Svalbard Wildlife Expedition

Explore the Svalbard archipelago in exclusive company aboard one of the smaller vessels that regularly cruises these wildlife-rich waters and frozen islands.

Travelling to the Arctic is an adventure however you choose to do it, but aboard the 44-metre M/S Sjøveien and with just 12 passengers in total, our small vessel expedition adds a greater sense of intimacy and uniqueness to the experience.

The exact itinerary is dictated by the weather and ice conditions, but wherever we go, we'll aim to undertake Zodiac landings and excursions every day. Our main goal is to find the iconic wildlife for which this polar region is world-renowned.

Like all Svalbard trips, our voyage starts in its biggest town, Longyearbyen, from where we set off down Isfjorden and then north to Prins Karls Forland. We should see our first walrus colonies here, as well as abundant breeding seabirds and harbour seals.

Sailing in a clockwise direction we investigate Kongsfjorden and make landfall at Ny Ålesund, a small town originally founded to service a nascent mining operation, now entirely given over to scientific research and said to be the most northerly civilian settlement in the world. Amundsen set off from here in what’s considered the first successful attempt to reach the North Pole. There’s a good chance of seeing Arctic foxes hunting among the houses and reindeer grazing on the surrounding tundra here.

If possible, we carry on right around the top of Svalbard and even push on into the southern edge of the pack ice, where the chances of encounters with polar bears are high. On the east side, we enter inlets such as Liefdefjorden and cruise along the face of the Monaco Glacier in search of nesting pink-footed geese and rare king eiders.

Another likely destination is Hornsund, in the south-west, an area of spectacular glaciers and Svalbard’s highest peak, Hornsundtind. This is another area where we have a good chance of seeing polar bears, as well as bearded seals hauled out on the sea ice. But travelling in a relatively small boat, we can adopt a flexible approach to where we go, always responding to what will yield the best results.

We're also offering a photographic departure of this itinerary led by Bret Charman.

Itinerary

Day 1: Arrive Longyearbyen, stay overnight in a hotel. Day 2: Board our exclusively chartered vessel for a 7-night expedition.

Days 3-8: Over the coming days we explore icy Arctic waters, witness spectacular glaciers, & navigate numerous magnificent fjords. We search for wildlife such as polar bear, Arctic fox, Svalbard reindeer, walrus, & several species of seal, as well as various cetaceans & numerous seabirds.

Day 9: Our expedition comes to an end, & we disembark in Longyearbyen.

9 days, from £7,745 (voyage only)

Departure date: 24 May 2024 Embark/Disembark: Longyearbyen (on Svalbard)/ Longyearbyen

Vessel: A former training vessel built in 1964, Sjøveien was completely renovated for luxury cruising in 2017 & boasts eight roomy cabins (for 12 guests), spacious dining areas & a hot tub.

Tour Leader: Helen Bryon

Why book Svalbard Wildlife Expedition?

For an Arctic cruise with a difference – you’ll enjoy all the classic Arctic sights and sounds but from a ship less than half the size of a usual expedition craft.

ཀྵ Intimate experiences

ཀྵ Iconic wildlife

ཀྵ Expedition cruising

ཀྵ Beautiful glaciers

Wildlife Highlights

ཀྵ Polar bears

ཀྵ Arctic foxes

ཀྵ Walruses & other pinnipeds

ཀྵ King eiders

ཀྵ Seabirds including Brünnich's guillemot

Activities

Zodiac excursions, island landings, wood-fired hot tub

Whilst polar bears are the big draw, this incredible archipelago provides much more. Set against a backdrop of mountains, cliffs, glaciers, bergs and pack ice, kissed by constant sunlight, lies a wide variety of land, sea and aerial wildlife.

Helen Bryon, Wildlife Travel Consultant & Tour Leader

Svalbard

Monaco Glacier

14th July Glacier

Ny Ålesund

Hornsund

Longyearbyen