Hurtigruten - Spitsbergen - Polar Bears
An Arctic Adventure 2019

Day 1 : Longyearbyen

Your Arctic adventure starts with an overnight stay in Longyearbyen. Despite it's remoteness, this is quite a cosmopolitan town, with fine dining, boutiques, shops, art galleries and bars. It is a great antidote to the stresses of modern day life and a superb destination for adventure seekers.

Day 2 : Longyearbyen and Barentsburg

Overnight in one of Longyearbyen's hotels, with the evening at your leisure.

After breakfast take a tour around Longyearbyen and its surroundings to see the modern town in its spectacular Arctic landscape. It was a coal mining town and evidence of this can bee seen everywhere. You will be taken on a guided sightseeing trip including a visit to the Svalbard Museum. This fantastic museum is really worth visiting as it will provide you with a great deal of background information on all the wonders you will experience on board MS Nordstjernen. This tour ends at the pier where you will join the MS Nordstjernen.

Leave Longyearbyen behind and head for your first port of call, the Russian settlement of Barentsburg, Svalbard's second largest town. Although Svalbard is Norwegian Sovereign land, due to the 1920 Svalbard Treaty, all states that are signatories to the treaty have an equal right to exploit natural resources there. Barentsburg started as a Dutch mining town in the 1920s, but was sold to the Russians in the 1930s and coal has been mined there ever since. The town has been built around the entrance to the coal mine and is still home to a fascinating collection of Russian architecture and antiquities. Here will be opportunities to visit the Pomor Museum (optional) and enjoy a lively folklore show. After this visit you will continue out of the Isfjord and head north along the Prins Karls Forland.

Day 3 : Magdalenefjorden and the North West Corner

The North West Corner, 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 is one of the fjords that we aim to visit. Here you'll experience a very important cultural heritage; a whaling station from the 16th century, including a graveyard of whalers who died during the first 'oil adventure.'

The ship arrives in Magdalenefjorden in the morning, and you'll have your first Polarcirkel boat landing here with a chance to explore and possibly see polar bears, minke whales and bearded seals.

Day 4 (Monday Departures) : Krossfjorden and Kongsfjorden, Ny-Ålesund

Kongsfjorden, or King's Bay is the largest fjord on the North West coast of Spitsbergen. A large side fjord called Krossfjorden may also be visited during this day. The landscape varies from large tundra plains to alpine peaks, with majestic glaciers tumbling into the ocean. Look out for the mountain Mitra - named for a 'Mitre' or a Catholic bishop's hat - located on the northern shore of the entrance to Kongsfjorden. At the end of the fjord, you see the majestic Kongsbreen (King's Glacier) with the three characteristic nunataks: Nora, Dana and Svea - named after the three Scandinavian countries.

At 78° 55' N, Ny-Ålesund is one of the world's northernmost year-round communities. Previously a coal mining community, it is now an advance High Arctic research station. In the age of early polar exploration, the town 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 see the mast that the airship 'Norge' was moored to before her departure on the first eve transpolar flight. A number of countries run their own national research stations here, and there is a lot of activity here in the summer.

Day 5 : Isfjorden and Longyearbyen

Located in central Spitsbergen, the Isfjord is the most prominent fjord system on Svalbard. MS Nordstjernen will spend the morning sailing towards Longyearbyen.

One of the most prominent mountains in the outer part of the fjord is Alkhornet, where thousands of Brünnich's Guillemots nest during the summer season. As you sail into the inner parts of the Isfjord, the landscape changes. Marvel at the large U-shaped valleys, carved out of the mountains by the giant glaciers that covered the area some ten thousand years ago.

Upon arrival in Longyearbyen you will be transferred to your Spitsbergen Hotel where you will have the rest of the day at your own disposal. A farewell dinner will be served at the hotel.

Day 6 : Longyearbyen

Your Spitsbergen Adventure is over and it's time to say goodbye. An early morning transfer will take you to the airport for your flight. We hope you will have some fantastic memories to take home with you!

The route described here is only an indicative. Based on the weather conditions at the time, the final itinerary will be presented to you after embarkation.

Departures 2019 :

SPITSBERGEN AND POLAR BEARS VOYAGE - PRICES : 2019

YOUR HURTIGRUTEN VOYAGE PRICE INCLUDES :

• • Transfer from airport to hotel in Longyearbyen
• • Two hotel nights in Longyearbyen including breakfast, a light lunch on Friday and a farewell dinner.
• • Sightseeing in Longyearbyen, ending at pier
• • Hurtigruten Expedition Voyage in cabin grade of your choice on a full board basis.
• • Transfer from hotel to airport in Longyearbyen.
• • All hikes and landings during the voyage.
• • Professional English-speaking Expedition team
• • Free tea and coffee

NOT INCLUDED :

• • International flights
• • Travel insurance
• • Luggage handling
• • Optional excursions
• • Gratuities

NOTES :

• • Prices are in £s per person.
• • All planned landings are subject to weather conditions.
• • All itineraries are subject to change.

Add Flight Package from £650 per person :

• • Return flights from London to Longyearbyen.