OEX North Spitsbergen Explorer: Into the Pack Ice, Polar Bear Special - 8 days | Polar Frontiers

North Spitsbergen, Polar Bear Special, June

North Spitsbergen Explorer: Into the Pack Ice, Polar Bear Special

From

US$4,800 ^{per person}

Dates

Jun
Duration

8 Days
Ships
Ortelius
Embark

Longyearbyen, Svalbard
Disembark

Longyearbyen, Svalbard

Routes
Activities
Dates & rates
What's included

Routes

Depart

Route Information

Embark: Longyearbyen, Svalbard

Disembark: Longyearbyen, Svalbard

Destinations: Raudfjord, Liefdefjorden and the Monaco Glacier, the pack ice north of Svalbard and the Seven Islands at 80 degrees north, the continental shelf edge west of Spitsbergen, Forlandsundet and Alkhornet or Ymerbukta, subject to ice and weather.

Ships: Ortelius.

Duration: 8 days, 7 nights.

Day-by-day itinerary

Day 1 Longyearbyen

Arrive in Longyearbyen, Svalbard’s small capital, with time for the Svalbard Museum and the little church before the ship slips out of Isfjorden in the early evening, a minke whale often marking the way.

Days 2 - 7 North Spitsbergen and the pack ice

Six expedition days work the remote north, shaped throughout by ice. Raudfjord opens the voyage with tidewater glaciers, ringed and bearded seals and busy seabird cliffs, in country where polar bears hunt along the fast ice. In Liefdefjorden the ship cruises before the Monaco Glacier, its face alive with feeding kittiwakes. From here the route commits to the ice: the ship pushes north beyond Nordaustlandet towards the Seven Islands at 80 degrees north and noses into the pack, then drifts with it, engines quiet, amid the leads where polar bears hunt seals. Turning back down the west coast, the ship follows the continental shelf edge where fin and minke whales forage in the upwelling, before a final call in Forlandsundet or at Alkhornet, where seabirds crowd the cliffs and Arctic foxes and reindeer work the tundra below.

Day 8 Longyearbyen

The ship berths at Longyearbyen in the early morning and bus transfers to the airport are provided. As always in Svalbard, ice, weather and wildlife set the programme under AECO rules, and the expedition leader has the final word.

Activities

Zodiac Cruising

Aboard a sturdy inflatable, you sit just above the waterline as your guide noses among brash ice and towering bergs. It is the closest encounter with the polar world, seals hauled out nearby, a whale surfacing, the deep quiet broken only by cracking ice.

Hiking

Explore remote landscapes on foot, with guided hikes available for all ability levels—from relaxed walks to more challenging routes for experienced hikers.

Dates & rates

Dates

Jun 9 - Jun 16, 2027
Start/End

Longyearbyen, Svalbard
Ship

Ortelius
Price from (per person)

US$4,800

Quad Porthole

Guests

4, Two upper + two lower berths
Size

16m²
Deck

3

Price from (per person)

US$4,800

Triple Porthole

Guests

3, 2 lower berths & 1 upper
Size

12m²
Deck

2

Price from (per person)

US$5,950

Twin Porthole

Guests

2, Twin
Size

13.3-16m²
Deck

3

Price from (per person)

US$6,650

Twin Window

Guests

2, Twin
Size

12.1-14.3m²
Deck

4

Price from (per person)

US$7,200

Twin Deluxe

Guests

2, Twin
Size

19.4-21.3m²
Deck

6

Price from (per person)

US$7,700