If polar bears top your list of must-see Arctic wildlife, choose this small ship expedition to Spitsbergen. This remarkable island hosts an astonishing array of Arctic wildlife, protected within six national parks. The island itself is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Cruise the Arctic aboard the Sea Spirit on this exciting polar bear safari Arctic tour.
Involves minimal physical effort and is typically associated with leisurely activities. Activities are low-intensity or last less than a few hours each day.
Before embarking on your Arctic wildlife voyage, be sure to spend some time exploring Longyearbyen, which has a frontier-town atmosphere.
Day 2-8: Exploring Spitsbergen
This itinerary focuses on a constant search for wildlife. Your expedition will be highlighted by encounters with colonies of rare seabirds, hauled-out walrus and hunting Polar Bears. You’ll explore a large part of western Spitsbergen, which is also home to huge glaciers and impressive fjords.
Weather and ice conditions are highly changeable and thus dictate the daily itinerary of each small ship polar expedition. There are some favorite destinations that you may visit, including 14th of July Glacier, Smeerenburg and Alkhornet. The destinations visited on your voyage will be selected for optimum wildlife viewing and appreciation of the history and geology of Spitsbergen. Polar Bear viewing is almost guaranteed.
Coming across a Walrus haul-out is a moment you won’t forget either, these boisterous beasts can eat as much as 110 pounds (50 kilos) of shellfish every day. The Svalbard Reindeer, unique to these islands, is another animal you’ll likely encounter. They are often seen grazing near the rugged Alkhornet coastline.
If you’re itching to get a little closer to the action, then hiking amongst the colorful wildflowers found at the 14th of July Glacier is sure to be a highlight. Or, perhaps, the surreal feeling of standing in the presence of the giant Monaco Glacier will help put the scale of the Arctic into perspective.
At Smeerenburg, you can visit a historical site built more than 100 years ago to commemorate the whalers who lost their lives in the 17th and 18th centuries while working in extreme Arctic conditions. There is no shortage of natural beauty in Spitsbergen. Each day you’ll see something new!
Day 9: Disembarkation in Longyearbyen
Your adventure ends as it began, in the frontier-style settlement of Longyearbyen. From here you'll transfer to the airport for your flight home.
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The trip might have been the absolute best of our lifetime (thus far). We particularly want to commend our guide Peter in the Guilin area-he was so incredibly attentive, energetic, enthusiastic-and absolutely dedicated to ensuring that our meals were 100% vegetarian.
Jack Charney
TrustScore 4.8 | 174 reviews
TrustScore 4.8 of 5
Based on 174 reviews on
8 hours ago
The trip was not only memorable for the amount of animals we saw but also for the people and accommodations at the two camps where we stayed. Our first guide, BK, was a wealth of information about the animals, landscape and down to the plants and what they were used for. Everyday out was a learning experience with him. All the people at the camps were gracious and the food was excellent.
Our second camp in the Okavanga was just as good as the first as far as the staff, accommodations, food and animals. After our experience at the first camp we amazed that the high quality remained the same. Our guide, G, made sure we were able to enjoy every experience including a rush through the bush to witness a cheetah and an ensuing hunt that he heard over his radio.
In both camps there were enough guides out that if they saw something the other guides were informed which helped in seeing as much as possible. It was also nice that the concessions were large enough that we did not have vehicles following each other throughout the day.
Normally there is always something in a trip of this length that we think could be improved upon but this is the rare case where we cannot think of anything. From the time we left the States to when we returned it was one of the most hassle free vacations we took.
Perhaps emphasizing the use of the laundry facilities at the camps would be useful because of the luggage restrictions would be the only thing I can think of as an improvement to future clients.
Kenneth Dropek
1 day ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.