Polar Bears & Wildlife of Spitsbergen
Overview
Location: Spitsbergen (Arctic Norway)
Destination: Spitsbergen Cruises
Starting at: $6,495
Description
A TravelWild Expeditions exclusive charter to Spitsbergen! Our primary focus is finding polar bears as we cruise along the pack ice—prime habitat for bears as they hunt seals. Along the way we'll spend ample time taking in other wildlife and the majestic Arctic scenery of glaciers, fjords and soaring mountains. Travel with a hand-picked group of naturalist leaders who know the wildlife and the areas we visit.
Contact us about this trip Share
Polar PioneerRates & Dates Prices are per person and shown in USD.
| TRIPLE SHARED | TWIN SHARED | TWIN PRIVATE | MINI SUITE | SUITE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 10, 2014 - Jul 20, 2014 | $6,495 | $7,195 | $8,195 | $9,295 | $10,795 |
Itinerary
Day 1
We begin our journey in Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen’s largest community. We embark the Polar Pioneer between 4 PM 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)
Days 2–10
These next nine 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)
Included
- 10-night chartered cruise of Spitsbergen on the Polar Pioneer as outlined in the itinerary
- All meals aboard the ship
- All land excursions by Zodiacs throughout the cruise
- Series of lectures and slide presentations througout the cruise
- TravelWild Expeditions naturalist guides
Highlights
- An exclusive, chartered TravelWild Expeditions cruise aboard the 54-passenger Polar Pioneer
- We'll spend additional time cruising along the pack ice edge where polar bears are most likely to be seen hunting and swimming
- An expedition staff comprised of highly-respected veteran naturalist leaders with decades of experience among them
- See a variety of Arctic wildlife including polar bears, walruses, reindeer, seals, whales and massive colonies of seabirds
- Extraordinary Arctic scenery of mountains, glaciers and rugged coastlines
- Formal and informal presentations from the naturalist staff both on the ship and in the field
PLEASE NOTE: Due to the nature of expedition cruising, itineraries are subject to change due to weather, ice conditions, natural and cultural events, wildlife viewing opportunities and other logistical considerations. In general, a ship's crew will endeavor to complete the itinerary provided, but the ultimate decision lies with the ship's captain and expedition leaders.