VOYAGES - SVALBARD (SPITSBERGEN), 2010

Spitsbergen is Dutch for "pointed mountains", an evocative name for the largest island of the High Arctic group properly called Svalbard. It has a fascinating history of arctic exploration and whaling. Snowy peaks rise majestically through huge ice-caps, glaciers creep down valleys to the sea and sparkling ice walls enclose deep fjords. All this is surrounded by the glistening pack-ice. When summer comes the land can be brilliant with orange lichens and flowering plants. The surrounding seas support numerous birds, seals, Walruses, dolphins and whales. Polar Bears, of which Svalbard holds more than 20 per cent of the world's population, patrol the shores and ice-floes.

Sail and snow-shoe North Spitsbergen

Sail North Spitsbergen

Sail Around Spitsbergen

Sail South Spitsbergen

North Spitsbergen

Around Spitsbergen

Sail and snow-shoe North Spitsbergen

Image: ©Chris Johnson

Embarking at Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen's administrative capital, we sail through scenic Isfjorden, setting a course for Alkhornet at the mouth of the fjord whose cliffs are home to a large colony of kittiwakes. We continue to Trygghamna to visit the remains of a 17th century English whaling station. Weather permitting we will go ashore at Fuglehuken, where the expedition of Willem Barentsz landed on Spitsbergen and Ny Alesund, the northernmost permanent settlement in the world and former starting point for many North Pole expeditions. Local bird life includes barnacle geese, pink-footed geese, common eiders, arctic terns and several wader species. Reindeer can also be seen in the vicinity. Sailing from here to 14th July Glacier we take zodiacs to the breeding site for Brunnich's guillemots, little auks and puffins. Sailing north we visit Magdalenafjord, one of the most beautiful places in Spitsbergen, and Ytre Norskøya which was used as a lookout point for Dutch whalers. Raudfjord on the north coast offers good chances for spotting polar bears and belugas and, if sea-ice conditions allow, we may land on the northern side of Reindyrflya whose undulating tundra provides good grazing for reindeer. Our last visit before turning south is the remains of Smeerenburg, the largest 17th century whaling settlement on Spitsbergen. If we are able to make land on the return journey, there is the option for fit walkers to take the six-hour walk from Colesbukta to Longyearbyen.

Travel from London - London (gateway Oslo, embark in Longyearbyen)

Guide price £2,995 per person based on twin cabin (shared facilities)

Sail North Spitsbergen

S/V Noorderlicht in Svalbard. Photo: J.Belgers

From Spitsbergen we follow the 'Sail & snow-shoe north Spitsbergen' itinerary. Already the short summer has transformed the tundra which is now brilliant with orange lichens and flowers. There are more than 170 species of plants and the vegetation is surprisingly lush, especially below the bird cliffs where the ground is fertilised. This is also the time when migrating birds have returned to breed. The small Svalbard reindeer, arctic foxes and polar bears may be sighted on the tundra whilst walruses, several species of seals and fin, humpback, bowhead and beluga whales may be seen in the waters.

Travel from London - London (embark in Longyearbyen)

Guide price £2,995 per person based on twin cabin (shared facilities)

This 17 day itinerary aims to complete the voyage right around Spitsbergen. Later in the summer when the ice has cleared we are able to sail through the Hinlopen Strait and visit Nordaustlandet and Edgeøya. This route provides the greatest chance of seeing Greenland whales.

Travel from London - London (embark in Longyearbyen)

Guide price £3,790 person based on twin cabin (shared facilities)

This journey covers the southern part of Spitsbergen in late September, just before the onset of winter, which is an ideal time for observing the splendid Aurora Borealis. Leaving Spitsbergen we set a course for Alkhornet at the mouth of the fjord whose cliffs are home to a large colony of kittiwakes. We continue to Trygghamna to visit the remains of a 17th century English whaling station before turning south and into the north side of Bellsund, where we make a walk to the cliffs of Ingeborgfjellet and visit a glacier front at Fridtjofhamna. Journeying further south, we sail into the labyrinth of side fjords in Hornsund with good chances of seeing bearded seals and polar bears. Here we will also find spectacularly colourful geological formations. We will visit a Polish research station to discuss their scientific programmes before turning north once more. During nights with open skies we could experience temperatures of -10°C and new ice will be forming on the heads of the fjords.

Travel from London - London (embark in Longyearbyen)

Guide price £2,150 per person based on twin cabin (shared facilities)

North Spitsbergen

Our voyage heads north along the west coast of Spitsbergen and arrives by morning in Krossfjorden where we take to the zodiacs for an exhilarating cruise along the sculpted front of the 14th of July Glacier to spot kittiwakes and Brünnich's guillemots, bearded seals and arctic foxes. Continuing, we sail to Ny Ålesund, the world's most northerly settlement, once a mining village and now a research centre. Close to the village is a breeding ground for barnacle geese, pink-footed geese and arctic terns. Visitors interested in the history of Arctic exploration will want to walk to the anchoring mast used by Amundsen and Nobile in the airship Norge in 1926 and Nobile in the airship Italia in 1928 before their flights to the North Pole. Depending on the weather we may go ashore on the tundra island of Andøya where many common eiders and pink-footed geese nest and sail into Liefdefjorden, cruising near the 5km long face of the impressive Monaco Glacier. Our voyage continues into Hinlopen Strait, where, on the east side, we will attempt a landing at Nordaustlandet, home to reindeer, pink-footed geese, breeding ivory gulls, and walruses. Our northernmost point will be Phippsøya at 81 degrees north, just 540 miles from the geographic North Pole. Polar bears inhabit this region, along with ivory gulls. We may sit for several hours in the pack ice, taking in our spectacular surroundings and seeing a Ross gull, before we turn south again.

Travel from London - London (embark Longyearbyen)

Guide Prices shown are per person, based on triple cabin

Scuba* Voyage includes optional programmes for scuba divers.

Kayak* Voyage includes optional kayaking.

Around Spitsbergen

This itinerary covers the same early days as the North Spitsbergen voyage. From Phippsøya, however, we then continue to Laagøya, a low island where a big herd of walrus tends to congregate. Heading into Hinlopen Strait we'll navigate the ice floes of Lomfjordshalvøya by zodiacs and explore the bird cliffs. Near Torrelneset we will explore the polar desert of Nordaustlandet next to the world's third largest ice cap and in Freemansundet we plan to land at Sundneseton on the island of Barentsøya to visit an old trapper's hut. Later we head south to the west side of Edgeøya where we land on a beach littered with whale bones and tree trunks which have drifted here from Siberia. Our voyage ends with the side fjords of the spectacular Hornsund area of southern Spitsbergen with its towering peaks. Our last landing is on Ahlstrandhalvøya where piles of beluga skeletons, the remains of 19th century slaughter are still evident. If ice conditions are favourable we may sail around Nordaustlandet visiting Kvitøya, the place where the Swedish explorer Andree perished, instead of sailing back through the Hinlopen Strait.

Travel from London - London (embarking Longyearbyen)

Guide Prices shown are per person, based on twin or triple cabin

Walk* Voyage includes optional walking expeditions.

Kayak* Voyage includes optional kayaking.