Norwegian Arctic Farewell: Spitsbergen

Arrive in Oslo, relax, and spend the overnight in Clarion Hotel & Congress Oslo Airport or similar.

Longyearbyen is the world’s most northerly town and with it comes the world’s most northerly high street and pub. On Spitsbergen, Svalbard’s largest island, Longyearbyen is home to The North Pole Expeditions Museum which chronicles early efforts to reach the pole by air. The nearby Svalbard Global Seed Vault preserves duplicates of seeds held in gene banks worldwide. The surrounding Arctic waters are populated by whales including bowheads and narwhals, while walruses are regularly seen hauling.

Located deep inside the Arctic Circle, approaching the Svalbard archipelago feels a lot like sailing towards the edge of the world. Known as the kingdom of the polar bears, you’ll be hoping to spot some of its subjects as you explore some of the most varied polar landscapes in the Arctic. Down in Zodiac boats, you’ll get close to the gargantuan glaciers, rapidly retreating from the oceans that they feed. In the north of the archipelago, past the magnificent fjords, the remaining sea ice offers the perfect hunting ground for polar bears. Closer to Longyearbyen, the landscape is punctuated with large areas devoid of snow and ice alongside vast tundra and exposed beaches. Alongside Svalbard’s 3,000 polar bears, this Arctic wildlife hotspot is also home to walrus, Svalbard reindeer, ringed seal, the arctic fox and many species of marine mammals and seabirds.

Today, aim to take the ship further north of Svalbard along the sea ice, as close to the edge of the polar ice pack as possible, at about 79° north. Here, among the shifting ice, keep a sharp eye out for polar bears in their natural habitat, while harp seals haul out on the edge. Huge bowhead whales ply these frigid waters and can sometimes be seen breaching, fluking or breaking through the ice. The sight is one that leaves you feeling truly respectful of any life that makes this frozen landscape home.

Hinlopen Strait is a waterway that divides Svalbard’s largest island, Spitsbergen, from its second-largest island, Nordaustlandet. Whilst often congested with ice, this is a scenic place with interesting history and rich wildlife, including polar bears and several species of ducks and geese. The name is probably derived from the director of a Dutch whaling company in the 17th century. Sailing in the Hinlopen Strait, in the heart of the Arctic Ocean promises an unforgettable experience and offers offers breathtaking panoramas.

Located deep inside the Arctic Circle, approaching the Svalbard archipelago feels a lot like sailing towards the edge of the world. Known as the kingdom of the polar bears, you’ll be hoping to spot some of its subjects as you explore some of the most varied polar landscapes in the Arctic. Down in Zodiac boats, you’ll get close to the gargantuan glaciers, rapidly retreating from the oceans that they feed. In the north of the archipelago, past the magnificent fjords, the remaining sea ice offers the perfect hunting ground for polar bears. Closer to Longyearbyen, the landscape is punctuated with large areas devoid of snow and ice alongside vast tundra and exposed beaches. Alongside Svalbard’s 3,000 polar bears, this Arctic wildlife hotspot is also home to walrus, Svalbard reindeer, ringed seal, the arctic fox and many species of marine mammals and seabirds.

The greatest bird cliff in the Barents Sea is on Bear Island, or Bjørnøya, Svalbard’s southernmost island. Thousands of breeding seabirds - Atlantic puffin, northern gannet, glaucous gull, great skua, black-legged kittiwake, little auk, common guillemot and Brünnich’s guillemot colonies nest on the steep cliffs south of Sørhamna around Kapp Kolthoff. Only Zodiacs can come alongside, where distinctive sea stack rock columns, impressive sea caves and tunnels, such as Perleporten, have been created by the battering seas.

With just 60 permanent human residents, Skarsvåg is as stark, remote and naturally beautiful as Norway gets. Just a little further north is the North Cape, the northernmost point of Europe above the Arctic Circle. From here the only thing standing between you and the North Pole 2,100km away is the Svalbard archipelago. Back in Skarsvāg, the island’s famous bird cliffs are home to thousands of puffins, gannets and cormorants. If you have some energy to burn, the hike to the Cape Knivskjellodden, the northernmost point on Magreøya, is worth the effort for the incredible cliff face views of the North Cape Plateau.

Alta, or the city of Arctic light, sits above the Arctic Circle at 70° N. From mid-May to the end of July, as with many places north of here, the midnight sun glows and it never gets dark. Even with long summer days, the temperature rarely reaches above 10° C. Stop by the distinctive Alta Church - or Northern Lights Cathedral - that represents the waving aurora borealis. Nearby, at the head of the Alta Fjord, learn about the thousands of UNESCO-listed prehistoric rock carvings and paintings found here. The coastal town of Hammerfest in Finnmark is the most populated town in the north, known locally for its cuisine. Here, the World Heritage attraction, Struve Geodetic Arc measures the triangulation of the 26° E meridian. North of the Arctic treeline, Hammerfest is also a jumping-off point for adventure activities, climbing and hiking - scale Mount Tyven via the Tyventrappa Sherpa stairway for far-reaching views. Learn about how the town was rebuilt after being burnt to the ground in WWII at the Museum of Reconstruction Museum.

Known as the Arctic gateway, Tromso is a remote Norwegian city at 69° north, 250 miles above the Arctic Circle, where you can take in the soft glow of the midnight sun. Learn more about early polar explorations at the Polar Museum. Famed for the Northern Lights on winter nights, you can find out more about this natural spectacle at the Science Centre.