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When in 1596, Willem Barents first sighted the shores of Svalbard, he named it 'Spitsbergen', meaning pointed mountains; after the imposing, impressive mountain range found along the islands southern margin. It is along these coasts that our South Spitsbergen Sailing Voyage takes place, allowing you to explore and witness a true Arctic wilderness.
As the brief Arctic summer draws to a close, a trip around South Spitsbergen provides fantastic opportunities to see breathtaking Arctic scenery and experience unforgettable wildlife encounters.
With many of the visiting birds having already left the island for warmer climes, this trip focuses on looking for the enigmatic mammals of the Arctic, such as reindeer and ringed seals. Sailing down icy fjords and past towering glaciers, we search for ghostly beluga whales in the shallows, slumbering bearded seals and the largest predator walking the Earth: the mighty polar bear. The polar bear is iconic of the splendour and majesty of the Arctic and now that the winter is starting to return, they can hunt out on the ice, searching for unwary seals. As their brilliant white coats come through for winter, Arctic foxes can be spied nimbly hopping across the rocky shores, looking for an elusive meal; often following in the tracks of polar bears.
With the Midnight Sun now giving way to more regular patterns of night and day, this trip gives you the best chance to see the great Aurora borealis, dancing through clear night skies. The ephemeral Northern Lights have enchanted and mystified us for thousands of years and you too are likely to be captivated by this celestial phenomenon, as it twists and turns high up in the ionosphere.
Cultural and historical sites form an integral aspect of this trip, as does the breathtaking scenery and geology. Our expedition leader and knowledgeable skipper are passionate about both the history and nature of the polar environment and are permanently on hand to offer a comprehensive guiding experience.
Your base throughout our voyage is a stunning one hundred year old sailing schooner, reminiscent of the kind of ship explorers in the late eighteenth century might have used to explore this Arctic wilderness. With only 20 passengers onboard, this charismatic vessel boasts comfortable cabins, hot showers, central heating, good food and two beautifully wood-panelled salons to relax in. The spacious pilot house provides excellent all-round visibility, and with ample space onboard it is always possible to find your own peace and place from which to absorb the sheer drama and scale of this Arctic wilderness.
The temperatures are now lower than during our North and Around Spitsbergen voyages and some years we witness fresh snowfall covering the tundra and mountainsides. October is a wonderful time to enjoy these vast and empty Arctic spaces, with daily opportunities for walks, coastal cruising by zodiac and for those that wish, the opportunity to hoist the sails and learn something of how to steer a ship of this kind through Arctic waters.
Photographs kindly provided by Charlotte Caffrey, Ralph Pannell, Troels Jacobsen, Jan Belgers, Michael Leach, Richard Escott and Rolf Stange
South Spitsbergen - Arctic Voyage - Expedition cruise - Carbon Climate Change Neutral - Svalbard - Tall Ship - Responsible Travel Sailing - Sail Yacht Holiday - Noorderlicht - Polar Bear - Beluga - Arctic Fox
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Voyage Dates
(8 days / 7 nights: Longyearbyen - Longyearbyen)
2010: Departing 22nd - 29th October
Price: £1,690 p/p twin sharing non private cabins.
Single supplement:
This supplement can be avoided if you are willing to share with someone of the same gender. Single occupancy price is 1.8 times the per person sharing cabin price.
Our prices include:
Voyage as indicated in draft itinerary.
Group airport transfer to & from the vessel (when arriving/departing on recommended group flight).
All meals, snacks, coffee and tea.
All shore excursions and zodiac activities.
Programme of lectures by noted naturalists and leadership by experienced expedition staff and crew.
All miscellaneous services taxes and port charges throughout the programme.
Comprehensive pre-departure material.
Prices exclude:
Airfares.
Pre- and post- land arrangements.
Transfers to and from the vessel (except when arriving/departing on recommended group flight).
Items of a personal nature (alcohol, laundry, etc).
Cancellation and personal insurance.
Passports and visas.
Arrival and departure tax.
Meals ashore.
Baggage.
Tips.
Activity Level: Low-Medium
Flights: We can arrange flights or we are happy for you to do this yourself. Please contact us for advice.
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Please note that our polar itineraries are written to provide a flavour of each voyage. Sailing rather than motor-only will be undertaken where and when conditions allow. The actual route will be decided by the captain and expedition team in accordance with prevailing ice, weather and sea conditions and opportunities to see wildlife and wilderness scenery. We aim to provide the highest quality trips, providing you with the most rewarding experience possible and as a result, our itinerary may need to change at short notice. Itineraries have been changed in the past on account of instances such as impassable pack ice and the discovery of a dead whale with numerous polar bears feeding on it. Please remember that any changes in our itineraries are made with you in mind.
In all the locations listed in the itinerary below, we will be looking out for seals, polar bears, Arctic foxes, ptarmigans, reindeer and the eight species of whale seen in the Arctic.
Day 1
After arriving in Longyearbyen, you may wish to visit the Svalbard Museum, which has an interesting collection on the natural history and exploration history of Spitsbergen. In the afternoon, we sail for Alkhornet, an immense cliff at the northern entrance of Isfjorden, where Arctic foxes and reindeer are often seen beneath the cliffs.
After Alkhornet , we continue to Trygghamna to visit the remains of an 18th century Russian Pomor hunting settlement and a 17th century English whaling station, where some of Spitsbergen's best-preserved 'blubber ovens' can be seen.
Day 2
After leaving Tryghamna in the morning, we begin our sail south and head around to Bellsund, where we go ashore on the northern side of the fjord to the cliffs of Ingeborgfjellet, before visiting our first glacier front in Fridtjofhamna. On several of our recent trips, we have seen both Arctic foxes and polar bears in Bellsund. It may be possible to walk on Akseløya Island, after which you may sail the ship through the several channels between the mainland and the smaller islands. It is hoped that we can concentrate some voyage time here as it is a spectacular location.
Days 3 & 4
Sailing further round the coast still, you reach Hornsund, renowned as being the southernmost fjord in Svalbard and arguably seen as the most beautiful. Eight large glaciers have calving fronts within the fjord. Influenced by the cold water currents coming in from the East, Hornsund is one often littered with drifting ice floes. Within Hornsund, you are provided with good chances to see bearded seals, beluga whales and polar bears. When drift ice is present, there are good opportunities to see polar bears, being carried round by the current from the eastern coast. This is a known 'migration' route and once reaching shore, the polar bears head overland, heading back to the eastern coasts again.
Because of the relatively-recent retreat of the glaciers in Hornsund, the land is characterized by large swathes of tundra. It is one of the best places on the island to see the delicate but hardy Svalbard poppy, the iconic emblem of Svalbard. Running along the fjord, geology ages from 400 million years old to approximately 40 million years old, revealing some striking 'cross-sectioned' mountain ranges.
Before leaving Hornsund, you travel into its deepest point; Brepollen. This large bay is surrounded by glaciers and the geological formations in this area are spectacular and extremely vivid in colour. Striking sedimentary rock patterns formed across the Permian, Triassic and Jurassic eras are evident as you sail around the bay, framed against the backdrop of towering glaciers, lining its edge.
Days 5 & 6
As we leave Hornsund, we begin to make our way back, we sail into Bellsund once again, near to where the very first overwintering by Europeans was carried out, after eight British whalers were accidentally left there in 1630. Visiting either Midterhukhamna or Ahlstrandhalvöya, you are able to visit old whaling sites, where early 20th century whalers killed beluga whales in great numbers; their now-white skeletons still sadly littering the beaches. Against the backdrop of imposing and interesting geological formations, Bellsund is a good area for observing beluga whales and polar bears.
Within Bellsund, the ice from the calving Fridtjofhamna glacier in Van Mijenfjord can fill the bay and whilst here, there are chances of seeing this stunning glacier from sea and from land, hopefully. Here, the landscape is amazing, with the layers forming elegant curves, bending away in both directions.
Whilst in Bellsund, you also visit Recherchefjord; where a walk on the terminal moraine of the kettle lake can reward photographers with picture-perfect mirror images of the glacier and the surrounding mountains.
We also visit the town of Barentsburg: the only inhabited Russian settlement in Spitsbergen; or to Colesbukta - an abandoned Russian coal mining settlement.
Day 7
Sail back into the immense Isfjord system, where during nights, temperatures may drop to -10° C and new ice will be forming on the heads of the glaciers. You sail into Billefjord and visit either Skansbukta or Gipshuken; scenic bays, surrounded by high mountain cliffs towering over narrow beaches. Impressive rock formations are now all that remain of the once-shallow, tropical seas and coral reefs in this area. This area is rich in fossil corals, trilobites and bivalve shells and many reindeer pass here. After leaving Billefjord, you head back to Longyearbyen for the night.
Day 8
Disembarkation will happen after breakfast at 9am. Departure by scheduled flight from Longyearbyen to Oslo. |
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