There is no northern place more beautiful and chock-full of wildlife than the pristine arctic islands of Svalbard. Few lucky travelers have visited this spectacular realm of the polar bears and fewer still on an expedition cruise that is totally dedicated to the interests of wildlife and nature enthusiasts!

Polar bear on pack ice near Spitsbergen

TravelWild Expeditions has chartered the comfortable 54-passenger Polar Pioneer and assembled a group of veteran naturalists—Wayne Lynch, Gary Alt, Chris Leahy and Dennis Mense—for an unforgettable adventure to see the polar bears and wildlife along the pack ice of Spitsbergen. If you've ever dreamed of seeing polar bears in some of the world's more spectacular scenery, this trip is not to be missed!

More than ten degrees north of the Arctic Circle, the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard comprises four large mountainous islands and hundreds of smaller ones. Spitsbergen—the largest island in the archipelago—has four settlements including Longyearbyen, the world’s most northerly town. With a mild climate due to the northernmost influence of the Gulf Stream, the summer snow line recedes to between 1,600 and 2,300 feet, uncovering verdant patches of green and red mosses and delicate wildflowers. Two national parks, 15 bird sanctuaries and two plant reserves protect half of Svalbard’s spectacular landmass.

On the northern edge of the archipelago, drifting pack ice crowds the shore, and it is common to find polar bears hunting seals and walruses. The Norwegian Polar Institute has estimated that there are over 2,000 polar bears in the Svalbard region. It is also home to enormous concentrations of seabirds, including large colonies of dovekies, black-legged kittiwakes, thick-billed murres and northern fulmars. Veteran TravelWild tour leader Wayne Lynch reports:

Our cruise begins and ends in Longyearbyen. Our primary focus will be navigating through the pack ice and into glacier-filled fjords in search of polar bears as the bears, in turn, hunt for their primary focus—ringed and bearded seals. In addition we will make many Zodiac landings to view walruses, Svalbard’s unique reindeer, extensive bird colonies, and circumpolar plants, many of which will be in full bloom. Unlike some cruises, there will be no wasted “at sea” time—wildlife viewing starts the moment the ship is underway. The seas around the islands are usually remarkably calm and make a very pleasant cruising experience.

Approaching one of Spitsbergen's many spectacular glaciers

If following polar bears as we slowly make our way through the pack ice, hiking across wildflower-flecked tundra, Zodiac cruising through the shifting glitter of the pack ice, encountering walrus groups on ice floes, visiting teeming colonies of vociferous seabirds, and watching the midnight sun sketch golden patterns across the ice is your idea of the ideal summer adventure, this trip is definitely for you! Join Dr. Wayne Lynch, Dennis Mense, Christopher Leahy and Chris Morgan for an unforgettable cruise to one of the most remote and uniquely beautiful locations on Earth.

Expedition Staff

Dr. Wayne Lynch is a former emergency physician who has worked for the past 21 years as a full-time naturalist, science writer and photographer. We credit Wayne with introducing us to the wonders of Spitsbergen. After visiting the Svalbard Archipelago in 1997, he proclaimed it, “the most beautiful arctic destination he had ever seen.” That is indeed high praise coming from someone who has traveled the world over—including much of the Arctic—and who has led more than 150 trips worldwide! With Wayne’s knowledge, help and a little prodding, we developed our highly-successful Spitsbergen cruises. In addition to the fantastic work he does for TravelWild, Wayne is the author of award-winning books and television documentaries, a popular guest lecturer, and Canada’s best-known and most widely-published professional wildlife photographer. His photo credits include hundreds of magazine covers and tens of thousands of images published in over two dozen countries. He lives in Calgary, Alberta.

"The ship and crew you chartered were excellent but it was the TravelWild Expeditions staff that raised the level of humor, knowledge and overall experience to the level of 'exceptional!'"

—B. and C. Yates Spitsbergen Tour Participants

Gary Alt is widely regarded as one of the leading bear research biologists in North America. As one of our longest-tenured TravelWild leaders, Gary has introduced hundreds—if not thousands—of our clients over the years to his personal passion—bears. He has led trips in Spitsbergen, Churchill and Alaska and he has an encyclopedic knowledge of bears—particularly black, brown and polar bears. Gary entertains and educates our clients with many stories of his encounters with bears while conducting field research. His work has been featured in People Magazine, Sports Illustrated, Reader's Digest and National Wildlife, as well as a variety of national television programs. Gary’s training in natural history consists of four ecology related degrees, including a Ph.D., and extensive experience in the field. He has presented hundreds of educational and entertaining natural history lectures throughout the country, and has used wildlife photography in his work for years. Among our clients he is renowned for his amiable sense of humor. Gary lives in California.

Dennis Mense is recognized throughout the nature and adventure travel industry as one of the most respected, trusted and sought-after expedition leaders in the business. By any standards his knowledge of, and experience working in, polar regions is impressive, spanning more than 20 years of planning and leading dozens of expedition cruises and land-based tours to remote destinations, including Antarctica, the Russian Far East, the North Pole, Spitsbergen, Franz Josef Land, Greenland, Arctic Canada, Alaska and many more. With a degree in marine biology from the University of Hawaii and many years conducting marine-related research, Dennis is an excellent interpreter of nature as well. While he has traveled the world extensively, seeing and doing more than most, he still has a genuine enthusiasm for nature and wildlife that is sure to rub off on all who travel with him. Dennis is Sales Director for TravelWild Expeditions and lives with his family on Cortes Island in the Canadian Gulf Islands.

Chris Leahy currently holds the Gerard A. Bertrand Chair of Natural History and Field Ornithology at Mass Audubon. He has been a professional conservationist for more than thirty years and served as Director of Mass Audubon’s Center for Biological Conservation. His interests in natural history are comprehensive, and he is a recognized authority on birds and insects. His published works include Birdwatcher’s Companion to North American Birdlife, The First Guide to Insects, Introduction to New England Birds, An Introduction to Massachusetts Insects, and The Nature of Massachusetts. He is also the editor of a series of authoritative books on the flora and fauna of New England. Chris has designed and led natural history explorations to over 70 countries on all of the continents. He is especially fascinated with the world’s great remaining wilderness areas and biodiversity hot spots such as Gabon, Madagascar, and Mongolia. He grew up in Marblehead and has lived in Gloucester with his family since the 1970s.

Spitsbergen Polar Bear Videos

We highly recommend arriving in Longyearbyen a day before embarkation and offer an optional land/transfer package for your convenience. This includes a night at the historic Spitsbergen Hotel, a transfer from the hotel to the ship on embarkation day and, at disembarkation, a transfer to town for exploration and lunch before transferring to the airport for your flights home (flight SK4425 only). If you would like to have even more time to explore and enjoy Longyearbyen, we can add an additional night at the Spitsbergen Hotel.

Day 1
We begin our journey in Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen’s largest community. We embark the Polar Pioneer between 4 and 5 PM in the afternoon. As we steam west out of Isfjorden, we’ll encounter numerous seabirds including dovekies, thick-billed murres, northern fulmars, black-legged kittiwakes and, perhaps, a puffin or two. (D)

Zodiac landing crafts get us from ship to shore

Days 2–10
These next eight days are dedicated to exploring the Svalbard Archipelago, especially the environs of its biggest and most spectacular island—Spitsbergen. Our exact day-by-day itinerary will remain flexible, depending on local weather, ice and wildlife conditions, but the ship is totally at our disposal to go where and when we please. At the top of our "to do" list is polar bear watching. We’ll head to the pristine pack ice to search for the great white bears and also hope to encounter them swimming, hunting and inquisitively inspecting our ship. In addition to searching for bears, we’ll spend our days discovering and learning about other wildlife, as well as the flora, geology and history of Svalbard. We are very likely to experience upclose meetings with Svalbard reindeer grazing along mossy banks, walruses on land and amid the ice floes, arctic foxes, bearded and ringed seals and, possibly, whales. Birdlife is abundant and throngs of wheeling seabirds, including millions of dovekies, are commonly seen. Other interesting High Arctic species include redthroated loons, barnacle and pink-footed geese, common and king eiders, long-tailed ducks, arctic terns, red phalaropes, purple sandpipers, ivory and glaucous gulls, long-tailed, pomarine and parasitic jaegers, great skuas, Atlantic puffins, black guillemots, rock ptarmigans and snow buntings. We will have a remarkable amount of time available for wildlife viewing, exploring and taking photos in the 24 hours of daylight. (BLD)

Day 11
We arrive back in Longyearbyen during the night and disembark as a group after breakfast. Participants may disembark earlier to meet morning flights home. (B)

The Polar Pioneer’s size and maneuverability are perfectly suited for small group polar expedition travel. This ice-strengthened research ship plied the waters of the USSR’s northern coast for many years and was refurbished in 2000 to provide comfortable, safe accommodations for 54 passengers.

The captain and crew are among the most experienced ice navigators in the world. The ship’s bridge and viewing decks offer excellent wildlife viewing opportunities, while a fleet of inflatable Zodiacs transport passengers to shore for close-up wildlife viewing.

All cabins have outside portholes and ample storage space. A common area with a bar/lounge/library complements the simple and spacious accommodations. Meals are prepared by European chefs and served by Russian wait staff.

Lounge

Dining Room

Lecture Hall