Welcome to Longyearbyen, considered to be the world’s northernmost town, administrative centre of Spitsbergen and the largest island of the Svalbard archipelago. Enjoy strolling around this former mining town, where there the parish church and Svalbard Museum make for fascinating attractions. The countryside may appear stark, but over a hundred species of plant have been recorded here. In the early evening, your ship will sail out of Isfjorden, where you might spot your first minke whale of the voyage.  

Sailing to Raudfjorden, on the north coast of Spitsbergen, you take in an expansive fjord today 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 spotting polar bears.

This small island was used for many years as a lookout point for Dutch whalers, and in fact we can still follow their tracks to the summit of the island. The remains of 17th-century blubber ovens can also be seen near about 200 graves. The north side of the island offers the rare opportunity to see puffins near their breeding places, and there is even a small colony of kittiwakes.

Weather permitting, today your ship will sail into Liefderfjorden and cruise within sight of the 5km long face of the precipitous Monaco Glacier. The waters in front of this glacier are a favourite 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, then an alternative route along the west coast of Spitsbergen will be implemented.

Sail into the pack ice outside the territorial waters of Svalbard, watching for polar bears and elusive Greenland (bowhead) whales. As you sail from 80 N to 76 N along and in the outer fringes of the ice edge, look for harp seals, hooded seals, polar bears, and migrating seabirds like little auks, Brünnich’s guillemots, and kittiwakes. 

Walruses sometimes haul out in Forlandsundet at Poolepynten. Alternatively, 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 disembark today in Longyearbyen, taking home memories that will last a lifetime.

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