Introduction to Spitsbergen: 8 Days in the Arctic

Day 1
Embarkation: Longyearbyen
Longyearbyen is the principal community of the archipelago the Norwegians call Svalbard. It is located on the largest island—Spitsbergen. There is a frontier quality to a town that has a local ordinance banning people from traveling without a rifle outside the town limits. We’ll transfer travelers from the airport to the ship for embarkation.

Map of Spitsbergen
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Poolepynten, on an island off the west coast of Spitsbergen, is a walrus haul-out. The tusked marine mammals have been protected since 1952; their population grew from 100 to about 2,000 in more than half a century. We will go ashore to watch the huge creatures loll or dive.

Day 3
Smeerenburg, Fuglesangen, Moffen Island
Steaming ever northward, we go ashore at Smeerenburg on Amsterdam Island. Dutch whalers established a community here in 1619. The literal translation of the town name is Blubber Town. You’ll learn about whaling as you explore the blubber ovens that remain to remind us of the archipelago’s economic past.

Day 4
Alkefjellet, Torellneset
During the night we will round the tip of Ny Frisland and enter the Hinlopen Strait. Our goal will be to visit Alkefjellet on Spitsbergen's east side. With your binoculars, scan the cliff face. Thick-billed Murres or Brunich Guillemots nest there in the thousands. Fox and polar bears are often seen patrolling the base of the cliffs, waiting for a meal to drop from the sky—chicks that have fallen from the nest before they are ready to fly. The ship will sail across Hinlopen Strait to Torellneset on the island of Nordaustlandet. Be on the lookout for walrus and evidence of isostatic rebound—the rise of a landmass after an ice sheet retreats. The weight of an ice sheet during an Ice Age depressed the land that lay under it.

Day 5
Monacobreen, Worsleyneset
You'll awake this morning to find the ship at anchor near the Monaco Glacier at the head of Liefdefjorden. Tens of thousands of birds are often found on the water at the base of the glacier. Later we'll sail to Worsleyneset to hike and learn more about the human history of Svalbard.

Day 6
Raudfjorden Hamiltonbreen
The ship will be sailing westward along the north coast of Spitsbergen. At Raudfjorden, we'll cruise in Zodiacs. You will be able to hike to the summit of a hill for a panoramic view and the opportunity to take unforgettable photos.

Day 7
14th of July Glacier, Ny Alesund
Your final day on the water will be spent on the western coast of Spitsbergen. At the 14th of July Glacier, you should find tundra flowers in bloom. Ny Alesund is a research station with a transient population that ranges from 35 in the winter to 200 in the summer. The indigenous Svalbard reindeer may be grazing, so keep your camera handy.

Day 8
Longyearbyen—Disembarkation
Travelers will disembark after breakfast and will be transferred to the airport for their homeward flight.