Poseidon Expeditions - your polar cruise operator

Arctic / Svalbard & Polar Ice Edge / Best of Svalbard

HIGH ARCTIC EXPLORATION IN THE KINGDOM OF THE POLAR BEAR

Svalbard & Polar Ice Edge map route

Svalbard & Polar Ice Edge

Best of Svalbard

CALL NOW FOR THE BEST PRICE


FLIGHT TO LONGYEARBYEN INCLUDED *


Sorry, the date of the cruise has expired. Please see the next date in our brochure.

July 07, Longyearbyen (Svalbard)

July 17, Longyearbyen (Svalbard)

M/v Sea Spirit
114 Passengers

12 days

11 days

Sea Kayaking Photography

Dates days Activities Special Offers Rates from
Best of Svalbard
5 Jul - 16 Jul 2024
12 Sea Kayaking Photography US$ 9 195
per person
Request a quote
Best of Svalbard
15 Jun - 26 Jun 2025
12 Sea Kayaking Photography SUPER EARLY BIRD SAVINGS US$ 8 895
US$ 7 561
per person
Request a quote
Best of Svalbard
25 Jun - 6 Jul 2025
12 Sea Kayaking Photography SUPER EARLY BIRD SAVINGS US$ 8 895
US$ 7 561
per person
Request a quote
Svalbard Through the Camera Lens
25 Jun - 7 Jul 2024
13 Photography US$ 9 595
per person
Request a quote

Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival in Longyearbyen, Svalbard (hotel night)

Welcome to Longyearbyen, the administrative center of Svalbard and starting point of our Arctic expedition! At the Longyearbyen airport, you will be greeted by our staff and transferred to the hotel, which has been arranged by us and is included in the price of the itinerary. You will then be free to explore the charming, walkable town center.

We recommend starting your discovery of this fascinating Norwegian High Arctic territory at the excellent Svalbard Museum, where you can also purchase hard-to-find polar books and maps. Afterward, you can enjoy an excellent dinner at one of Longyearbyen’s many delightful restaurants. If you are still awake at midnight, you will notice the sun has not set. In fact, the sun will not set for the entire duration of our time in Svalbard.

Day 2: Welcome Aboard!

After breakfast at your hotel, the morning is yours to enjoy Longyearbyen. Take in the views of icy fjords and glaciated mountains surrounding this historic former coal-mining town. Take advantage of shopping for souvenirs or some last-minute necessities such as cold-weather gear. Just remember, you will soon receive your very own parka to keep and waterproof boots to borrow on board the ship. For lunch, Longyearbyen offers quick and easy meal options including the most northerly pizzas and kebabs in the world.

In the afternoon, you will be transferred to the pier where we will warmly welcome you aboard the deluxe expedition vessel M/V Sea Spirit. Get settled in your spacious suite and explore the ship that will be your comfortable home during the extraordinary adventure to come. After getting underway, a full schedule of events kicks off with informative briefings and introductions from your expedition staff. After the first of many delicious dinners on board, step out onto the open decks to admire the gorgeous scenery in 24-hour daylight as we pass through the wildlife-rich waters of Isfjorden.

Day 3-11: Svalbard and Polar Ice Edge

The goal for this voyage is a circumnavigation of Spitsbergen, the largest island of the Svalbard archipelago. Along the way, we hope to experience the many facets of this incredible High Arctic territory. Our exact schedule and route will be shaped by weather and ice. We also expect there will be enough sea ice around to support ice-dependent animals such as polar bears and walrus.

During this voyage, we expect to encounter significant sea ice concentrations in the enormous Northwest Svalbard Nature Reserve. In this remote and isolated region, ice can persist very late into the summer, giving it a truly polar character. This reserve covers the rugged northwestern parts of Spitsbergen and the entirety of Nordaustlandet, the second largest island in Svalbard. Here we find the massive Austfonna ice cap, part of which meets the sea along the 45-kilometer ice cliff known as Bråsvellbreen—one of the great wonders of the Arctic world. The polar desert environment supports little in the way of vegetation but hosts prodigious numbers of seabirds at breeding sites such as the spectacular sea cliffs of Alkefjellet. The probability of encountering polar bears and walrus in this icy wilderness is very high.

Also on our route is Northwest Spitsbergen National Park, the crown jewel of Svalbard’s scenic wonders. Here we find deep fjords flanked by serrated mountain peaks and immense tidewater glaciers calving icebergs into turquoise waters. The whole area is alive with migratory Arctic seabirds. On this voyage, we are just in time to witness the return of millions of murres, guillemots and little auks to the small islands, mountainsides and sea cliffs where they breed within the park. This is also a great area to encounter marine mammals, including various kinds of whales and Arctic seals. Set among this incredible scenery and wildlife activity, we also find evidence of Svalbard’s earliest sealers and whalers.

Human habitation along our route can be found at Ny Ålesund, a former mining town and airship base that is now home to an international community of Arctic researchers. This is one of the world’s most northerly settlements where we find a gift shop and a post office. We also visit a famous airship mast that was a starting point of the North Pole expeditions by Umberto Nobile and Roald Amundsen. This place played an important part in the history of polar exploration.

The ambitious Svalbard and Polar Ice Edge route offers a comprehensive view of the Arctic’s many faces. Every day offers something new and exciting. We will not miss a single opportunity to encounter amazing Arctic wildlife, to witness incredible polar scenery, and to walk in the footsteps of historic expeditions that came before.

Day 12: Disembarkation in Longyearbyen, Svalbard

After filling up with one last buffet breakfast on board, we bid you farewell in Longyearbyen. We provide transfers to the airport and flight to Oslo. By this time, you may already be making plans for your next amazing trip with us into the polar worlds!

Important:

Itinerary, landings and all other activities during the cruise depend strongly on ice and weather conditions and are subject to the decisions of the Expedition Leader and the Captain of the vessel. Encounters with any mentioned wildlife cannot be guaranteed.

Rates Include:

  • Flight from Longyearbyen to Oslo;
  • 1 pre-voyage night on Day 1 in Radisson Blu Polar Hotel Spitsbergen in Longyearbyen;
  • Group transfer from the airport to the hotel on Day 1;
  • Group transfer to the ship for embarkation on Day 2;
  • Shipboard accommodation;
  • All meals on board throughout the voyage;
  • Tea and coffee station 24 hours daily;
  • All scheduled landings/excursions (subject to weather and ice conditions);
  • Leadership throughout the voyage by our experienced Expedition Leader & Expedition Team;
  • Branded Poseidon Expeditions parka;
  • Rubber boots for shore landings for the time of the cruise;
  • Welcome and Farewell cocktails;
  • All port fees;
  • Group transfer to airport or central location upon disembarkation;
  • Pre-departure materials;
  • Digital Voyage Log;
  • Wi-Fi on board.

Rates Do Not Include:

  • Airfare to Longyearbyen;
  • Transfers from the airport to the hotel if arriving prior to Day 1 of the program;
  • Visa and passport fees (if applicable);
  • Luggage and trip cancellation insurance;
  • Soft drinks and alcoholic beverages other than those for special events and celebrations;
  • Personal expenses such as laundry and telecommunication charges;
  • Mandatory Emergency Evacuation Insurance to a minimum benefit of US$ 200,000 per person;
  • Kayaking;
  • The cost of any applicable medical tests (such as COVID-19) or vaccinations required either by a national government or Poseidon Expeditions before, during or after the cruise;
  • Staff gratuities.

Adventure options

/

Kayaking fee $655 - A$885 - £505 - €625

Sea Kayak Club is typically offered on voyages that include High Arctic destinations such as Greenland, Svalbard (Spitsbergen), Franz Josef Land, or a combination of these thrilling places. Experience calving glaciers in Svalbard, cathedral-like icebergs in Greenland, or labyrinthine expanses of sea ice in the Arctic Ocean, all from our sturdy and stealthy sea kayaks. Join us for an unscripted kayaking adventure as we explore rugged coastlines and remote waters that very few people have ever paddled.

/

Free option

The Polar Regions are perhaps the most photogenic on earth, with countless beautiful scenes presenting themselves every day. Endless expanses of ice, beaches crowded with seals or penguins, sunsets over unbroken horizons, starlit skies, and even the majestic northern lights – they all present fantastic photographic opportunities – and in order to make sure that you come home with some spectacular images we offer you the chance to learn and practice your photography alongside an experienced professional.

Our expert Photographer will be on hand to answer your questions and give advice, both in the form of on-board lectures and workshops on shore. Explore the key elements of photography in a fun and relaxed setting, with plenty of opportunities for questions and feedback. Learn how to see light in a new way and experiment with the techniques of composition and framing.


request a quote

Cabin:

Date:

Duration:

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Articles

/

Arctic Whaling: A Historic Synopsis

Commercial Whaling in the Arctic is reported to have begun in the 1730’s, as Dutch and English explorers...

/

Pomors – Pioneers of Arctic Exploration

Nowadays people travel in the Arctic aboard massive icebreakers with reinforced hulls. But it wasn’t...

/

Growing threat for polar bears

Polar bears are, at least in their image in the popular imagination, among the cutest, cuddliest...

/

Global warming: for good or ill

The concept of global warming, or climate change, has become a point of contention among scientists,...

/

Did you know that…?

The area of the Arctic is almost 3 times the size of Europe and is about 27 million km². For a long...

This website uses cookies to improve user experience. By using our website you consent to all cookies in accordance with our Cookie Policy. Read more