EAST SPITSBERGEN – HOME OF THE POLAR BEAR
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8 DAYS
ITINERARY SUMMARY
| Day | Place | Highlights |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Longyearbyen | Stroll around this former mining town, visit the church and Svalbard Museum before embarking |
| Day 2 | Hornsund | 14 magnificent glaciers in the area, chance to encounter seals and polar bears, nearby cliffs of Sofiakammen are home to an abundance of bird life |
| Day 3 | Northwest Edgeoya | Harp seals, grazing reindeer, cliff with nesting black guillemots, walruses |
| Day 3 | Northwest Edgeoya | Stroll around this former mining town, church, Svalbard Museum, embark |
| Day 4 | Freemansundet | Visit the hut of a German scientific expedition from sixty years ago, search for Spitsbergen reindeer and barnacle geese, cruise near Freeman Glacier, visit a kittiwake colony |
| Day 6 | South Spitsbergen | Land at the mountain of Stellingfjellet, near the largest colony of Brünnich’s guillemots in Spitsbergen |
| Day 7 | Bell Sund | Excellent opportunities to enjoy both history and wildlife - beluga skeletons and maybe a live pod, reindeer, little auks |
| Day 5 | Agardhfjellet | Walk to breeding places for ivory gulls which stands about 300 meters high, fossils of belemnites and ammonites |
| Day 8 | Longyearbyen | Disembark in the early morning |
Ship Offering This Itinerary
Ortelius
The Ortelius was originally the Marina Svetaeva. Built in Gdynia, Poland in 1989, it served as a special-purpose vessel for the Russian Academy of Science. Later it was re-flagged and renamed after the Dutch/Flemish cartographer Abraham Ortelius, who in 1570 published the first modern world atlas: Theatrum Orbis Terrarum or Theatre of the World. The Ortelius can accommodate 108 guests and has an abundance of open-deck spaces for watching wildlife and the impressive scenery as you sail past. She also has the highest ice-class notation (UL1, equivalent to 1A) making her perfect for polar expeditions.
Day 1 Longyearbyen
Touch down in Longyearbyen, the administrative center of Spitsbergen, the largest island of the Svalbard archipelago. Enjoy strolling around this former mining town, whose parish church and Svalbard Museum make for fascinating attractions.
Though the countryside appears stark, more than a hundred species of plant have been recorded in it. In the early evening the ship sails out of Isfjorden, where you might spot the first minke whale of your voyage.
Day 2 Hornsund
Start the day by quietly cruising the side fjords of the spectacular Hornsund area in southern Spitsbergen, enjoying the scenery of towering mountain peaks. The mountain of Hornsundtind rises to 1,431 meters, while the peak of Bautaen testifies to why early Dutch explorers gave this island the name Spitsbergen, meaning “pointed mountains.”
There are 14 magnificent glaciers in the area, and we have a fair chance of encountering seals and polar bears.
The nearby cliffs of Sofiakammen are also home to thousands of pairs of nesting kittiwakes and little auks, and in the evening, you might see thousands of harp seals rutting on ice floes at Sørkapp.
Long hike – If conditions permit, land at Treskelodden, then walk from Treskelen to Adriabukta. From there, walk west to Hyrneodden and north to the glacier in Wibewika (about 16 km), where you will be picked up.
Day 3 Northwest Edgeoya
After navigating the drift ice of Storfjorden, where you may see harp seals, land in northwest Edgeøya at the northern bank of Rosenberdalriver. Here on the raised beach, walk to Rosenbergdalen, which is teeming with grazing reindeer.
Afterward, walk by a cliff with nesting black guillemots on your way to Stretehamna, where a herd of walruses may be found on the beach near an octagonal trapper’s cabin built in 1905.
Also see the remains of a 19th-century Pomor house as well as the bones of walruses hunted in previous centuries.
Long hike – If conditions permit, land at Blankoddden, near a large kittiwake colony in a beautiful canyon, then walk north along the coast to Kapp Lee (about 20 km) or to the south side of Rosenbergdalen (about 17 km), where you will be picked up.
Day 4 Freemansundet
Sailing into the waterway of Freemansundet, land at the tundra lowland of Sundneset, on the island of Barentsøya.
Here, visit the hut of a German scientific expedition (Würzbugerhütte) from sixty years ago, then take a brisk walk across the tundra in search of Spitsbergen reindeer and barnacle geese. After that, Zodiac cruise near Freeman Glacier and visit a kittiwake colony in a canyon close by.
In case of heavy ice in Freemandundet, however, you will instead sail to Negribreen, one of the most extensive glacier fronts on the east side of Spitsbergen. Here, take a Zodiac cruise and land on Walrus Island, which became ice-free at the end of last century.
Long hike – If conditions permit, land in Barentsøya, near small lakes with wildfowl and waders, then walk east along the coast of Barentsøya to Freemanbreen. After about 10 km, you will pass a colony of kittiwakes. After another 10 km walk, you will be picked up at the west side of Freemanbreen. This is a good area to spot polar bears.
Day 5 Agardhfjellet
Today, sail to the east side of west Spitsbergen (west side of Storfjorden).
Here, walk to breeding places for ivory gulls in Agardhfjellet, which stands about 300 meters high.
The valley leading to the outcrops that house the nests is littered with fossils of belemnites and ammonites.
Day 6 South Spitsbergen
Today, land at the mountain of Stellingfjellet, near the largest colony of Brünnich’s guillemots in Spitsbergen. Later in the day, make landings at the rarely visited coast of south Spitsbergen, at the bay of Isbukta.
Day 7 Bell Sund
Continue your voyage in Bell Sund, one of the largest fjord systems in Svalbard. The ocean currents make this area slightly warmer than other areas in the archipelago, which shows in the relatively lush vegetation.
Here there are excellent opportunities to enjoy both history and wildlife.
A possibility is Ahlstrandhalvøya, at the mouth of Van Keulenfjorden, where piles of beluga skeletons can be found. These remains of 19th-century whale slaughter are a haunting reminder of the consequences of rampant exploitation. Fortunately, belugas were not hunted into extinction, and you have a good chance of coming across a pod.
Alternately, while cruising the side fjords of Bellsund, explore tundra where reindeer like to feed as well as rock slopes where little auks are breeding.
Long hike – If conditions permit, land at Recherchelagune and walk along the eastern shore of Recherchefjord, by Laegerneset (17th century whaling station). The goal is to reach Ahlstrandhalvøya, and from there to Ingebrigtsenbukta. If need be, Zodiacs can help you at the mouth of the river.
Day 8 Longyearbyen
Every adventure, no matter how grand, must eventually come to an end. You disembark in Longyearbyen, taking home memories that will accompany you wherever your next adventure lies.