entire duration our time in Svalbard!

In the afternoon, we welcome you aboard the expedition ship Sea Spirit; transfers from the hotel
are included. Explore the ship and get comfortable in your home-away-from-home for the extraordinary
adventure to come. The long days of summer sunlight illuminate our surroundings as we slip our
moorings and sail into a true polar wilderness where wildlife abounds. The scenery as we sail
through Isfjorden on our first evening is spectacular and there is already the possibility of
marine mammal sightings.

Svalbard is a true High Arctic wilderness and flexibility will be the key in our ability to maximize
your experiences. Our route and exploration opportunities here are heavily dependent on the
weather and sea ice conditions we encounter. Our experienced captain and expedition leader decide
the itinerary and continually adjust plans as conditions and opportunities warrant. You can be
sure that the best possible advantage will be taken of the circumstances presented to us by Nature in
this wild and remote corner of the Arctic. We anticipate exploring in the northwestern part of the island of Spitsbergen. This area contains the archipelago’s most impressive scenery and some of the Arctic’s best wildlife viewing. We will try to reach the entrance of the Hinlopen Strait and see the beautiful fjords.
Jagged snowy mountain peaks flank deep fjords and narrow channels. Immense tidewater glaciers calve icebergs into turquoise waters. Fields of flowering tundra are home to grazing reindeer and playful Arctic fox. Bountiful inshore and offshore waters are home to a wide variety of marine mammals. Polar bears can be spotted anytime, anywhere in and around Svalbard.
Also in this area is Ny Ålesund, a former mining town that is now home to an international community of Arctic researchers, complete with museum, gift shop, and post office. This was also a staging area for
historic attempts to discover the North Pole. 

From Svalbard we head southwest across the Greenland Sea toward East Greenland. In these far
northern latitudes, it is possible to encounter sea ice any time of the year. All along the way, we
remain vigilant for sightings of marine mammals such as seals, and the majestic polar bear. In
previous eras, a large number of different species of whales, especially bowhead whales, lived in the
Greenland Sea. But due to hunting which lasted into the 20th centur, the whales were on the verge
of extinction. Now, fortunately, the populations are recovering, and sometimes we can see these majestic animals passing by.

This is expedition cruising at its most authentic and it brings us new opportunities to explore. We will
go on a true arctic adventure and feel the real breath of the Arctic. Our itinerary and exploration
opportunities in East Greenland are dependent on weather and sea ice conditions. Again, you can be
sure that our experienced captain and expedition leader will take advantage of every opportunity so
that you can experience excellent wildlife viewing, discover incredible scenery and go ashore wherever
possible. The Franz Josef Fjord and Kong Oscar Fjord systems are part of Northeast Greenland National Park, the world’s largest and perhaps most remote. This whole area contains some of the Arctic’s most magnificent scenery. Deep fjords and narrow channels, flanked by ice-clad peaks up to 2000 meters high, reach far into the mountainous heart of Greenland. Tidewater glaciers create colossal icebergs that float with wind and tide throughout the fjord system. On shore, fields of multicolored tundra are home to musk oxen and Arctic hare. The landscape — vast, open, and seemingly untouched since the beginning of time—is a hiker’s paradise. Throughout this
area, we also find ancient Thule archeological sites, historical trappers’ huts, and modern Inuit hunters’
cabins. To provide you with the best experience possible, Days 3-5 and 8-11 might be reversed. This allows our captain and expedition team to monitor the weather and sea conditions; remember: flexibility is the key to polar expedition cruising!

Following our exploration of the Northeast Greenland coastline and fjords, we head back
across the Greenland Sea toward Svalbard.
Presentations and workshops by our expert staff ensure that these days at sea are not idly spent; but
that’s up to you! Seabird viewing and whale sightings can be enjoyed from panoramic open
decks as well as exterior stateroom windows and balconies.

After you enjoy one final buffet breakfast on board, we bid you farewell in Longyearbyen. We provide
transfers to the airport or to the town center in case you plan to stay longer in Svalbard. By this
time, you may already be making plans for your next amazing trip with us into the polar world!