Your expedition guides will determine the course of this voyage, taking the weather and ice conditions into account. Some days will be spent wildlife watching from the ship, while other days you might go on zodiac cruises or landings ashore.
Places we might visit:
Kongsfjorden
The pyramidal peaks of the majestic Tre Kroner mountains overlook Kongsfjorden, an inlet comprising several cultural-heritage sites. From gigantic calving icebergs to bird colonies, and research stations, Kongsfjorden offers a unique array of riches. To top it off, you’ll likely cross paths with a few reindeer and arctic foxes!
Prins Karls Forland & Poolepynten
A unique location we could visit is Poolepynten, a 1.5 kilometer long headland on the eastern coast of the island Prins Karls Forland. This location is a popular walrus haulout, making it a good place to admire them from close range. It's a spectacular sight to see these huge animals in their natural environment.
Krossfjorden & Magdalenefjorden
Krossfjorden offers a magnificent summary of Spitsbergen: glaciers falling into the sea (including the majestic Lillihook glacier front), snow-covered tundra, and historical sites. We might also enter Magdalenefjorden, an impressive setting of majestic mountains and glaciers, with scree slopes that are home to thousands of birds. The extended graveyard and remains of blubber ovens set in the Gravneset Peninsula bear testimony to the many whalers who used to find shelter in the fjord. Nowadays, the land welcomes a growing number of walruses.
Smeerenburgfjorden
Once home to a busy whaling station and a starting point for major Arctic expeditions, this legendary fjord where glaciers form a spectacular ice front against the sea, has now been claimed by wildlife. Walruses and seals are a likely sight, and
bears might wander about the slopes of steep, rugged mountains. Take out your binoculars to have a look at the impressive little auk colonies that can be found here.
The ice edge
We hope to reach the edge of the pack ice. This is as far north as we can sail. From this point onwards there is only ice all the way up to the north pole. Depending on the circumstances, we might navigate into the ice for some distance, in order to capture the unique feeling of being on the end of the world. If we are lucky, we might even spot some bears here.
Monacobreen
The impressive Monacobreen is a glacier reaching down into Liefdefjorden. The landscapes and icebergs provide some of the most spectacular views in the whole archipelago.
Wijdefjorden
Ice permitting, we’ll navigate through Wijdefjorden and catch a glimpse of its highest peaks and former trapper stations.
Hinlopen Strait and Murchisonfjorden
We might sail to Murchisonfjorden, a fjord on the western side of Nordaustland, in the northern part of Hinlopen Strait. It has many small islands, desert-like landscapes and some unique historical sites. One of the largest and most remarkable bird colonies on the archipelago is nestled among the steep cliffs made up of dark basaltic rock and bright limestone. Ice permitting, we’ll resume our search for polar bears as we continue northeast.
When the pack ice gets too dense to navigate further east, we will travel back via the north and west coast while keeping an eye out for wildlife.