The itinerary for this voyage focuses on the spectacular fjords, coasts, and islands of western Spitsbergen, the main island of the Svalbard archipelago. This area contains Svalbard’s most impressive scenery and some of the Arctic’s best wildlife viewing opportunities. Your exact schedule and route will be shaped by the weather and ice conditions you encounter. Polar bears and other iconic Arctic animals can be spotted at any time, anywhere in your area of exploration.
One of the pristine natural areas on this itinerary is South Spitsbergen National Park, a vast region of varied landscapes, including polar deserts and impassible mountain ranges. The centerpiece of this park is Hornsund, a picture-perfect fjord where countless mighty glaciers cascade from soaring mountaintops into icy inlets. At this time of year, you are sure to encounter fast ice—sea ice fastened to the shore. This situation offers an excellent chance to observe polar bears hunting for ringed seals. The park also includes the southern shores of Bellsund, a picturesque bay where you find the remains of historical whaling operations, including wooden boats, cabins, and thousands of whale bones—a scene from the distant past, literally frozen in time. This area also offers excellent hiking opportunities through landscapes rich with Arctic flora, birdlife, and fascinating geology.
Also on your route is Northwest Spitsbergen National Park, the crown jewel of Svalbard’s scenic wonders. Here, you can find deep fjords flanked by serrated mountain peaks and immense tidewater glaciers calving icebergs into turquoise waters. The whole area is alive with migratory Arctic seabirds. On this voyage, you are just in time to witness the return of millions of murres, guillemots, and little auks to the small islands, mountainsides, and sea cliffs where they breed within the park. This is also a great area to encounter marine mammals, including various kinds of whales and Arctic seals. Set among this incredible scenery and wildlife activity, you can also find evidence of Svalbard’s earliest sealers and whalers.
Your area of exploration also includes the gorgeous Forlandet National Park. Here, you can find Prins Karls Forland, one of the best places in Svalbard, where you can observe herds of walrus hauled out on land. Also along the route is North Isforden National Park, where you can observe endemic Svalbard reindeer grazing and Arctic fox romping in lush tundra meadows.
Human habitation along your route can be found at Ny Ålesund, a former mining town and airship base that is now home to an international community of Arctic researchers. This is one of the world’s most northerly settlements, where you can find a museum, gift shop, and post office.
In addition to exploring the terrestrial environment and inshore waterways of western Spitsbergen, you make a special effort to reach the edge of the polar pack ice. You can witness the dramatic interplay between polar bears and seals at this dynamic boundary between solid sea ice and open ocean. Take the ship as close as safely possible to the jumbled and constantly shifting ice floes, hoping to observe polar bears hunting in their preferred habitat. At this time of year, the ice edge is close to mainland Spitsbergen, and your sailing time in open seas will be relatively short.
The West Svalbard and Polar Ice Edge route offers a stunning variety of Arctic landscapes and animals with minimal sailing time between excursions. Every day offers something new and exciting. Take advantage of every opportunity to encounter unique Arctic wildlife, witness incredible polar scenery, and walk in the footsteps of historic expeditions that came before.
