Realm of the Polar Bear In Depth – M/V Greg Mortimer

Over View

Revel in the diversity of the Svalbard Island and sail into the kingdom of the polar bear. We explore the coastline, with no open sea crossings, against a backdrop of spectacular glacier-covered peaks. We discover deep fjords in the west; mysterious, fossil-rich desert plains in the east and best of all, seals and whales in the Arctic pack ice. This voyage offers the best chance for seeing reindeers and polar bears and features wildflower walks across sweeping tundra, trapper camps and historic sites. On foot and by Zodiac, we visit abandoned whaling settlements, search for walrus, Arctic fox and reindeer and observe millions of migratory birds, including little auks, guillemots and puffin.

See the mighty polar bear – the King of the Arctic
Visit the bird cliffs of Alkfejellet – where thousands of Brunnich’s guillemots swirl around
See walruses – lounging around on ice floes
Get up close to the wildlife – as you cruise by Zodiac

Itinerary

Day 1 Depart Longyearbyen

Enjoy a guided tour of colourful Spitsbergen’s capital, Longyearbyen. You will be warmly welcomed aboard your ship in the late afternoon. After settling into your cabin, we will depart Longyearbyen in the evening, under the Midnight Sun.

Day 2 Visit Magdalenefjorden

Wake up to spectacular alpine peaks and glacier valleys of Spitsbergen’s rugged west coast. Over the next two days, we hope to visit Magdalenefjorden, where we will Zodiac cruise at a safe distance from the aqua-blue ice cliffs of the 14th July Glacier. Moving onto Waggonway Glacier, we’ll take long walks among summer flowers, keeping alert for reindeer and Arctic fox. Thanks to the nutrient-rich Gulf Stream and relatively mild temperatures, Atlantic puffins and guillemots fill the cliffs.

Day 3 Explore Spitsbergen’s Northwest Coast

Look out for bearded seals, with their precious curled whiskers. If conditions allow, we may visit the remains of a 350-year old Dutch whaling settlement on Amsterdam Island and learn of an ill-fated ballooning attempt over the North Pole. Our itinerary depends on weather, snow and ice conditions and of course, the presence of wildlife.

Day 4 Explore Spitsbergen’s Northwest Coast

Rounding Spitsbergen’s northwest coast, we enter the Arctic Ocean and the world of pack ice. Ghostly beluga whales rise up in open leads and polar bears stalk ringed, bearded and harp seals. Offshore, walruses feed on clams or haul out onto beaches, especially on Moffen Island – a walrus sanctuary. We visit trapper huts and stay alert for reindeer and Arctic fox. Delightful walks reveal delicious berries and some of the tundra’s 164 exquisite flowering plants including purple saxifrage, yellow spider plants and Svalbard poppies. If ice conditions allow, we attempt to cross latitude 80 north before turning south to Woodfjorden.

Day 5 Explore Spitsbergen’s Northwest Coast

In Leifdefjorden, you can enjoy an abundance of birdlife ;- breeding eider ducks, terns, skuas, glaucous gulls and black-legged kittiwakes, attract polar bears and their cubs.

Day 6 Explore Spitsbergen’s Northwest Coast

With 24-hour daylight, there’s plenty of time to admire many of the tundra’s 164 species of flowering plants, including purple saxifrage, exquisite yellow spider plants and Svalbard poppies.

Day 7 Discover Hinlopen Strait and Alkefjellt

We attempt to pass through narrow Hinlopen Strait, a channel flanked by austere, cream-coloured slopes, rich in fossils between Spitsbergen and ice-capped Nordaustlandet. This polar desert is a landscape eroded by severe frost. Even in summer, pack ice could bar our way, but there is much to strive for. We Zodiac cruise beneath Alkefjellet, sheer basalt cliffs rising at more than 250 metres – literally buzzing with some 200,000 nests of Brunnich’s guillemots.

Day 8 Discover Hinlopen Strait and Alkefjellt

During shore excursions, we hope to spot eider ducks, Arctic foxes and the elusive Svalbard ptarmigan. As we pass Barentsya and Edgeya islands, we cross polar bear migration routes and hopefully have a chance to spot polar bears.

Day 9 Cruising around South Cape

This is true expedition cruising, where plans are dictated by ice conditions and our desire to explore. If pack ice allows, we round South Cape, returning to the world of open water and rugged coastal mountains and sail north toward Hornsund and Bellsund, deep fjords with remarkable glaciers and wildlife.

Day 10 Sail towards Hornsund and Bellsund Fjords

If ice stops us on the east side, we will adjust our itinerary, backtrack and delve deeper into the wonders of Spitsbergen’s north and west coasts, including a visit to colonies where hundreds of thousands of little auks nest, darkening the sky as they commute to their fishing grounds.

Day 11 Arrive Longyearbyen

A midnight cruise of glorious Isfjorden returns us to Longyearbyen where we end our voyage.