Reindeer at Alkhornet When it comes to wildlife, the Arctic has its own Big Five: Polar Bear, Walrus, Whale, Fox, and Seals. I’m pleased to report that we saw them all.
**Our first sighting of Svalbardic wildlife (not part of the Big Five) came in the form of three reindeer who watched us carefully as the enjoyed their mid-morning snack of moss and late-season flowers. We stood (almost) silently as a group – the clicks of our cameras disrupted the peaceful surroundings but little else did.
**Our second sighting: WHALES. And not just any whales: Fin whales! We had been told upon the beginning of our cruise that 2016 unfortunately hadn’t been a good season for whales. The temperatures of both air and water was off and, as a result, so were whale migrations. So, imagine our sheer delight when three fin whales, the largest in the ocean only after the blue whale, began spouting around our ship. One of our guides later told us that Fin Whales are uncommon in Svalbard. One of them had worked in the area for four years, and had only seen them once before.
**Our third sighting: Walrus. First, imagine 4,000 pounds of tusked blubber. Now imagine hundreds of them piled together. Our first sighting at Kapp Lee was that of a herd of about 7 individuals. Our second was closer to 200. After that, I lost track of my Walri count.
**Our fourth sighting: Seal. Spotted by our guide Dima as we zodiaced around Burgerbutka, the bearded seal dove beneath the ice and surfaced just shy of each zodiac - giving each of us a private show in turn.
**Our fifth sighting: Polar Bear. Not a single polar bear – EIGHT polar bears. Though none of them were close to the ship and all of them were best observed through binoculars, we saw eight. And that’s exciting.
**Our sixth sighting: Fox. Normally the hardest of the Big Five to spot due to their natural camouflage and quick movements, the two foxes we saw scouting the edge of Alkhornet had just begun to transition from their summer browns to winter whites. As such, they stood out against the green canvass of landscape quite nicely.
I'm not normally a person who goes nuts over wildlife, unless they have flukes and blowholes and make me feel impeccably small. Maybe it's because polar bears aren't common or because walrus are... well... walrus, but I loved every moment of wildlife-watching in Svalbard.
The holiday of a lifetime. The company is Alaksa-owned and thhat makes a big difference to the experineces you get i.e. meet genuine First Nations tribes people. The amount of wildlife was beyond my expectation, and seeing everything on sucha small, intimate boat made it even more spoecial and unique.
Liz O
1 day ago
Adventure Life covered all the details in planning our trip to Ireland. Any questions we had were answered immediately. Any trip glitches, which always happen when traveling, were resolved immediately. There were no worries, just fun!
Kathleen Weller
1 day ago
It was an outstanding, up-close, educational vacation of nature, culture, history, animals and geology! It was everything they promised! Binoculars were plentiful on the boat, but I'm glad I brought my own. Food was excellent. Rooms had black-out shades. Pack/wear multiple layers of clothing (I carried a small backpack when off the ship). Crew were delightful and very accommodating! Remember to jump FEET FIRST first when taking the optional polar plunge! Spend as much time outdoors as you are able and ENJOY!!!
Janet Dutton
6 days ago
Excellent travel advice and service
This is my second experience working with Adventure Life. I’m sold. Jess Heuermann is an experienced traveler and provides a lot of useful information when planning a trip. These are the questions I like to ask at the outset - What’s it like to go here, there, what would you suggest, what do people report, can we add any additional side trips? Jess took the time to answer my questions and seek additional information to share with me. Petchie Colina is outstanding in helping with travel logistics and final preparations. Adventure Life has excellent guides and offers private guides and small group adventures. We enjoyed the opportunity to talk with the guides and drivers to learn more about their countries, cultures and histories. A highlight was having the guides pick local restaurants where we could share meals together. Highly recommend.
Claire Cordon
1 week ago
Our six-day tour in Iceland went smoothly with one exception. We had asked for two rooms each night. Somehow we were booked with one room with three beds. It could not be fixed at the first hotel in Reykjavik because the hotel was fully booked. Once informed of the problem, however, Adventure Life rebooked for two rooms for the remainder of the trip. As an 85-year-old traveler, I appreciated that one could participate at different physical levels at many of the stops. Iceland is a great place to visit but on the expensive side.