As Norway celebrates the 150th anniversary of the birth of the Norwegian explorer, scientist and diplomat, Fridtjof Nansen, the Climate Voyage follows in the oceanographic traditions of the great man himself, who set sail in 1893 aboard the original Fram. So join us, as we journey to the high Arctic lands of the Svalbard Archipelago, making an inaugural visit to Jan Mayen, one of the most isolated islands on the planet.
Remote and mountainous, Jan Mayen island has a small population working at the island's Meteorological Insititute, and the icy slopes of the active Beerenberg volcano feed into several glaciers which extend to the sea.
Sailing to Spitsbergen through the bays and channels of this starkly beautiful landscape, learn about the rich wildlife awaiting us; as fierce as the wastes and weather, this distant, beautiful archipelago is the habitat of the Arctic fox, reindeer, seal and walrus and there is an excellent chance of spotting whales and the solitary overlord of these Arctic regions, the polar bear.
Longyearbyen is the administrative centre of Svalbard, an Arctic outpost of colourful wooden houses and an oasis in wild and inhospitable territory. The former mining town of Ny Alesund has the northern-most permanently inhabited Arctic Research Station, and the world's most northerly post office.
Returning south, marvel at the magnificent Isfjorden, extending for 65 miles and the largest on Spitsbergen. In summer when the ice clears, we will see calving glaciers, soaring sea birds and towering cliffs, a spectacular end to the special anniversary voyage.