In Vlissingen passengers will board the ship at mid-day.
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888 308 4904
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888 308 4904
Day 1 - Vlissingen, Netherlands; Embarkation Day
In Vlissingen passengers will board the ship at mid-day.
Day 2 - At sea towards Aberdeen
Crossing the North Sea
Day 3 - Granite City: Aberdeen
We arrive in Aberdeen, famed as the Granite City and many times a winner of the Britain in Bloom competition, and embark on our trip. As we reach the North Sea, we see the lighthouse on Girdle Ness to the south, designed by the grandfather of Robert Louis Stevenson.
More passengers will board the ship in Aberdeen.
The Scottish waters offer excellent possibilities to spot Minke Whale, White-beaked Dolphin and Harbour Porpoise. Several other cetaceans, including Orca (Killer Whale), are also native to these waters.
Day 4 - Fair Isle, haven for sea-birds
At Fair Isle, in the Shetlands, we are welcomed by the 70 or so inhabitants (famed for their knitwear, examples of which we will see) to be followed by a walk to the bird observatory. Fair Isle is a haven for sea-birds, which are very accessible. We may also see Grey Seals.
Day 5/6 - Sailing towards the Norwegian island of Jan Mayen
We sail north to the Norwegian island of Jan Mayen, situated 300 nautical miles north-east of Iceland. During our two days at sea there will be plenty of time to watch for the blow of a Minke, Fin or Blue Whale, which could herald a rewarding encounter with these gentle giants. Perhaps we might run into a pod of Orca, who can often be quite curious about boats such as ours.
Day 7 - Jan Mayen
Jan Mayen is a volcanic island of breath-taking beauty and mystique dominated by Mt Beerenberg. From the slopes of the 2300m volcano, impressive glaciers spill into the sea. Until recently, the island was off-limits as it is a military base, and was rarely visited by tourists, but with permission from the Norwegian authorities we hope to visit the weather station. We will also walk across the island to Kvalrossbukta to look at the remains of a 17th century Dutch whaling station and a substantial colony of Fulmar.
Day 8/10 - Whales, Harp Seals, Polar Bears and a variety of seabirds
In the midnight sun, we sail north along the edge of the sea-ice, looking out for Bowhead Whales, Harp Seals, Polar Bears and a variety of seabirds, until about 79 North, then we will sail west to the edges of the continental shelf off West Spitsbergen, where we have good chances to meet Finn Whales and near the mouths of the big Spitsbergen fjords, Minke Whales.
Day 11 - Poolepynten
We will look for Walrus at Poolepynten. In the evening we could land at Alkhornet another seabird colony, where at the slopes we can find reindeer and Arctic Fox.
Day 12 - Longyearbyen, Svalbard; Disembarkation
We disembark in Longyearbyen, the administrative centre of Spitsbergen, for flights south to Oslo and onward home.
Please consider that our voyages are expeditionary in nature. This means, that there are no concrete itineraries, your captain and expedition leader will utilise their vast experience to chart the best course for your expedition depending on the climatic and environmental conditions. Mentioned highlights and wildlife cannot be guaranteed.
Take a casual stroll along the Polar shores, or challenge yourself with a more advanced trek.
We offer a variety of snow-shoeing treks to suit your experience and your desired level of activity. No snow-shoeing experience? No problem! We’ll get you suited up and get you marching across the pristine snows of the Arctic or Antarctic landscapes in no time at all.
On board our Arctic expedition voyages there is always someone on board with eyes peeled for whales. The experience ship crew will always position the ship in the most respectful manner to achieve the best whale sightings.
Unlike the Antarctic, not all the whales species in the Arctic migrate, some indeed call the Arctic home. Sightings are possible during the early season voyages right through until the end of the season. There is a great opportunity in the Arctic to see Blue, Fin, Orca, Minke, Humpback and potentially the elusive Greenland whale.
Onboard your expedition all meals are included and prepared by our chefs. Meals are prepared to a restaurant standard and to cater for most diet requirements.
During the course of your expedition, you will have direct access to our onboard expedition team. Our expedition team members are a wealth of information, they have backgrounds in exploration or science based backgrounds. Our teams will usually comprise of naturalists, historians, geologists and ornithologists.
Your expedition team members will expertly guide you off the ship and provide you with firsthand knowledge about the geology and wildlife of the region. Back onboard the vessel, team members hold lectures about their studies or the wildlife that was seen during the course of the day.
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ORTELIUS
“Ortelius” was built in Gdynia, Poland in 1989, was named “Marina Svetaeva”, and served as a special purpose vessel for the Russian Academy of Science. The vessel is re-flagged and renamed “Ortelius”. “Ortelius” is classed by Lloyd’s Register in London and flies the Cyprus flag. The vessel has the highest ice-class notation (UL1 equivalent to 1A) and is therefore very suitable to navigate in solid one-year sea ice and loose multi-year pack ice. “Ortelius” is a great expedition vessel for 116 passengers with lots of open-deck spaces. The vessel is manned by 22 highly experienced international nautical crew, 19 international hotel crew, 8 expedition staff (1 expedition leader, 1 assistant expedition leader and 6 guides/lecturers), and 1 doctor. Ortelius offers a comfortable hotel standard, with a u-shaped, a bar and a lecture room. Our voyages are primarily developed to offer our passengers a quality exploratory wildlife program, trying to spend as much time ashore as possible. As the number of passengers is limited to approximately 116 on the “Ortelius”, flexibility assures maximum wildlife opportunities. “Ortelius” carries 10 zodiacs. The zodiac engines are 60hp Yamaha.
| Luxury star rating: | 3 |
| Guests #: | 116 |
| Crew #: | 52 |
| Ice Class: | 1A |
| Speed: | 12 |
| Refurbished: |
| Year built: | |
| Length: | 91m |
| Width: | 17 |
| Draft: | |
| Tonnage: | 4575 |
| Registry: | Cyprus |
| Elec Outlets: | 220V / 2 Round Pin |
We understand that the trip of a lifetime takes planning, so we make the financial commitments easy to manage.
