This 8-day tour takes you on a cruise around the north of Spitsbergen Island, largest of the Svalbard Archipelago. We'll enjoy beautiful polar landscapes whilst sailing through iceberg filled fjords. The specially converted expedition vessel allows us to get close up and personal to the abundance of interesting and colourful flora & fauna of the Arctic.
This Arctic expedition starts in Longyearbyen on the remote Norwegian island of Spitsbergen with a short tour of this interesting mining town. Boarding either the m/v Plancius or the m/v Ortelius we cruise north along the west coast of the island stopping first at Raudfjord a beautiful fjord dominated by spectacular glaciers and favoured by ringed and bearded seals. Continuing north into the mouth of Liefdefjorden, there is the possibility to get close to the 5km long Monaco glacier and hopefully catch a glimpse of polar bear. Heading north again we cruise into the Hinlopen Strait, home to Bearded Seals, Ringed Seals, Polar Bears, and Ivory Gulls. Still sailing north we'll reach Phippsøya, our northernmost point at 81 degrees north, just 540 miles from the geographic North Pole. Retracing our route we head back along the west coast of Spitsbergen. We sail into St. Johns Fjord or south to the mouth of Isfjorden and land at Alkhornet. Finally we cruise back into Longyearbyen where the cruise ends.
