Expand All | Collapse All  Day 1. Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen, embarkation.Your independent arrival to Longyearbyen is followed by embarkation the ice-strengthened vessel “Polaris” and… our Arctic expedition starts with an independent exploration of the ship – shouldn’t we know more of our floating home for the next 10 days?...
In the evening it’s time to meet our Expedition staff members and crew officers; the presentation of the staff is followed by instructions on zodiac activities – welcome to a Real Expedition.  Day 2. Krossfjord, Spitsbergen.You shouldn’t wait long to demonstrate your zodiac theoretic skills: the same day we plan to have zodiac tour to the sparkling 14th of July Glacier at Krossfjord. Weather permits we’ll land right onto the glacier for a great walking tour. Day 3. Kvitoya Island, Spitsbergen.If the weather is on our side today we’ll try landing on Kvitoya Island. It is almost completely ice-covered (White Island) and belongs to the Northeast Svalbard Nature Reserve. On the ice-free parts there are moss beds which can be very colorful. Arctic terns and some other birds breed here. Polar bears and walrus are frequent visitors in this area.
In the evening we are leaving the archipelago and heading for Victoria Island. Day 4. Victoria Island.If we have favorable weather conditions we’ll explore Victoria Island with its large population of walruses. It’s not only travelers who come here to see walruses - polar bears visit the area frequently to have their “walrus dinner”. We hope to meet them both here while cruising near on our zodiacs. Day 5. Bell Island - Nordbrook Island, Franz Josef Land.We expect to reach Franz Josef Land archipelago this morning. A landing is planned on Bell Island to visit the house built by Lee Smith expedition in 1881.
Let’s go on learning history of Arctic discoveries during our landing at Cape Flora on Nordbrook Island, discovered by Lee Smith expedition in 1880. They had to winter on this island after the steam yacht "Aira" had been crushed by ice and sunk near the coast. Jackson expedition (1894-1897) dwelled here longer than any other one and made a major contribution to the exploration of the archipelago. In 1897 a memorable meeting of Jackson and Nansen took place on the island. Several memorial steles were erected on the island to commemorate the daring Arctic explorers. A huge sea birds colony finds home on the cliffs towering over the southern side of Cape Flora. Day 6. Wilczek Island, Cape Tegetthoff, Alger Island, Franz Josef Land.We start the day with a visit to Wilczek Island. On the southern tip of the island we’ll find a lonely grave of the machinist Otto Krisch. He was the only victim of the Payer Wayprecht Expedition. “Peace For His Ash” is written on a small plaque attached to the cross at the grave.
Our next possible stop is Hall Island, Cape Tegetthoff. The island sights are very impressive: huge cliffs resembling dorsal fins of gigantic sharks submerge into the depths. The remains of the wooden structures built by the Wellman expedition (1898-1899) add colors to the vivid panorama.
We are at Alger Island. Our goal today is to land at the wintering place of the American Arctic expedition headed by A. Baldwin. If weather permits we will lower our zodiacs to sail among drifting icebergs. Polar bears are frequent visitors here; probably we’ll succeed in catching some with our camera lenses. Day 7. Wilczek Land Island, Stolichky and Appolonov Islands, Franz Josef Land.Today we plan a landing at Cape Heller on Wilczek Land Island. In 1899 two sailors, members of the Welle expedition wintered there, waiting for the core of the group that was trying to conquer the North Pole. As everywhere on Franz Josef Land, we are very likely to witness Polar bears and sea mammals.
We are at Stolichky and Appolonov Islands. Our expedition activities here are highly dependant on weather and ice conditions. If we are lucky to have favorable conditions we plan a zodiac trip near the islands. The main attraction of the islands is walrus rookeries. Our zodiac drivers will do their best to get to the rookeries as close as possible. Day 8. Champ Island, Hooker Island.A magnificent Champ Island in placed in the very center of the archipelago like a diamond in a precious tiara. The landscape of Champ is majestic: the cliffs and ice-capped mountains are the highest on the archipelago. Here we’ll see the unique nature creations: the stones of ideal spherical shape (up to 3 m of diameter).
It’s a remarkable day for birds lovers; we go on observing bird life in Tikhaya Bay on Hooker Island. The famous Rubini Rock, a huge cliff in the bay, is the shelter for thousands of sea birds. We will try to approach the cliff as close as possible to watch kittiwakes and other Arctic birds. There is an abandoned polar station on the shore of Tikhaya Bay. If weather is favorable we will go ashore to visit the station. Day 9. At sea.We are on our way back to Longyearbyen. There will be enough time to share your impressions with your companions and our experienced lecturers. Day 10. Sjuoyane Islands, Spitsbergen.If the weather and ice conditions are favorable we plan a landing in the region of Sjuoyane Islands. We plan to visit the island of Rossoya, the northernmost point of Norway. Day 11. Longyearbyen, disembarkation.In the morning we arrive to Longyearbyen, disembark the ship and go to the local airport for the flight to Oslo. |
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