Spitsbergen - Realm of the Polar Bear

Tour Code: NOR05

Join us on the ice-strengthened MS Quest on our small ship wildlife expedition to the high Arctic islands of Svalbard in search of Polar Bears, Walrus, breeding seabirds and spectacular scenery.

11 days from
£8,995
Land only price from
£8,245
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Highlights

Summary

Summary

This is the ultimate wildlife cruise, a unique holiday which includes 9-nights on board the ice-strengthened MS Quest. From our comfortable floating base, we explore the spectacular Arctic island of Spitsbergen, the largest of the Svalbard archipelago, a dramatic land of jagged mountains, awe-inspiring glaciers and deep fjords lying just 600 miles south of the North Pole and home to an exciting variety of polar wildlife. Huge colonies of Little Auks, Brünnich’s Guillemots and other seabirds crowd the coastal cliffs, whilst inland, Grey Phalarope, Long-tailed Skua, King Eider and Barnacle Goose breed. Pack-ice lingers offshore throughout the summer, the hunting ground for the magnificent Polar Bear and home to Walrus, Harp Seal, Beluga Whale and the occasional Bowhead Whale too.

  • Exclusively chartered small ship cruise focusing solely on wildlife & scenery
  • Explore the pack-ice in search of Polar Bears 
  • Visit Little Auk & Brünnich’s Guillemot colonies
  • Ivory & Sabine’s Gulls, Grey Phalarope, Long-tailed Skua & much more
  • Walrus, Harp, Bearded & Ringed Seals
  • Beluga Whale possible; previous groups have seen Blue & Bowhead Whales!
  • Huge glaciers such as Monaco & King’s Glacier
  • Wonderful photographic opportunities
  • Enjoy the midnight sun & 24-hour daylight
  • Expert guidance by Naturetrek naturalist guides & expedition staff

The island of Spitsbergen, the largest of the Svalbard archipelago, is a dramatic land of huge glaciers, snow covered mountains and steep-sided fjords, separated from the North Pole by a mere 965 kilometres of frozen ocean. This is the true ‘High Arctic’, an extreme land gripped by ice for over eight months of the year and by darkness for over four. Winter begins to loosen its grasp in May, however, and during the brief Arctic summer Spitsbergen is transformed into a land of perpetual daylight, covered by a flower-filled tundra grazed by herds of Reindeer. Towering sea-cliffs crowded with millions of seabirds guard the land, while offshore lies a crazy paving of pack-ice upon which Polar Bears hunt and Walruses laze.

Naturetrek has been chartering ships to explore these wonderful islands since 2006 and since 2019 we have been chartering the 53-passenger MS Quest. Free from the shackles of having to visit non-wildlife sites, our cruise will only include the very best of Svalbard’s wildlife and scenery. Our holiday is timed for late June/early July when the sun never sets and the pack-ice has usually melted sufficiently to allow our ship to explore the fjords, towering cliffs and tundra of Spitsbergen and Nordaustlandet. We begin, however, with a spectacular flight over the ice-dotted Arctic Ocean to Longyearbyen, the capital of Svalbard. Here we will board our vessel and begin our voyage through an icy wilderness almost entirely devoid of human life. Birdlife on the other hand is abundant, and even in Longyearbyen itself Snow Buntings fly around the rooftops and Purple Sandpipers pick for insects along the meltwater streams. Blue phase Fulmars wheel around our anchored vessel together with Glaucous Gulls and Arctic Terns, the latter fresh from their ‘other summer’ in the Antarctic. Leaving Longyearbyen we will head north, past groups of Little Auks, Black Guillemots, Puffins and Brünnich’s Guillemots which skitter away across the water’s surface as we steam past, whilst the occasional Bearded or Ringed Seal may pop a head out of the water to watch us motor by; all this to a back-drop of spectacular jagged mountains.

Our voyage will take us into glass-like fjords backed by huge glaciers, such as the Monaco and Hamilton Glacier, and on to polar deserts where only a few lichens and other low-lying plants eke out an existence in the almost waterless environment. One advantage of travelling aboard an ice-strengthened vessel is that we can make our way deep into the pack-ice, the summer haunt of the true king of the Arctic, the magnificent Polar Bear. A meeting with a Polar Bear is one of those heart-stopping experiences you never forget, made all the better by seeing them in their own realm wandering around on the ice floes with pack-ice stretching to the horizon. This ice is also home to the huge Walrus which may be seen hauled out on the ice alongside its smaller cousins, the Bearded, Ringed and Harp Seals. Here too we will look for the ghostly white Ivory Gull and, if fortunate, maybe even a Ross’s Gull as these begin to pass through Svalbard in July.

Returning to the coastline, we will board inflatable Zodiacs to view the towering cliff faces that are home to thousands of Brünnich’s Guillemots. We will also visit colonies of Little Auks where thousands of these tennis ball-sized auks wheel around the mountain-tops like mosquitoes over a pond. Always on the look-out for a meal, Arctic Foxes patrol the base of these colonies, whilst out on the tundra Brent, Pink-footed and Barnacle Geese all breed alongside King Eider, Grey Phalarope, Red-throated Diver, Long-tailed Duck, Purple Sandpiper, Arctic and Long-tailed Skuas and Ptarmigan. Of these breeding birds, it is only the latter that also braves the harsh Arctic winter.

Although primarily a wildlife voyage, we will have opportunities to learn about Spitsbergen’s fascinating human history, much of which is closely tied to the very animals and birds we have come to view. Abandoned whaling stations such as the 17th century Smeerenburg (Blubber Town) stand testament to the impact of early whalers on the islands, whilst the remains of the camps of early explorers such as the Swedish balloonist André remind us of Svalbard’s appeal to past adventurers.

Once back at Longyearbyen a spectacular flight over huge glaciers, braided river valleys and snow-capped peaks will bring us back to mainland Norway, from where we must continue our journey south away from the roof of the world and back home.

DETAILED INFORMATION
Itinerary

Outline Itinerary

Day 1
Fly Oslo
Day 2/10
Spitsbergen voyage
Day 11
Fly London
What's Included

What's Included?

  • Flights
  • Accommodation:

    For this voyage we will be taking exclusive charter of the 53-passenger MS Quest. Please refer to the trip itinerary for more information on the vessel and a full price list. In Oslo we use a comfortable airport hotel with private facilities.

  • Food:

    All meals are included in the price with the exception of meals in Longyearbyen and Oslo.

Reviews
Dates & Prices

Dates & Prices

2026

Departures Availability Cost
Wed 8th Jul – Sat 18th Jul 4 £8,995
Book Tour Show Details
Flights:
Most Naturetrek tours include flight costs ex-UK. If flights are not included, we indicate that here.
Flights are included in the tour cost
Regional Departures:
On certain tours it is possible to depart from a regional airport (rather than London). If a regional departure is possible, we indicate that here.
Regional Departures are available. Call 01962733051
Land only cost:
The "Land Only" cost is the tour price you will pay if you choose to arrange your own flights/transport.
£8,245
Room sharing options:
If a customer on this departure has already expressed an interest in sharing a room it will be flagged here. We will identify if there are sharing options for male, female or both.
Female sharing available
Tour Leader:
Please note that, whilst we assign leaders to particular tours well in advance, we reserve the right to make changes if necessary
George Nicholson
George Nicholson

Tour Leader: George Nicholson

George has always had a passion for the outdoors, spending much of his childhood exploring his home counties of Hampshire and Surrey where he grew up, as well as the coastlines of Devon, Cornwall and Pembrokeshire. Training as a Marine Biologist at Swansea University, George developed a love for all things oceanic, from dogwhelks to whales! While completing his studies, George worked as a field researcher on Canada’s east coast, collecting visual tag data on a variety of shark species, and concluding his time by travelling across the country, with regular encounters with bears, wolves, elk and moose. Since joining Naturetrek as a member of the operations team in 2022, George has bolstered his wildlife knowledge and experience across a variety of taxa, and has led tours across Mexico, Yellowstone, Norway, the Azores and the Canary Islands, to name a few!

2027

Departures Availability Cost
Thu 1st Jul – Sun 11th Jul SPACES £8,995
Book Tour Show Details
Flights:
Most Naturetrek tours include flight costs ex-UK. If flights are not included, we indicate that here.
Flights are included in the tour cost
Regional Departures:
On certain tours it is possible to depart from a regional airport (rather than London). If a regional departure is possible, we indicate that here.
Regional Departures are available. Call 01962733051
Land only cost:
The "Land Only" cost is the tour price you will pay if you choose to arrange your own flights/transport.
£8,245

Please note that cabin grades are subject to availability. We recommend phoning the office before booking to confirm that your preference is available.

Tour Dates or Itinerary Don't Suit?

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Prefer to Travel in a Private Group?

For any interested natural history club or society, we can arrange for a private departure of this tour.

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Why Naturetrek?

Why Naturetrek?

At Naturetrek we craft expertly-guided group and tailor-made wildlife holidays and cruises to all seven continents. On one of our holidays, you can be assured that our passionate team will enable you to experience and enjoy the best of the world's wildlife and natural spectacles in as comfortable and rewarding a manner as possible, caring as best we can for the environment in the process. We are proud to provide:

  • The widest choice of wildlife holidays worldwide
  • Tours managed and led by naturalists, for naturalists
  • Outstanding value and exceptional customer service

Furthermore, as a Naturetrek client, our office team are always to on hand to help you – so if you have any queries about your holiday, whether before or after you have booked, we will be delighted to answer them on the phone. Please just give our team a call!