You might also cruise south to Diskobukta, though Kapp Lee is more likely your destination. Potential stops on Barentsøya include Sundneset (for an old trapper’s hut), Kapp Waldburg (for its kittiwake colony), and Rindedalen (for a walk across the tundra). The plan is to make landings in Freemansundet, though polar bears sometimes make this impossible. Here you may encounter walruses during a coastline hike over the area’s raised beaches. Near Torrelneset you can also visit the polar desert of Nordaustlandet, next to the world’s third-largest ice cap. On the east side of Hinlopen Strait, you may attempt a landing where reindeer, pink-footed geese, and walruses are likely sights. After cruising among the ice floes of Lomfjordshalvøya in the Zodiacs, you then view the bird cliffs of Alkefjellet with their thousands of Brünnich’s guillemots. As with Liefdefjorden, you can take an alternate west Spitsbergen route if ice prevents entry into Hinlopen. At the entrance there is even the possibility to spot blue whales. Today you sail into Hinlopen Strait, home to bearded and ringed seals as well as polar bears.
A nature walk here can bring you close to families of ptarmigans, and the opposite side of the fjord is also a beautiful area for an excursion. Alternatively (mostly in July) you may turn to Sorgfjord, where you have the chance to find a herd of walruses not far from the graves of 17th century whalers. When the edge of this sea ice is tens of miles north of the Seven Islands (mostly in August), you can spend a second day in this area. Polar bears inhabit this region, so the ship may park for several hours among the pack ice before wheeling around west again. Here you reach 80° north, just 540 miles from the geographic North Pole. The northernmost point of your voyage may be north of Nordaustlandet, in the Seven Islands. If ice conditions prevent sailing here early in the season, an alternate route along the west coast of Spitsbergen can be implemented. 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.
And if you’re interested in the history of Arctic exploration, visit the anchoring mast used by polar explorers Amundsen and Nobile in their airships, Norge (1926) and Italia (1928).ĭepending 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. Close to the community is a breeding ground for barnacle geese, pink-footed geese, and Arctic terns. Once a mining village served by the world’s most northerly railway – you can still see its tracks – Ny Ålesund is now a research center. In the afternoon you sail to Ny Ålesund, the northernmost settlement on Earth. You have a good chance of spotting an Arctic fox scouting for fallen chicks, or a bearded seal paddling through the fjord. On the green slopes near the glacier, colorful flowers bloom while flocks of kittiwakes and Brünnich’s guillemots nest on the cliffs. Here you might board the Zodiacs for a cruise near the towering blue-white face of the Fourteenth of July Glacier. Heading north along the west coast, you arrive by morning in Krossfjorden. In the early evening the ship sails out of Isfjorden, where you might spot the first minke whale of your voyage. Though the countryside appears stark, more than a hundred species of plant have been recorded in it. Enjoy strolling around this former mining town, whose parish church and Svalbard Museum make for fascinating attractions. You touch down in Longyearbyen, the administrative center of Spitsbergen, the largest island of the Svalbard archipelago.
This special expedition offers you the chance to catch site of whales, reindeer, Arctic foxes, walruses, seals, and the star attraction, the polar bear. Take a cruise around Spitsbergen and explore the icy waters of the North Atlantic. The average cruising speed of our vessel is 10.5 knots. Flexibility is paramount for expedition cruises. Official sailing plans and landing slots are scheduled with AECO prior to the start of the season, but the expedition leader determines the final plan. Landings are subject to site availabilities, permissions, and environmental concerns per AECO regulations. Programs may vary depending on ice, weather, and wildlife conditions.
ORTELIUS WALKING TRACKS FULL
In case it cannot completed a full circumnavigation, a program may be devised in northeast or southeast Spitsbergen. The chances that a full Spitsbergen circumnavigation can be completed (based on our experiences from 1992 – 2019) are about 30% in the first half of July, 70% in the second half, 90% in the first half of August, and 95% in the second half.
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