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Arctic Sailing Voyage - South Spitsbergen

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When in 1596, Willem Barents first sighted the shores of Svalbard, he named the first island he saw 'Spitsbergen' (pointed mountains) after the imposing and impressive mountain range found along its southern margin. It is along these coasts that our South Spitsbergen Sailing Voyages take place, allowing you to explore and witness a true Arctic wilderness.

As the brief Arctic summer draws to a close, a voyage to South Spitsbergen will take you to some breathtaking Arctic scenery whilst watching out for its enigmatic wildlife. This is a period of change in which temperatures can oscillate above and below freezing point. It is also a period when opportunities to see the Northern Lights get better by the day as night time hours start to get longer.

By October, sea ice is beginning to spread into North Spitsbergen, blocking our access to those areas. The warming effect of the Gulf Stream, however, keeps the southern fjords open to us, although sea ice can start forming in the calmest shallow waters. A little snow may also begin to fall late in October, adding a sprinkling of white to rocky mountainous landscape and towering glaciers which empty directly into the sea.

With many of the visiting birds having already left the island for warmer climes, this trip focuses on looking for whales and the enigmatic land mammals of the Arctic including reindeer, ringed seals and Arctic foxes. 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. Encounters are always down to chance and for your best opportunities we recommend our longer North and Around Spitsbergen Voyages where we spend more time amongst sea ice and have long hours of daylight in which to spot them. However, we often see polar bears on South Spitsbergen Voyages too, so we are always on the lookout for tracks and movement out on the tundra.

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.

Whilst early October South Spitsbergen Voyages are usually better for opportunities to see wildlife, those late in the month provide more night time hours in which to hope to see the Northern Lights. Day light hours change quickly as we move through October. At the beginning of the month the sun will lift above the horizon from about 6am to 4.30pm. If it's not overcast then before and after these times you can experience some wonderful periods of reddish-orange skies. These twilight hours grow longer towards the end of the month, whilst the hours of direct sunshine reduce to the point that by the last week of October, the sun never quite rises above the horizon. This is when pregnant polar bears begin to den in preparation for giving birth and suckling their new newborn cubs.

The cultural and explorative history of the Arctic is very much integral to the guiding on this voyage. Your 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.

October is a wonderful time to enjoy a full sense of the vast emptiness of Arctic space, with daily opportunities for walks, coastal cruising by zodiac and for those who wish, the opportunity to hoist the sails and learn something of how to steer a ship of this kind through Arctic waters.

Dr Lothar Kurtze - Astronomy Expert

Our 10th October departure will be accompanied by astronomy expert Dr Lothar Kurtze. Born in Germany in 1972, Lothar Kurtze has his own observatory and supports the Faulkes Telescope Educational Project as a scientific advisor. In 2005, he became elected as Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society, London. Since 1995 he has been working as a lecturer and travel guide, primarily for voyages with an astronomical focus. He has observed total solar eclipses in both Madagascar and Libya and has led expeditions to the Galapagos Islands and Bhutan. His career has taken him to both the Arctic and the Antarctic. In 1999 the Minor Planets Committee of the International Astronomical Union named asteroid (7688) Lothar in his honour.

Photographs kindly provided by Charlotte Caffrey, Ralph Pannell, Troels Jacobsen, Jan Belgers, David Slater, 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

Draft itinerary

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 18^th century Russian Pomor hunting settlement and a 17^th 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.

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.