Arctic Ocean - Aberdeen, Fair Isle, Jan Mayen, Ice Edge, Spitsbergen, Birding

You board the vessel at midday in Vlissingen, headed north. Far north.

Crossing the North Sea and sailing by Doggersbank, we hope to be lucky enough to spot such species as white-beaked dolphins, harbor porpoises, minke whales, and orcas.

Passengers who boarded in Vlissingen are offered an excursion by bus to Fowlsheugh, a seabird cliff south of Aberdeen. Over 100,000 pairs of seabird of different species can be seen here. Alternatively, an excursion to the Ythan Estuary is available, where the beaches are teeming with harbor seals, grey seals, and birds that keep to the shorelines. Both outings are included in the price of booking.

At least one dedicated expedition guide is part of the team, sharing expert knowledge about bird species and available to help identify, photograph on deck, and provide information about the birds seen. In addition to outdoor sessions, the guide focuses on species and related information on the birds of the Arctic in re-caps and lectures onboard.

Upon arrival in Aberdeen, the Granite City, frequent winner of the Britain in Bloom competition, your true trip begins. Several cetaceans, including orcas (killer whales), are native to these seas. To the south, you see the lighthouse on Girdle Ness, designed by the grandfather of Robert Louis Stevenson, the famed Scottish writer who gave us such classics as Treasure Island and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. More passengers join you in Aberdeen.You arrive in Aberdeen, the Granite City, a frequent winner of the Britain in Bloom competition. This is the true start of your trip. Several cetaceans, including orcas (killer whales), are native to these seas. To the south, you see the lighthouse on Girdle Ness that was designed by the grandfather of Robert Louis Stevenson, the famed Scottish writer who gave us such classics as Treasure Island and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. More passengers join you in Aberdeen.

At Fair Isle, an island in the Shetlands whose seventy-odd inhabitants are known for their beautiful knitwear. This is a fantastic location with accessible seabird breeding grounds, and you may even spot grey seals.

You sail north to the Norwegian island of Jan Mayen, 300 nautical miles northeast of Iceland. Your two days at sea do not pass idly, however. Keep a close lookout for any spouts of water from the surrounding seas, heralding the arrival of a minke, fin, orca, or blue whale.

Jan Mayen is a stark volcanic island crowned by the snow-capped summit of Mt. Beerenberg. From the slopes of this imposing 2,300-meter-high (7,545 feet) volcano, broken glaciers grasp out into the frigid sea. With permission from the Norwegian authorities, you can now visit the weather station. You can also walk to the remains of a 17th-century Dutch whaling station amid the thick moss beds of this stark volcanic landscape.

Basking in the midnight sun, you sail north along the edge of the sea ice in search of bowhead whales, harp seals, polar bears, and a variety of seabirds. You then change direction after about 79° north, cutting west to the rocky edges of the continental shelf of west Spitsbergen. Here you have a good chance of seeing fin whales and – near the glacial mouths of the gaping Spitsbergen fjords – surfacing minke whales.

Forlandsundet, between the main island of Spitsbergen and the narrow Prins Karls Forland, is a place of great beauty and fascinating wildlife. Walruses sometimes haul out here. Alternatively, you might sail into St. Johns Fjord or head south to the mouth of Isfjorden, landing at Alkhornet. Seabirds nest on these cliffs, Arctic foxes search below for fallen eggs and chicks, and reindeer graze the sparse vegetation.

Every adventure, no matter how grand, must eventually come to an end. You disembark in Longyearbyen, the administrative center of Spitsbergen, taking home memories that will accompany you wherever your next adventure lies.