Svalbard with Lofoten & Bear Island

Arrive in Bodø and board the MS Quest. Once you settle into your comfortable cabins, be welcomed by the guides and crew and familiarize yourself with the expedition ship. Then begin the sea voyage towards the dramatic Lofoten Islands.

After breakfast take your first zodiac trip around the spectacular island Vedøya with its tens of thousands of nesting sea birds, also often frequented by eagles. Sail along the southern side of Lofoten, a vast collection of rocky islands rising from the sea, towards Reine. Overlooking Kirkefjord, this charming fishing village has been voted as Norway's most beautiful place.

Today's journey begins in Nusfjord, one of the most preserved and picturesque fishing communities in the area, which is included on UNESCO’s World Heritage list of unique wooden structures. Go ashore and explore the local shops and cod fisheries on this historic village. Then continue to cruise along the Lofoten wall and arrive at the stunning Trollfjorden. In the afternoon, head out to sea and head towards Bear Island. On the way, travel through a well-known whale watching area.

Your sea journey to further northern latitudes continues. Interesting lectures provided on board introduce you to the fascinating history and rich wildlife of the Arctic.

Board a Zodiac and explore this fascinating rocky island in the middle of the Barents Sea. Explore one of the largest seabird colonies of the North Atlantic which is situated on vertical 400-meter cliffs. Tens of thousands of guillemots nest here, as well as puffins, razorbills, kittiwakes and glaucous gulls. Continue your journey into the Arctic waters to Svalbard, a vast, glaciated archipelago dominated by wild, pointed mountain ranges.

It is early in the season so the route will naturally depend on the weather and ice conditions. These are examples of places you might visit:

Edgeøya
The plan is to explore the island of Edgeøya. There are remnants here of the first Pomors who came to the area in the 1600s. These Russian trappers came here to hunt polar bears, seals and reindeer. Later, Edgeøya became the most important hunting ground of the Norwegian trappers, who came here solely to hunt polar bears. Edgeøya offers a landscape of Arctic tundra, where have good chances to see walrus, Arctic fox and Svalbard reindeer.

Storfjorden
During this time of the year there is often ice in the vast Storfjorden between the islands of Edgeøya and Spitsbergen. Your crew will try to get as far north as possible along Spitsbergen’s east coast. Certainly keep your eyes open for polar bears.

Isbukta & Vasil’evbreen
In the southern part of Spitsbergen lies Isbukta. In this spectacular bay head out in Zodiacs to enjoy the stunning views of the snow covered mountain peaks and the front of the impressive glacier Vasil’evbreen. The bay is also a popular spot for Sabine’s gulls, Arctic skuas and bearded seals. And where there are seals, there is also a good chance of spotting bear.

Hornsund
Hornsund consists of several magnificent fjords along the west coast of Spitsbergen, where enormous glaciers let go of shimmering blue ice floes. On the southern side of the fjord pass one of the highest mountains in Svalbard, Hornsundstinden. This is one of the favorite haunts for some of Svalbard’s many polar bears.

Bellsund
At the beautiful Vårsolbukta in Bellsund little auks nest by the tens of thousands. Go ashore and walk across the tundra to take a closer look at the mountain, where barnacle geese and Brünnich’s guillemots nest.

Isfjorden
At the entrance of Isfjorden is the giant cliff Alkhornet, several hundred meters high. Go ashore to enjoy the beautiful tundra and its birdlife with barnacle geese, Brünnich’s guillemots, glaucous gulls, snow buntings and tens of thousands of kittiwakes. Some Arctic foxes live in the rock crevices around the mountain and with some luck you might see these lovely little animals scurrying around, frantically looking for food.

Arrive to Longyearbyen early in the morning and begin your journey home.