East Spitsbergen - Home of the Polar Bear, Including Long Hikes & Cleaning the Shores

Arriving in Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen's administrative center, step into the largest island of the Svalbard archipelago. Stroll through this historic former mining town, where the quaint parish church and the captivating Svalbard Museum await.

Despite the rugged terrain, over a hundred plant species thrive here. As evening falls, your ship sets sail from Isfjorden, offering a chance to spot your first minke whale of the journey.

Begin the day with a serene cruise through the breathtaking fjords of the Hornsund region in southern Spitsbergen, where towering mountain peaks dominate the landscape. The mountain of Hornsundtind rises to 1,431 meters (4,695 feet), and Bautaen's peak summit reveals why early Dutch explorers named this island Spitsbergen, meaning "pointed mountains."

This stunning area boasts 14 glaciers, with good chances of spotting seals and polar bears. Nearby cliffs at Sofiakammen host thousands of nesting kittiwakes and little auks, while the evening may bring sightings of harp seals gathering on the ice floes at Sorkapp.

If conditions allow for a more adventurous experience, you can take a long hike at Treskelodden and walk westward toward Hyrneodden and north to Wibewika Glacier. This scenic 16-kilometer (10-mile) route concludes with a pick-up near the glacier while other guests explore Brepollen in the morning and Luciakammen or Sofiakammen in the afternoon. This route may also be completed in reverse.

After navigating the drift ice of Storfjorden, where you sometimes see harp seals, you land in northwest Edgeoya at the northern bank of Rosenberdalriver. You can walk to Rosenbergdalen on the raised beach, teeming with grazing reindeer.

Afterward, you plan to walk by a cliff with nesting black guillemots on your way to Stretehamna, where you often find a herd of walruses on the beach near an octagonal trapper’s cabin built in 1905.

You can also see the remains of a 19th-century Pomor house and the bones of walruses hunted in previous centuries.

Long hike - If conditions permit, you land at Blankoddden, near a large kittiwake colony in a beautiful canyon, then walk north along the coast to Kapp Lee (about 20 km / 12.4 miles) or the south side of Rosenbergdalen (about 17 km / 10.6 miles), and be picked up. You might also do this program in reverse.

If this long hike is not possible, the team might offer an alternative hike on day 4.

Sailing into the waterway of Freemansundet, you plan to land at the tundra lowland of Sundneset on the island of Barentsoya.

Here, visit the hut of a German scientific expedition (Wurzbugerhutte) from sixty years ago, then take a brisk walk across the tundra in search of Spitsbergen reindeer and barnacle geese. Afterward, you plan to go on a Zodiac cruise near Freeman Glacier and visit a kittiwake colony in a nearby canyon.

In case of heavy ice in Freemandundet, however, sail instead to Negribreen, one of Spitsbergen's most extensive glacier fronts on the east side. Here, you can take a Zodiac cruise and land on Walrus Island, which became ice-free at the end of the last century.

Long hike - If conditions permit, you land in Barentsoya, near small lakes with wildfowl and waders, then walk east along the coast of Barentsoya to Freemanbreen. After about 10 km (6.2 miles), pass a colony of kittiwakes. After another 10 km walk, be picked up at the west side of Freemanbreen. This is an excellent area to spot polar bears. You might also do this program in reverse.

Today, you sail to the east side of West Spitsbergen (west side of Storfjorden).

Here, you plan to walk to breeding places for ivory gulls in Agardhfjellet, which stands about 300 meters (980 feet) high.

The valley leading to the outcrops that house the nests is littered with fossils of belemnites and ammonites.

Today, you aim to land at the mountain of Stellingfjellet, near the largest colony of Brunnich’s guillemots in Spitsbergen. Later in the day, you make landings at the rarely visited coast of south Spitsbergen, at the bay of Isbukta.

Continue your voyage in Bell Sund, one of the largest fjord systems in Svalbard. The ocean currents make this area slightly warmer than other areas in the archipelago, which shows in the relatively lush vegetation.

Here, there are excellent opportunities to enjoy both history and wildlife.

A possibility is Ahlstrandhalvoya, at the mouth of Van Keulenfjorden, where piles of beluga skeletons can be found. These remains of 19th-century whale slaughter are a haunting reminder of the consequences of rampant exploitation. Fortunately, belugas were not hunted to extinction, and you have a good chance of coming across a pod.

Alternately, while cruising the side fjords of Bellsund, you can explore tundra, where reindeer like to feed, and rock slopes, where little auks breed.

Long hike - If conditions permit, you land at Recherchelagune and walk along the eastern shore of Recherchefjord by Laegerneset (17th-century whaling station). Your goal is to reach Ahlstrandhalvoya and from there to Ingebrigtsenbukta. If need be, the Zodiacs can help you at the mouth of the river. You might also do this hike in reverse or land at Ingeborgfjellet, then walk along the coast to the west side of van Muydenbukta, along a shore with many whale skeletons.

Every adventure, no matter how grand, must eventually end. You disembark in Longyearbyen, taking home memories that will accompany you wherever your next adventure lies.