Spend 8 days along the northern coast of Spitsbergen searching for the King of the North - the polar bear. Board the MV Plancius and navigate north along the western coast of Svalbard and cruise through fjords to spectacular glaciers, through ice-pack, and into remote regions. There are ample opportuntities to view and photograph arctic wildlife such as polar bear, walrus, arctic fox, whales, and seals. Join this true polar experience for any wildlife and photography enthusiast!
Highlights
Explore Longyearbyen and visit its parish churches & Polar Museum
Enjoy opportunities to view and photograph polar bears
Navigate through deep fjords and around spectacular glaciers
Search for whales, seals, seabirds, arctic foxes, and walruses
Involves minimal physical effort and is typically associated with leisurely activities. Activities are low-intensity or last less than a few hours each day.
Arrive in Longyearbyen, the administrative capital of the Spitsbergen archipelago, of which West Spitsbergen is the largest island. Before embarking there is an opportunity to stroll around this former mining town, whose parish church and Polar Museum are well worth visiting. In the surrounds of Longyearbyen, more than 100 species of plant have been recorded. In the early evening the ship sails out of Isfjorden, where in the mouth of the fjord you may see your first minke whale.
Sail to Raudfjord on the north coast of West Spitsbergen, a beautiful fjord dominated by spectacular glaciers and favored by ringed and bearded seal. The cliffs and shoreline of the fjord also support thriving seabird colonies and a surprisingly rich vegetation, which flourishes in sheltered spots. Polar bear are often seen here.
Depending on the weather you may sail to the mouth of Liefdefjorden and go ashore for a walk on the tundra island of Andøya. Many common eider and pink-footed goose nest here, and the more rare king eider may also be seen. The ship may sail into Liefdefjorden, cruising near the 5km long face of the impressive Monaco Glacier. The waters of the glacier front are a favorite feeding spot for thousands of kittiwakes. As well, polar bear have been seen on the glacier, providing wonderful opportunities for photography.
Today sail into Hinlopen Strait, home to bearded seal, ringed seal, polar bear, and ivory gull. At the entrance there is the possibility to see blue whale. Navigate the ice floes of Lomfjordshalvøya in your zodiac and explore the bird cliffs of Alkefjellet with thousands of Brünnich’s guillemots. On the east side of Hinlopenstrait, attempt a landing at Palanderbukta on Nordaustlandet, home to reindeer, pink-footed goose, breeding ivory gull, and walrus.
Try to reach the northernmost point of your journey at Phippsøya, in the Seven Islands north of Nordaustlandet. Here find yourself at 81 degrees north, just 540 miles from the geographic North Pole. Polar bears inhabit this region, along with ivory gulls. The ship may sit for several hours in the pack ice before turning west again.
Retracing your route westwards, venture through and along the pack ice, keeping watch for polar bear and the elusive Greenland whale (bowhead). About 40 nautical miles west of Spitsbergen sail along the edge of the continental shelf, where fin whale forage in summer in the upwellings along the Spitsbergen banks. At the mouth of the Kongsfjord you have also good chances to see minke whale.
In Forlandsundet at Sarstangen is a haul-out place for walruses. Alternatively, sail into St. Johns Fjord or south to the mouth of Isfjorden and land at Alkhornet. Seabirds nest on its cliffs and arctic foxes search the cliff base for fallen eggs and chicks, while Spitsbergen reindeer graze the relatively luxuriant vegetation. At nighttime arrive in Longyearbyen.
Day 8: Longyearbyen | Disembark
1 Breakfast
Return to Longyearbyen and disembark for the transfer to the airport and the flight to Oslo and home.
Apologies for the inconvenience. Prices for not yet published. Below per person rate based on previous season. Contact us to confirm upcoming season pricing.
Prices for are estimated based on inflation. Contact us to confirm pricing and availability for your desired departure date.
- Rates are quoted in U.S. dollars and represent costs per person, double or triple occupancy. Request the Twin or Triple Share Program where you are matched with a cabin mate of the same gender. Even if a cabin mate is not found for you, no single supplement will be charged.
- Single occupancy: All cabins 1.7 times the share twin price
-Children between the ages of 3-15 will be discounted 40% in triple or quad cabins, one child per cabin.
- Due to the extreme nature of itinerary destinations, travel insurance is mandatory for all cruises aboard the Plancius - including medical, accident and repatriation/evacuation insurance.
Initial deposit is 25% cruise cost, and most travelers will call our office and pay the deposit with a credit card.
Final payment is due 70 days prior to departure by Bank transfer, check or credit card. All final payments by credit card may be subject to a surcharge and maximum of $20,000 charge
Kate was great to work with in the planning stage. She was prompt, helpful, and efficient. Our tour guide, Edwin, was knowledgeable and passionate. We were very happy to have traveled with Adventure Life, it made the trip easy and a true pleasure. We could concentrate on enjoying the experience rather than the details of travel.
Lisa Bridge
TrustScore 4.8 | 254 reviews
TrustScore 4.8 of 5
Based on 254 reviews on
6 hours ago
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
7 hours 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
22 hours 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
5 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
6 days 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.