DATES / RATES
Rates are listed per person in USD. Promotional offers are not reflected in the rates below.
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| Start Date | End Date | Quadruple Porthole | Triple Porthole | Twin Porthole | Twin Window | Twin Deluxe | Superior | Junior Suite | Grand Suite |
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Rates are listed per person in USD. Promotional offers are not reflected in the rates below.
|
| Start Date | End Date | (Starting from)
Quadruple Porthole | (Mid-range)
Twin Deluxe | (High-end)
Grand Suite |
|---|
ITINERARY
Day
1: Largest town, biggest island
You
touch down in Longyearbyen, the administrative center of Spitsbergen,
the largest island of the Svalbard archipelago. Enjoy strolling around
this former mining town, whose parish church and Svalbard Museum make
for fascinating attractions. Though the countryside appears stark, more
than a hundred species of plant have been recorded in it. In the early
evening the ship sails out of Isfjorden, where you might spot the first
minke whale of your voyage.
Day
2: The first of the fjords
Sailing
to Raudfjorden, on the north coast of Spitsbergen, you take in an
expansive fjord spilling with glaciers – and maybe even
visited by ringed and bearded seals. The cliffs and shoreline of this
fjord also support thriving seabird colonies, rich vegetation, and the
possibility of polar bears. In the evening you sail by the island of
Moffen, where you can find a large herd of walruses.
Day
3: The massive Monaco Glacier
Depending
on the weather, you could sail into Liefdefjorden and cruise within
sight of the 5-kilometer-long (3.1 miles) face of the precipitous
Monaco Glacier. The waters in front of this glacier are a favorite
feeding spot for thousands of kittiwakes, and the base of the ice is a
popular polar bear hunting ground. If ice conditions prevent sailing
here early in the season, an alternate route along the west coast of
Spitsbergen can be implemented.
Day
4: Fjord-fueled hikes
You
next sail through Beverleysundet, formerly navigated by the
Swedish-Russian Arc-of-Meridian Expedition in 1898. From here you push
east along Scoresby Island into Rijpfjord, where the German Wehrmacht
operated the weather station Haudegen (now off-limits) until September
1945. The aim in Zorgdragerfjord is to have one group walk the eastern
shore while another walks the north side of Arkvatnet, through
Havsuldalen to the entrance of Duvefjorden.
Day
5 – 6: Far north to Phippsøya
Reaching
Phippsøya, in the Seven Islands north of Nordaustlandet,
you’re now at 80° north and just 870 km (540 miles)
from the geographic North Pole. Polar bears and walruses inhabit this
region. In the afternoon you venture to your northernmost point, near
the 82nd parallel. While retracing your route west, keep watch for
polar bears and elusive Greenland (bowhead) whales.
About
40 nautical miles west of Spitsbergen, you sail the edge of the
continental shelf. Here fin whales forage during the summer in the
upwelling zones (where cold, nutrient-rich water wells up from below
the sea’s surface) that run along the Spitsbergen banks. At
the mouth of Kongsfjorden, you have a good chance of sighting minke
whales.
Day
7: Watching the Forlandsundet wildlife
Walruses
sometimes haul out in Forlandsundet, your next stop – though
this late in the season, they may have already departed. Alternately,
you might sail into St. Johns Fjord or south to the mouth of Isfjorden,
landing at Alkhornet. Seabirds nest on these cliffs, Arctic foxes
search below for fallen eggs and chicks, and reindeer graze the sparse
vegetation. You arrive in Longyearbyen later that night.
Day
8: There and back again
Every
adventure, no matter how grand, must eventually come to an end. You
disembark in Longyearbyen, taking home memories that will accompany you
wherever your next adventure lies.
(Click image to view Ship details)
WHAT'S INCLUDED
- Voyage
aboard the indicated vessel as indicated in the itinerary
- All
meals throughout the voyage aboard the ship including snacks, coffee
and tea.
- All
shore excursions and activities throughout the voyage by Zodiac.
- Program
of lectures by noted naturalists and leadership by experienced
expedition staff.
- Free
use of rubber boots and snowshoes.
- Transfers
and baggage handling between the airport, hotels and ship only for
those passengers on the group flights to and from Longyearbyen.
- All
miscellaneous service taxes and port charges throughout the programme.
- AECO
fees and governmental taxes.
- Comprehensive
pre-departure material.
Excluded from this voyage
- Any
airfare, whether on scheduled or charter flights
- Pre-
and post- land arrangements.
- Passport
and visa expenses.
- Government
arrival and departure taxes.
- Meals
ashore.
- Baggage,
cancellation and personal insurance (which is strongly recommended).
- Excess
baggage charges and all items of a personal nature such as laundry,
bar, beverage charges and telecommunication charges.
- The
customary gratuity at the end of the voyages for stewards and other
service personnel aboard (guidelines will be provided).
