Day 1 Longyearbyen, Norway | Embark
Embark Silver Cloud for your exciting 10-day Silversea Expedition — Expedition Svalbard. Be introduced to your Expedition Team and attend a Zodiac briefing as well as an Arctic regulations course that outlines the environmental policies you must adhere to in order to enjoy the privilege of visiting this pristine region at the top of the world. Tonight familiarize yourself with the elegant Silver Cloud, meet some of your fellow travelers, and enjoy the first of many memorable meals in one of the restaurants.
Day 2-8 Explore Northern and Southern Svalbard
- Ship
- 7 Breakfasts, 7 Lunches, 7 Dinners
Silver Cloud will be cruising in the Northwest Spitsbergen National Park, an area rich in natural variety and cultural history. This area is influenced by the relatively warm West Spitsbergen Current and is mostly ice-free. Conditions permitting, you might head out in the Zodiacs for cruises within the park and for landings to see wildlife and historical sites.
In the southern region of Svalbard, you will enter fjords, searching the ice and the shores for seabirds, walruses, seals, and polar bears. Shore walks and Zodiac landings will bring you up close to these mystical wintry settings. The Expedition Leader and Captain will determine Silver Cloud’s best course, depending on changing weather, ice conditions and the wildlife you encounter.
Day 9 Bear Island (Bjørnøya)
- Ship
- 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
As the ship gets near the southern tip of this Arctic island, now a nature reserve, see thousands of seabirds diving into and out of the island’s steep cliffs. With the Zodiacs and favorable weather conditions, explore the rugged coastline. Close to 9 kilometers of cliffs are home to some of the largest bird colonies of the Northern Hemisphere. Common guillemots, Brünnich’s guillemots, black-legged kittiwakes, northern fulmars, and glaucous gulls are all found along the cliff. Other species have been observed, including Atlantic puffins and northern gannets.
Day 10 Skarsvag | Gjesvarstappan Islands
- Ship
- 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
For those who like to travel far (very far) off the beaten track, then you have found your Nordic nirvana in Skarsvag. Large, sparsely populated (there are just 60 human year round residents), and a joy to all those who revel in stark, unbridled beauty, Skarsvag also enjoys the auspicious title of being the world’s most northerly fishing village. But rolling hills, prolific birdlife and arctic fjords aside, Skarsvag is above all famous for its proximity to the North Cape. Found on the island of Magerøya, the most northernmost point of Europe above the arctic circle is a bucket list basic. Stand beneath the massive metal globe and gaze out onto the Barents Sea, where the only land between you and the North Pole is the Svalbard archipelago.
Almost a hundred islands and rocks make up the Gjesvӕrstappan Nature Reserve, one of Europe’s largest and most accessible nesting areas for Atlantic seabirds. Less than 10 nautical miles from Nordkapp more than one million nesting birds have been counted on Storstappen, the largest of the islands, and the minor islands next to it. One of the most significant Atlantic Puffin colonies in North Norway is found in this nature reserve. Zodiacs are the best way to look for the Atlantic Puffins, Razorbills, Black and Common Guillemots, Northern Gannets, White-tailed Eagles, and Arctic Skuas, Common Eider Ducks, Common Shags and Great Cormorants as well as various other species.
Day 11 Tromsø | Disembark
After breakfast, disembark Silver Cloud.