Spitsbergen in Depth
Cruise Highlights:
- Circumnavigate Spitsbergen, visiting outlying islands
- Experience a polar desert
- Sor Spitsbergen National Park
- Focus on sighting the full range of Svalbard wildlife
- Ny Alesund
- Monaco Glacier
At a glance
Duration: 14 Days, 13 Nights
Coverage: Roundtrip Longyearbyen
From: $5,790
Season: July
Activities: Birding, Zodiac Exploration, Wildlife
A 14-day in-depth Arctic adventure circumnavigating the big island
The best of Spitsbergen gets better because you have time to circle the big island and visit outlying smaller islands. Stroll a polar desert. Stand in awe while a polar bear cares for her cubs. Be amazed by the vistas and the adventure.
A 14-day in-depth Arctic adventure circumnavigating the big island of Spitsbergen. Landings are planned on smaller outlying islands. The cruise itinerary delivers the complete Svalbard experience. Tour magnificent fjords, cruise in Zodiacs past towering sea cliffs and encounter polar bears and walrus in their natural habitat.
Day-to-Day Itinerary
- Day 1 - Embarkation: Longyearbyen
-
Longyearbyen is a short flight from Oslo. Embark in the afternoon, with other adventurers as eager as you to experience all Spitsbergen has to offer - walrus and polar bear in the wild; a polar desert and small outlying islands.
- Day 2 - 14th of July Glacier
-
The first full day of this expedition itinerary is spent cruising the western coast of Spitsbergen. At the 14th of July Glacier, find tundra flowers in bloom. Ny Alesund is a research station, where indigenous Svalbard reindeer may be grazing. So keep your camera handy. Lilliehookbreen affords wonderful vistas from the ship's deck.
- Day 3 - Smeerenburg
-
At Smeerenburg, visit relics of the whaling industry. A tour of the former whaling station recounts the Dutch and Basque influences on the local community.
- Day 4 - Monacobreen
-
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 there. Later sail to Worsleyneset to hike and learn more about the human history of Svalbard. You may need a long lens approaching Moffen Island, a walrus sanctuary.
- Day 5 - Phippsoya
-
An archipelago within an archipelago, Seven Islands comprises the northernmost portion of Svalbard. They lie about 10 degrees from the North Pole. Ice seldom completely disappears from the islands during the Arctic summer. Polar bear and walrus exploit the ice. Visit an abandoned trapper's cabin and watch for wildlife.
- Day 6 - Vibubukta
-
At Vibubukta, you hike through a polar desert - a landscape completely different from any you have encountered previously during this cruise itinerary. Discover a skeleton of a whale 1 km (.62 miles) from shore. In the Hinlopen Strait, visit 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.
- Day 7 - Alkefjellet
-
Our goal today is to visit Alkefjellet on Spitsbergen's east side. With your binoculars scan the cliff face. Thick-billed Murres or Brunich Guillemots nest here 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. You have the opportunity to compare the polar desert and hiking experience of Sparraneset with that of Vibubkta today.
- Day 8 - Sundneset
-
The landscape changes once again, so ashore you hike, track birds, and learn of the life cycle of polar ponds and flowers. With luck, encounter more walrus. Luck does play a part, because these huge marine mammals are surprisingly shy.
- Day 9 - Diskobukta
-
Today, the goal is to visit a colony of Kittiwakes that have chosen to nest in a cavern. You approach at rising tide for the best view. The Zodiacs will be lowered for ocean-level cruises along the cliff face.
- Day 10 - Isbukta
-
There should be plenty of fast ice in July, which means you should be alert for seals and polar bears. Seals are the favorite food of the ice bears. The rare Ivory Gull is often seen near a polar bear kill, so you may add a sighting to your birding list.
- Day 11 - Brepollen
-
The glacier in the Brepollen area is spectacular and the waters below it are a favorite haunt of beluga- the white Arctic whale.
- Day 12 - Bourbanhamna
-
Visit an historic mine. Then hike the tundra and search for tiny flowers that bloom under the midnight sun.
- Day 13 - Alkhornet
-
North and west of Longyearbyen on the opposite shore of Isfjorden is Alkhornet. The summit is 428 meters (1400 feet). Murres, also known as Guillemots, nest in the mountain's cliff faces. There will be time to hike across the tundra, during today’s expedition itinerary.
- Day 14 - Longyearbyen
-
We'll transfer you to the ship after breakfast for your homeward flight. If you want to linger, we have a selection of packages so you can extend your stay.
Dates & Rates
| Akademik Ioffe | Categories | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Triple | Twin (Shared) | Twin (Semi-private) | Twin (Private) | Superior | Suite | Cook Suite |
| July 4 | Limited Availability, Please Call | ||||||
| July 27 | Limited Availability, Please Call | ||||||
| Akademik Sergey Vavilov | Categories | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Triple | Twin (Shared) | Twin (Semi-private) | Twin (Private) | Superior | Suite | Cook Suite |
| July 26 | Sold Out | $7,690 | $8,290 | $8,990 | $9,590 | $9,990 | Sold Out |
Included in Cruise Fare
- Shipboard accommodation with daily housekeeping
- Shipboard breakfasts, lunches and dinners
- Shore landings included in daily program
- Professional Expedition Leadership
- All Zodiac excursions and transfers included in daily program
- Formal and informal educational presentations by the Expedition Team
- Photographic Journal on DVD, documenting the voyage
- Loan of waterproof boots for the duration of the voyage
- An official Quark Expeditions parka to keep
- Coffee, tea, and cocoa available around the clock
- Hair dryer and bathrobes in each cabin
- Pre-departure material with map and a meticulously researched Arctic Reader
- All miscellaneous service taxes and port charges
- All shipboard luggage handling
- Emergency Evacuation Insurance to a maximum benefit of $100,000 per person
- Group transfer from a pre-arranged location in Longyearbyen to the ship on embarkation day
- Group transfer from the ship to the airport upon disembarkation
- When arrival is the day before embarkation, group transfer from the airport to a hotel.
Not Included in Cruise Fare
- Any airfare
- Passport and Visa Expenses
- Government arrival and departure taxes
- Meals ashore
- Baggage, cancellation and medical travel insurance
- Excess baggage charges
- Laundry, bar, beverage and other personal charges.
- Shipboard or land telecommunication charges
- Gratuities at voyage end for ship's crew, Hospitality or Expedition Team members
- Any overnight accommodation required due to flight connections.
Map
Ships
Akademik Ioffe
Finnish-built for the Russian Academy of Science, Akademik Ioffe was designed to travel quietly, during hydro-acoustic research. The vessel carries a maximum of 107 guests in a variety of cabin configurations. View ship details...
Akademik Sergey Vavilov
Finnish-built for the Russian Academy of Science, the Polar Adventure Ship Akademik Sergey Vavilov is designed to travel quietly, during hydro-acoustic research. This ship is exceptionally manoeuvrable and quick. The observation lounge and bar on the top deck is a comfortable place to meet and mingle. External stabilizers and a built-in trimming system provide exceptional stability. Akademik Sergey Vavilov, sister ship of Akademik Ioffe, has an ice-strengthened hull and a cruising speed in open water of 14.5 knots. View ship details...
Svalbard, A Guide to Plants of the High Arctic - by Stephen MacLean - $14.95