In the Realm of the Polar Bear

Starting in Longyearbyen, the largest town on the archipelago, we embark the MS Fram and sail through Icefjord to the Russian mining community of Barentsburg before we head for the tiny settlement of Ny-Ålesund. Visiting the glacier-fed Magdalenefjord, one of the island’s most beautiful fjords,and Smeerenburgfjord, the site of a former whaling station.

Informal lectures by expert guides will complement shore visits, most of which will be by Zodiac. If conditions permit there will be one or two landings each day.

On rounding the northwest corner of Spitsbergen, you will cross the 80th parallel, just under 1000 km from the North Pole. Our aim is to sail to the remote polar regions in order to experience the Arctic wilderness, drift ice, flora and fauna. Deep within the Polar Circle, we see the lonely Nordaustlandet, the second-largest island in the archipelago, before heading down Hinlopen Strait, lined by fjords and tundra. The final itinerary is dependant on weather and ice conditions, but the aim is to explore the remote northern and eastern regions of Spitsbergen.

Spitsbergen is sparcely populated and bereft of roads, the only way to experience the mysterious majesty of Spitsbergen is from the sea and on foot. During the months of high summer, polar bears can be seen at close hand as they roam the wastes in search of food and females can be observed sheltering their young in caves and coves along the coast. Arctic fox, reindeer, seal and walrus can be seen as well as some of the rarest and hardiest flora and fauna on Earth.