Svalbard Photography Tour II

Itinerary

What makes this tour special is that it will have a “flexible” schedule, meaning if we find polar bears we can stay with them to maximize photography opportunities. Travel with a small group on a very comfortable and welcoming boat, and go off the beaten path to remote locations that the 50-200 passenger cruise ships cannot travel to.

As with all wildlife, polar bears are not guaranteed. This trip is weather and ice dependent. Each year is different. This is a great opportunity for anyone who has always wanted to visit this region of the world.

Friday, June 21 (D)

Arrive in Longyearbyen, Norway. Transfer to the M/S Sjøveien mid-afternoon to board the ship and head north to begin our polar expedition!

Note for OSL-LYR flights: Group will embark M/S Sjøveien at 6:00pm.

Saturday, June 22 – Sunday, June 30 – 10 nights on M/S Sjøveien (B, L, D)

Spitsbergen is the largest island in the Svalbard archipelago in the Arctic Ocean, north of Norway. Very mountainous, the island of Spitsbergen (which means ‘pointed mountain’), presents all the characteristics of the polar environment. It offers stunning panoramas, gigantic glaciers plunging into the sea, steep mountains, and also flowering plains and welcoming tundras. It is home to a very diverse arctic fauna: polar bears, bearded seals, walruses, reindeer, polar foxes, whales (belugas and minke), as well as many birds such as common eiders, Arctic terns, puffins , Guillemots, mergules, bunches, geese, ivory gulls, and phalaropes.

Every day we will be in a different place, sailing along the coast with many stops to the north of the island. Apart from the first and last day, our sailings will consist of zodiac landings of a few hours, sometimes lengthened by encounters with bears, whales, or seals. We will spend our nights anchored at the foot of the glaciers or in beautiful, peaceful bays.

Notes from Tanya
We have been to Svalbard with groups on very small boats and a mid-size ship; there are positives and negatives to both options. Dan and I believe, based on our experience, chartering our own boat is the best way to have flexibility. We can adjust our schedule anytime during our journey based on what we encounter and where. We will have access to some areas large ships cannot explore.

Remember, June in Svalbard is land of the midnight sun, long days to look for bears. Our goal is to search for bears. However, it would be nice to find other wildlife and birds along the way too. We will make decisions daily based on the group’s input and adjust the schedule depending on what everyone wants to see. We will also base our decisions on the captain’s experience, his contacts with other ships, weather, and ice conditions. We want guests to be willing to put in the time to look for bears and have patience along with understanding that finding bears is not always easy or guaranteed.

Monday, July 1 (B)

Disembark the M/S Sjøveien for our return flight home in the evening. Please book domestic flights as shown in the Flights To Book section to ensure you remain with the group for transfers.

SCROLL DOWN TO SEE GALLERIES FROM EXPLORERS ON PAST SVALBARD TRIPS.