Your journey begins with a flight from the United Kingdom to Oslo, where you’ll catch your onward flight to Longyearbyen.  

Longyearbyen is an intriguing frontier settlement on the island of Spitsbergen, where the 2,000 inhabitants are outnumbered by snowmobiles.  At the edge of Arctic wilderness, Longyearbyen is surprisingly cosmopolitan with a range of restaurants, pubs and galleries. Get a taste of life in this legendary Arctic frontier as you stroll the streets and admire its colourful buildings.

Longyearbyen is perfect for exploring on foot. After breakfast, stroll down the main street where you may see Svalbard reindeer or visit the North Pole Expedition Museum. Join an included excursion after lunch or try an optional electric bike, dogsledding or hiking tour.

Today you’ll discover the serenity of Ny-Ålesund and neighbouring fjords such as Krossfjord and Kongsfjord. Disconnect and enjoy a day without distractions as the Norwegian Mapping Authority’s nearby geodetic station means we must switch off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. 

One of the northernmost settlements and a former mining town, Ny-Ålesund was the starting point for Roald Amundsen’s expeditions north with the airship ‘Norge’. Now a hub for global science and climate research, you can still see remnants of the town’s history. 

Over the next three days, you'll explore the natural beauty and rugged tundra of Northwest Spitsbergen National Park. In this wilderness of steep mountains, stark glaciers and beautiful offshore islands, we’ll scan for animals of the Arctic – whales, seals, walruses and reindeer. If we’re lucky, we might even see the elusive polar bear hunting on the ice. In stunning Kongsfjord, you may see glaciers calving into the sea.

Be ready for adventure; we'll seize any opportunity to launch our kayaks or use our small expedition boats and go ashore to hike or participate in a beach clean-up.

If conditions allow, the ship will sail north and cross the 80th parallel to explore the ever-changing ice edge. The transition zone between the ice cap and the sea is a magical yet ephemeral place where the waters are filled with ice floes and drifting pack ice. From the ship there are great opportunities here for spotting wildlife, such as seals and walruses who lounge photogenically on the sparkling ice. And if the conditions are right, we’ll lower our expedition boats into the water and enjoy an unforgettable close-up experience amid the floating ice.  

The ice edge isn’t a fixed boundary, and it moves depending on the season and conditions, so visiting it will be an attempt rather than a certainty. From May to August, as summer progresses, it retreats further towards the pole, meaning it may be out of reach for the captain. If this is the case then you’ll instead explore the no-less-impressive deep fjords, mighty glaciers and enchanting scenery of the Svalbard coast. In late July and into August, this is a time when the wildflowers appear, blanketing the landscape with a blaze of beauty and colour. 

Be ready for anything as this stage of your journey is truly adventurous. If sea ice permits, we’ll venture across the frozen seascape of Eastern Spitsbergen. Heading south, we may explore Freemansundet and Kapp Lee, or take our small expedition boats to Edgeøya or Barentsøya.

In true expedition style, exactly where we’ll go will depend on the conditions on the day. Channel your inner explorer on exhilarating landings, hikes and kayak trips, and look out for wildlife like polar bears, walruses, guillemots and gulls. And if the ice doesn’t allow us to pass to the east, you’ll experience just as much adventure as we delve deeper into the wonders of western Svalbard. We’ll take a flexible route through deep fjords and by soaring mountains, seeking out remarkable Arctic wildlife.

Your expedition cruise continues south towards Hornsund – one of Svalbard’s most beautiful fjords. Rich, colourful vegetation makes way for towering mountains along this picturesque waterway. Head out on deck to spot seals and whales, Mount Hornsundtind, and glaciers calving into the sea. 

Then we head to snowcapped mountains of Bellsund, whose cliffs are home to large colonies of auks, guillemots and Northern Fulmars, along with Arctic foxes and Svalbard reindeer below. Look out for the early mining settlements here and learn about Wanny Woldstad, the first female trapper. 

Back in Longyearbyen, your Arctic cruise comes to an end. Exploring Svalbard creates memories for life, leaving you feeling enriched from wildlife encounters, insights in polar history and local geography.

Before your flight back to Oslo, you'll have time to discover more of Longyearbyen and do a spot of shopping – perhaps a warm Svalbard sweater. From Oslo, you’ll take a flight back to the United Kingdom.

Secure your space today by calling one of our Travel Specialists on 0203 196 1000