Arrive in Norway's 'Capital of the North' and transfer from the airport to the pier to embark Seabourn Venture for your Arctic expedition.

Experience nature's sheer, Arctic summer extravagance on a Zodiac cruise of Storstappen Islands teeming seabird cliffs. Then climb a flower-decked, stair-step path to the iconic North Cape, or choose to go by road. Later, toast the Cape and each other as you cruise by again at day's end en route to more Arctic adventures.

Get to know Seabourn Venture and your fellow adventurers as you cruise the Norwegian Sea, and meet the fascinating, experienced and accomplished members of your Expedition Tea, both in formal briefings and presentations in the Discovery Centre and in more casual conversations around the ship.

The towering, fotress-like cliffs and sea stacks of Bear Island greet you this morning with the sights and sounds of unccountable circling and nesting seabirds and intriguing sea caves and channels to explore by Zodiac. Later, move to the flat, lunar landscape nearer the Herwighamna weather station to meet its isolated cre.

The islands of Svalbard are eloquent evidence of nature's industry, scored and corrugated by glaciers that cover 60% of their mass. Stony, sentinel peaks soar above deeply carved fjords and sparkling bays. In summer, tundra vegetation thrives under the Midnight Sun. Migratory birds in their millions arrive to nest, breed and nurture their young on steep cliffs, shingle beaches and tundra meadows. Arctic foxes and predatory gulls haunt the nursery edges. Seals and walruses haul out to join the breeding season, and polar bears patrol the rocky shorelines and floating ice, while whales roll and breach and feed offshore. Riding in Zodiacs and paddling kayaks, observing from the deck and trekking the islands themselves, you will experience and explore this isolated, unspoiled and breathtakingly beautiful place, as it revels in the endless days of its short, exuberant summer.

Longyearbyen was named after the American industralist John Longyear, whose Arctic Coal Company initiated coal mining here in 1906. The seat of the Governer of Svalbard is located in a small tributary of the large Isfjorden. The towns 2,100 inhabitants live in one of the world's most northerly settlements, employed in a combination of coal mining, education and tourism. Disembark at Svalbard's capital and transfer to the airport for your flight to Oslo.

This cruise is selling fast! Secure your space today by calling one of our Travel Specialists on 0203 196 1000