Arctic Cruises - Spitsbergen
Thursday 14th to Monday 25th August 2008
AA8041-02
We
are again including in our programme, cruises to the Arctic and Antarctic in
association with Oceanwide Expeditions. Oceanwide Expeditions have been
operating Arctic and Antarctic voyages for about 17 years. Using small,
ice-strengthened vessels allows safe circumnavigation through pack ice and
narrow channels and restricts capacity to around 50 passengers, which offers a
comfortable, friendly and intimate atmosphere.This is a marvellous 10-night cruise to Spitsbergen, in the High Arctic aboard the “Professor Molchanov”. Our journey will take us around Spitsbergen to experience a fantastic landscape and a wondrous array of arctic wildlife.
Spitsbergen, which is the largest island of the Svalbard Archipelago, is said to be the most romantic of all the arctic sites in Europe, perhaps conceived by it’s evocative name and it’s reputation of being a genuine wilderness.
Trips ashore by zodiac will reveal that it is a truly exciting Arctic destination that has fascinating landscapes, with birds and mammals to match. In a land of “The Midnight Sun” having 24 hours of daylight in summer, we can experience a superb variety of seabirds and other wildlife, with an excellent chance of seeing Polar Bears and Walruses. We may also witness some superb images created by sunlight at the end of a day, sunlit mountain peaks and an orange/pink-coloured ocean and also marvellous fjord and glacial scenery.
Longyearbyen – the administrative capital of Spitsbergen, is where the cruise begins and where we may experience our first bird species – Glaucous Gull, Arctic Tern, Ptarmigan and Snow Bunting are all possible. Ice and weather conditions will dictate which direction (clockwise or anti-clockwise) we circumnavigate Svalbard. Whichever direction is chosen, we will experience the majestic wildlife and diverse topography of snow-capped mountains, glaciers, ice flows, fjords, canyons, sheer basalt cliffs and lush tundra.
Kongsfjorden (Kings Bay) is one of the few places we may see Razorbills and Atlantic Puffins. We may visit the historic and most northerly settlement in the world - Ny Alesund, where we may see Barnacle & Pink-footed Geese, Common Eiders, Grey Phalaropes, Arctic Skuas and Arctic Foxes. There are many phenomenal seabird cities and amidst sheer cliffs, canyons and basalt pillars such as Alkefjellet & Hornsund, are massive colonies of Brünnich’s Guillemots and Little Auks. At some of these sites one may at times witness the dexterity of Arctic Foxes as they attempt to steal the birds eggs and young.
The are a number of locations – particularly in the east, including Moffen Island, Storoya and Edgeoya - that are excellent for Polar Bears, Walruses, Harp, Ringed and Bearded Seals. If we are lucky we may see breeding Sabine’s Gulls on or near Moffen Island. At sea we may come into contact with cetaceans such as Minke & Beluga Whales and perched on ice flows could be Ivory Gulls.
Itinerary:
Day 1: Fly from UK to Oslo for an overnight stay. (It may be possible to fly from UK regional airports)
Days 2-11: Fly from Oslo to Longyearbyen and embark on the Professor Molchanov for our 10-nights cruise.
Day 12: This morning we disembark at Longyearbyen and catch our return flight to UK via Oslo.