Circumnavigating Svalbard - The Ultimate Expedition

Your journey begins with an evening flight from Oslo, Norway’s fjord-side city surrounded by forested hills and lakes. The high number of electric cars you’ll see on the roads speaks to the city’s commitment to sustainability that led to it being awarded the title of European Green Capital in 2019. As you explore this green metropolis, you’ll discover its booming arts scene, modern beauty and culinary delights.

Thanks to an efficient and well-connected public transport system, every area is accessible without using a car, so make use of the buses, trains and trams while you’re here! You can even tour the city on an Oslo city bike, admiring the work of Oslo’s world-renowned architects out in the open air.

With no shortage of cultural experiences, you can spend the day visiting some of Oslo’s many excellent museums and contemporary art galleries. See the home of one of Oslo’s most celebrated cultural icons, Henrik Ibsen. Soak up the history of Norwegian Polar exploration at Fram museum, which has countless displays and the chance to step aboard a polar ship. Discover what it must have been like to live and work on it as you explore the deck and cabin rooms.

When you need to rest, you’ll find plenty of options for enjoying traditional Norwegian dishes or New Nordic cuisine. Choose from cosy cafés, hip coffee shops, modern fine dining, hot dog stands and the many microbreweries.

As a metropolitan city surrounded by nature, Oslo offers a variety of activities. If you have time, you might take a walk in the forested hills that frame the city. Or you could simply spend the time you have relaxing in one of the city’s many parks before your flight to Longyearbyen in the Svalbard Archipelago.

After an overnight stay in your hotel, you’ll have the opportunity to explore the colourful frontier town of Longyearbyen before boarding your ship in the afternoon. This is a small town on the island of Spitsbergen, where the 2,000 inhabitants are outnumbered by snowmobiles.

Walk up to the church just a few minutes away. Maybe you will encounter the Svalbard reindeer that are often walking around town minding their own business. Although wild, you’ll find them more curious and tamer. Stroll the main street, admiring the colourful buildings and picking out souvenirs and gifts from the shops of the world’s northernmost town.

During your visit, have lunch at one of Longyearbyen’s impressive restaurants and spend some time learning about the history and wildlife of the archipelago at the Svalbard Museum. Before entering most public buildings, make sure to remove your shoes! This is a custom that originated in the mining days to prevent people from trekking coal dust indoors, and is just one way the town’s mining history continues to affect its culture.

Polar bears live outside Longyearbyen, and while it’s rare to see one in town, keep an eye out for art inspired by these iconic Arctic bears. See if you can find the polar bear statue, or the giant polar bear mural in the centre of town.

Once aboard the ship, you’ll pick up your complimentary expedition jacket, settle into your cabin and attend a mandatory safety drill. Locate the restaurants, Science Center, observation deck and Explorer Lounge and Bar - you’ll be spending a lot of time here. We’ll then say a fond farewell to Longyearbyen as we start our journey of discovery.

Leaving behind what little civilisation there is, we now enter full exploration mode. In these beautiful yet remote areas, there is no internet, nor are there telephone masts to provide a mobile phone signal.

Free from emails and text messages, this is therefore your rare opportunity to disconnect and detox from the modern world. It's time to really get back in sync with what truly matters.

North West Spitsbergen National Park embodies Arctic beauty in all its rugged, untouched glory. This is a wilderness of steep mountains, stark glaciers and eerily beautiful offshore islands. It’s also one of those rare spots of the world where natural beauty and fascinating history combine. Here, you’ll find the largest concentration of graves, blubber ovens and other cultural treasures from Svalbard’s first explorers.

Weather and sea conditions will determine which areas we’ll attempt to visit. Kongsfjorden is one of the most beautiful fjord areas in Spitsbergen, with panoramic coastal views and a lush alpine tundra. Framed by dramatic mountain formations, you might catch sights of glaciers calving icebergs into the sea.

We may also call on Ny-Ålesund, a culturally rich former mining town now transformed into an international science centre. With a picturesque mix of old and new buildings, it hosts a variety of research stations from different countries dedicated to the study of glaciology, wildlife, and climate change.

The north-west corner of Spitsbergen is a birdwatching mecca in the summer months. You’ll also scan for wildlife, including whales, bearded seals, walruses, Svalbard reindeer and the ‘Lord of the Arctic’ himself, the mighty polar bear. With a bit of luck, you’ll be able to spot one or more of these apex predators as they trek along the coast’s drifting ice on the hunt for seals.

The stunning terrain of this region makes it ripe for outdoor adventure. We’ll attempt to take full advantage of any opportunities that come our way. Activities might include using our expedition boats to come ashore for hiking, participating in a beach clean-up or launching our kayaks.

The eastern isles of Svalbard are a true explorers dream, a wild, raw Arctic landscape where extremes collide with jaw-dropping beauty. Silent, untouched and completely uninhabited, this is an area ruled by polar bears. In fact, Eastern Svalbard boasts the highest population of polar bears in the archipelago. We have high hopes that over the next three days in this region, you’ll spot the elusive ‘Lord of the Arctic.’

Depending on sea and weather conditions at the time, we hope to sail east of Nordaustlandet towards Kvitøya, the easternmost island in the Svalbard archipelago. Landings at Kvitøya, are not always possible because of thick pack-ice. If we’re successful, you’ll be treated to views of the sprawling ice-cap Kvitøyjøkulen, which covers 98% of the island. In the western point of the island, there’s a monument to the doomed Andrée expedition - a failed effort to fly over the North Pole in a hydrogen balloon.

Sailing around Nordaustlandet as we head south will take us past Bråsvellbreen—one of the wonders of the Arctic world. The northern hemisphere’s longest ice wall, the sight of waterfalls cascading down it in the height of the summer months, is quite spectacular.

As we cruise through Freemansundet, you’ll marvel at the sight of seabirds soaring against a panoramic backdrop. Not to be confused with its cousin, the fjord, Freemansundet is a sound separating Barentsøya, to the north, from Edgeøya.

We’ll attempt landings along the coast of Barentsøya or Edgeøya. We might explore Kapp Lee, an excellent site where you will find cultural heritage from all eras of human exploration of Svalbard. If we are lucky, we may meet some of the marine mammals of Svalbard as we head towards the South Cape Land.

Our aim for today is to reach the southernmost tip of Spitsbergen. Explore the wonderfully varied landscape and geology of Hornsund, a part of the South Spitsbergen National Park. For many, this is Svalbard’s most beautiful fjord.

Hornsund’s rugged, steep mountains, stunning fjords, and rich, colourful vegetation make it one of the world’s most scenic natural corners. As we cruise along the 30-kilometre fjord, you might catch sight of glaciers calving ice in the waters. On a clear day, you may also see the towering Hornsundtind, reaching 1,431 m above sea level. After exploring this area, we’ll sail north towards Bellsund.

If you guessed that the name Bellsund means beautiful sound, we wouldn’t blame you. It features snowcapped mountains, glaciers and striking geological formations formed by the converging of tectonic plates. However, Bellsund actually borrows its name from the bell-shaped mountain Klokkefjellet at the mouth of the sound.

Large colonies of auks, guillemots and Northern Fulmars have made the large cliffs in the area their home. You might spot migrating geese, and Svalbard reindeer grazing the lush vegetation fertilised by droppings from the seabirds above - talk about the circle of life!

Bellsund has a long hunting and trapping history, starting with whaling at the beginning of the 17th century. One of the stories the expedition team may recount in the available hunters and trappers lecture, is that of Wanny Woldstad. She was a taxi driver from Tromsø who became the first female arctic trapper.

Cultural remains from other periods of Svalbard’s history can be seen throughout Bellsund. The ruins from the mining settlements are still visible. You might see them as we spend the day exploring the area.

Today we sail into the remarkable Isfjord, the most prominent fjord system in the Svalbard archipelago. Leading out to many smaller fjords, it forms a lush and beautiful system rich in wildlife and vegetation. Prepare to explore immense U-shaped valleys carved out of the mountains by giant glaciers some ten thousand years ago.

To the north of the fjord, Alkehornet is a prominent landmark. It’s an imposing example of carbonate rock, with a horn-shaped mount at its peak. Naturally, the surrounding wildlife has conquered it. Arctic fox might be spotted here, as well as Svalbard reindeer and thousands of guillemots and kittiwakes.

It is noticeable how well traces of early human presence have been preserved in Isfjorden. You can find cultural remains of Svalbard’s whaling and hunting heritage along the beaches and bays, such as hunting stations and tryworks.

A more modern cultural icon is further south of the fjords. Here lie the buildings of the famous Isfjord Radio station, a former radio and weather station established in 1933 that now serves as undoubtedly, one of the most beautifully situated hotels in the world.

The landscape of the inner parts of Isfjorden is constantly changing. Still, we have several good landing sites in this area, and we will decide where to go and what to do based upon weather and ice conditions when we arrive.

Your Arctic adventure around Svalbard is over for this time. As you wind down from your expedition, you’ll have some time to look back on all your new memories, still holding onto that elated feeling of having just been quite literally near the “top of the world.”

After saying goodbye to the ship and its crew, you’ll take a transfer to the airport for your flight back to Oslo. If you want to spend more time in Longyearbyen, you can extend your stay with one of our Post-programmes to really get to know the area.

In Longyearbyen, you’ll often find many places hold the record for being the most north anything. The world’s northernmost cinema, church, library, high school, supermarket – they’re all here. You can chalk off each landmark with a customary selfie.

You can join the locals for a drink in the world’s northernmost craft brewery. Art lovers will definitely want to make time to visit Galleri Svalbard to admire diverse works of art inspired by the High Arctic.

If you have time, grab some souvenirs from the local shops before heading home. A toasty Svalbard sweater or a box of local handmade chocolates would make a wonderful gift for family and friends. Svalbard is a duty-free zone and Longyearbyen has a selection of sports and outdoor clothing shops, so why not use this time to stock up on supplies for your next adventure!

Whatever’s next for you, we wish you a safe onward journey and look forward to seeing you again!