Spitsbergen: Realm of Ice & Wildlife

Having made your way to Oslo, walk the short distance to our group hotel. Upon arrival at your included hotel, please visit the Aurora Expeditions hospitality desk to collect your luggage cabin tags and to speak with our ground operations team, who may have information to share with you about pre-embarkation or to provide you with information about where to dine, withdraw cash or purchase last minute items from a local pharmacy or supermarket.

The remainder of your time is at leisure. All meals today are at your own expense.

This morning, please ensure your cabin luggage is fitted with cabin tags clearly labelled with your name and cabin number. Enjoy breakfast at the hotel before walking to the airport for our charter flight to Longyearbyen for embarkation. Any valuables or personal items should be kept on you throughout the day. In Longyearbyen, explore the town on a guided tour.

After the tour, you will be transferred directly to the pier to embark in the late afternoon. Settle into your cabin before attending important safety briefings and enjoy the thrill of departure as we ‘throw the lines’ and set sail.

Note: the excursion is contingent on the arrival time of our charter flight to Longyearbyen.

Spitsbergen offers an exceptional introduction to Arctic expedition travel. Our experienced Expedition Team will shape each day around weather, sea ice, wildlife and the latest local information, selecting the best opportunities rather than following a fixed list of landing sites.

Summer often allows us to explore a wider choice of fjords along western and northern Spitsbergen. Zodiac cruises may trace blue glacier fronts and sheltered bays, while guided walks cross flower-dotted tundra, raised beaches and fossil-rich polar desert. Historic camps and trappers’ huts reveal the human stories layered into this apparently untouched wilderness.

The season is alive with wildlife. Bird cliffs resound with guillemots, kittiwakes and puffins, and little auks stream between sea and nesting slopes. Walrus rest at coastal haul-outs, whales feed in productive waters and reindeer graze on the tundra. Arctic foxes patrol the shore and bird colonies, while polar bears remain an unpredictable possibility throughout the archipelago.

If you have selected an optional activity such as kayaking, we will aim to offer it whenever conditions allow. Guided walks, Zodiac excursions and the possibility of a polar plunge make the most of the long summer days.

During the early morning, we cruise back into Longyearbyen. Farewell your Expedition Team upon disembarkation and enjoy some free time before transferring to the airport for your return charter flight to Oslo to continue your journey.

Note:the arrival time in Oslo is contingent on the approved allocated slot for our charter flight to and from Longyearbyen, which we expect to receive in March 2028.