Day 1 - Longyearbyen and Barentsburg
The voyage starts in the Norwegian settlement often referred to as the capital of Svalbard. Here you’ll find all amenities of a modern small town – situated in a fantastic Arctic landscape. The history of Longyearbyen is very much the history coal mining and heritage from the first mining can be seen everywhere. The museum in Longyearbyen is very much worth a visit as it will give you a good background of what you are about to experience in real life.
Barentsburg
Our first stop on the voyage is the Russian settlement of Barentsburg. Svalbard is Norwegian sovereign land, however, due to the Svalbard Treaty of 1920 all signatory states have equal right to establish themselves with activity in Svalbard. This Russian “company town” has existed since 1935, but you can go back even further in time and find history of coal exploration in Grønfjorden (Green Harbour) where Barentsburg is situated. The town is constructed around the entrance of the coal mine and you will find an exotic collection of old Russian artefacts and architecture.
Day 2 - Hornsund
Welcome to another beautiful day in the Arctic. The relatively small fjord in South Spitsbergen National Park is a place that has a long tradition in the Hurtigruten history. The old Hurtigruten steamer D/S Lyngen had scheduled stops here to serve trappers in this area. This used to be a stronghold for the trappers that concentrated on Polar Bear hunting up until 1973 when the polar
bear hunt was prohibited in all Arctic countries with an exempt for indigenous peoples that had a thousand year old tradition to refer to. The landscape of Hornsund is largely alpine with the majestic Hornsundtinden soaring highest of
all. Another very special mountain is Bautaen or in English; the Obelisk, which, seen from the right angle looks like a giant Viking sword. Let your imagination run while spending the day in these extraordinary surroundings.
Day 3 - Bellsund
We wake up in Bellsund and make a landing, on either Ahlstrands peninsula or in Calypsobyen. After lunch we sail towards the beautiful Vårsolbukta. Vårsolbukta is named after the motor cutter “Vaarsol” that was used by the Norwegian Svalbard Expedition in 1914. In the afternoon we sail north towards Kongsfjorden.
Day 4 - Kongsfjorden
Or Kings Bay is the largest fjord on the North West coast of Spitsbergen. A large side fjord called Krossfjorden may be visited as well this day. The landscape varies from large tundra plains to alpine peaks with dramatic glaciers bouncing into the ocean. Look out for the mountain called Mitra – named after the catholic bishops hat – you will see it on the northern shores of the entrance of Kongsfjorden. In the end of the fjord you see the majestic Kongsbreen (Kings Glacier) with the three characteristic nunataks: Nora, Dana and Svea – named after the three Scandinavian countries.
Ny-Ålesund
At 78º 55' N, Ny-Ålesund is one of the world’s northermost year-round communities. Previously a Coal mining community, now an advanced High Arctic research station. In the heroic age of exploration Ny Ålesund was the starting point for numerous expeditions towards the North Pole. Names like Amundsen, Ellsworth and Nobile are strongly linked to this place and you can still, today, see the airship mast that the dirigible ”Norge” was moored to before her departure on the first trans-polar flight. A number of countries run their own national research stations here, and research activity is high in the summer.
Moffen
This high latitude islet, above the 80th parallel is a walrus haul out and a bird sanctuary. The atoll-like shape with a lake in the middle made it perfect for the early whalers as it served as a safe harbour in foul weather.
Day 5 - Woodfjorden and Liefdefjorden
These large fjords in North Spitsbergen is striking in its varied landscape – from the largest flat plain in Svalbard; Reisdyrsflya (the reindeer plain) to red stone, devoninan geology, remnants of volcanoes and even the northernmost warm spring on earth. The day will be spent cruising towards the Monaco glacier, passion a number of small islets where eider ducks nest during the summer. If
we are lucky we are spotting a polar bear searching for eggs here. Be on the lookout for the arched back of the occasional minke whale or the sunbathing bearded seal on iceflows close to the glacier front.
Day 6 - North West Spitsbergen National Park
In local slang called the North West Corner, this area, scattered as it is with islands, fjords and beaches has a long history of exploration. When Willhelm Barentz first found Svalbard in 1596, this was the land he first saw. The name he gave to this new land was Spitzbergen, reflecting the sharp and steep mountains in the area.
Magdalenefjorden
Magdalenefjorden is one of the fjords that we aim at visiting. Here you’ll experience a very important cultural heritage; a whaling station from the 16th century, including a graveyard of whalers that died during the first “oil adventure”.
Day 7 - Isfjorden
In central Spitsbergen, Isfjorden is the most prominent fjord system in Svalbard. We will spend the day exploring both the outer and the inner parts. One of the most prominent mountains in the outer part is Alkhornet, where thousands of Brunnich Guillemots are nesting during the summer season. In the inner parts of Isfjorden the landscape is changing. Large U-valleys, carved out of the giant glaciers that covered the area some ten thousand years ago are home to large populations of the endemic Svalbard Reindeer and the sedimentary geology rising hundreds of meters out of the ocean are just perfect graphs of geological history. This day, our intent is to find a scenic fjord arm and arrange a farewell barbecue in the most beautiful Arctic surroundings.
Day 8 - Longyearbyen
Every good explorer voyage comes to an end. You will probably have a strange feeling of time having passed faster than you expected, however, the number of awesome experiences feels impossible to have happened in such a short time. Bring back the memory of that solitary polar bear, the calving glacier front or the buzzing birdlife – or simply the subtle, odd feeling of having spent time on top of the globe, just a few hundred kilometres from the Geographical North Pole.