Arctic Adventure & Cruise – a cruise of your lifetime!

The Friends of Maine Coastal Islands NWR, in partnership with Blue Planet Expeditions, is planning to offer a trip, or possibly two, depending on interest, to Norway’s High Arctic archipelago of Svalbard, in 2019. Svalbard’s islands are spread from 74 to almost 81 degrees north, making its northern point the fifth most northerly place in the world, at only 540 nautical miles from the North Pole. Svalbard’s population of approximately 2600 people is mostly concentrated in the town of Longyearbyen, which is located on Spitsbergen, the largest of the islands. Other than Longyearbyen, which is the world’s northernmost town, there is a Russian mining inholding called Barentsburg and the research community of Ny Alesund. There are no roads between these places, and there is no infrastructure in Svalbard at all beyond them. Otherwise, Svalbard is a stunning Arctic wilderness populated by polar bears, walrus, reindeer, Arctic fox and vast numbers of seabirds, that can only be seen and fully appreciated by ship. However, despite its remoteness, Svalbard is surprisingly easy to reach, with between two and three scheduled flights running between it and Oslo every day. The intended trips will have space for 12 guests aboard a small, ice-capable expedition ship that will embark and disembark in Longyearbyen and comprise 10-days exploring the archipelago against extraordinary backdrops of mountains and glaciers while trying to give guests the best opportunities possible to experience Svalbard’s fascinating wildlife. While travel by ship allows access to areas that otherwise wouldn’t be reachable, it also allows us to navigate the pack ice where it is possible to see the region’s ice-dependent mammals, which include polar bears, walrus and bearded, harp and ringed seals. Using a small expedition ship also allows travel closer to shore in shallower waters that are not accessible to larger vessels. Landing boats allow for close-up observations of bird cliffs or bears that are on the shore, where landing isn’t possible. When there are no bears on shore, the boats can land to go hiking and for observation of Arctic fox and the unique Svalbard reindeer as well as various ground-nesting birds such as pink-footed and barnacle geese, northern divers, red phalaropes and the great skua, Arctic skua and Arctic tern. Whether an avid birder or someone with only a passing interest, Svalbard is a fascinating place to watch birds. While some 160 species may be seen there in summer, some such as the Brunnich’s guillemot and red-legged kittiwake can be seen in vast numbers, while ivory and Sabine’s gulls and Svalbard puffins, often highly sought after by birders, are seen on most trips. Svalbard also offers exceptional whale-watching that can include blue, fin, sei, minke, humpback and sperm whales as well as beluga, the latter sometimes being seen in considerable numbers. Blue whale sightings in Svalbard are quite consistent, and it can be considered one of the best places in the world to see them. The trips are led by expert naturalists with many years experience in both Svalbard and the broader Arctic polar bears and bear safety. There is also a strong educational content and conservation bias, and while there is an ongoing conversation about all the extraordinary things seen and experienced on the trips, as well as specific interpretation of all wildlife sightings, there is also a program of evening lectures.

More details will be published as specific dates are fixed and the vessels are chartered. However, given the nature of such travel and how ship charter works, we would encourage anyone with a desire to participate in one of these trips to contact us at [email protected] as soon as possible. While this is helpful for gauging interest and securing ships, it also helps guarantee space where demand could quickly exceed availability.