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Nordlige Svalbard - Isbjørn spesial

Nordlige Svalbard - Isbjørn spesial

To turer med spesiellt fokus på isbjørner. En går i juni og en går i august.

Juni:

Polar Bear Special - North Spitsbergen

Longyearbyen - Longyearbyen

ATD06, Jun 24 – Jul 01,  07 nights, aboard Antarctic Dream

Turen går helt opp til Sjuøyene nord for Nordaustlandet.  På veien besøker vi blant annet Raudefjorden, Hindlopen og Nordaustlandet Fantastisk tur for de som er interessert i isbjørn.

 

 

Day 1 - Arrive in Longyearbyen, the administrative capital of the Spitsbergen archipelago of which West Spitsbergen is the largest island. Before embarking there is an opportunity to stroll around this former mining town, whose parish church and Polar Museum are well worth visiting, while in the surrounding area of Longyearbyen, more than 100 species of plants have been recorded. In the early evening the ship will sail out of Isfjorden.

 

Day 2 - We visit Sallyhamna in Holmiabukta where in the last two years a Fin Whale carcass has attracted Polar Bears. Later we sail to Raudfjord on the north coast of West Spitsbergen, a beautiful fjord dominated by spectacular glaciers and favoured by Ringed and Bearded Seals. The cliffs and shoreline of the fjord also support thriving seabird colonies and a surprisingly rich vegetation, which flourishes in sheltered spots.

 

Day 3 - Depending on the weather we may now sail to the mouth of Liefdefjorden and go ashore for a walk on the tundra island of Andøya. Many Common Eiders and Pink-footed Geese nest here, and the rarer King Eider may also be seen. We hope to sail into Liefdefjorden, cruising near the 5km long face of the impressive Monaco Glacier. The waters of the glacier front are a favourite feeding spot for thousands of Kittiwakes and on previous voyages Polar Bears have been seen on the glacier, providing wonderful opportunities for photography.

 

Day 4 - Today we will sail into Hinlopen Strait, home to Bearded Seals, Ringed Seals, Polar Bears, and Ivory Gulls. We’ll navigate the ice floes of Lomfjordshalvøya in our zodiacs and explore the bird cliffs of Alkefjellet with

 

thousands of Brünnich’s guillemots. On the east side of Hinlopenstrait, we’ll attempt a landing at Palanderbukta on Nordaustlandet, home to Reindeer, Pink-footed Geese, breeding Ivory Gulls, and Walruses.

 

Day 5 - In the morning we will try to land at Laagoya, a haul-out place for Walrusses. Later we will reach our northernmost point at Phippsøya, in the Seven Islands north of Nordaustlandet. Here we will be at 81 degrees north, just 540 miles from the geographic North Pole. Polar Bears inhabit this region, along with Ivory Gulls. We may sit for several hours in the pack ice, before we turn west again.

 

Day 6 - Retracing our route westwards, we sail all the time through and along the pack-ice, on the watch for Polar Bears and the elusive Greenland Whale (Bowhead).

 

Day 7 - We land at the northern tip of Prins Karls Forland near Fuglehuken, where Barentsz probably set foot on Spitsbergen for the first time. Seabirds nest on the cliffs and along the coast we see Harbour Seals, the only population found in Spitsbergen. Further we also will observe the remains of the Polar Bear hunting era, with demolished set guns and bear traps. At the opposite site of Forlandsundet at Sarstangen is a haul out place for Walruses. Alternatively we sail into St. Johns Fjord or south to the mouth of Isfjorden and land at Alkhornet. Seabirds nest on its cliffs and Arctic Foxes search the cliff base for fallen eggs and chicks, while Spitsbergen Reindeer graze the relatively luxuriant vegetation. At nighttime we arrive in Longyearbyen.

 

Day 8 - We disembark in Longyearbyen, the administrative centre of Spitsbergen, for the flights south to Oslo and onward home.

August:

North Spitsbergen -  Polar Bear Special 

Longyearbyen - Longyearbyen

PLA12, Aug 19 – Aug  26, 07  nights, aboard Plancius

Turen går helt opp til Sjuøyene nord for Nordaustlandet og videre østover til Kvitøya. På veien besøker vi blant annet Raudefjorden, Moffen og Nordaustlandet. og Hinlopen. Fantastisk tur for de som er interessert i isbjørn.

Day 1 - Arrive in Longyearbyen, the administrative capital of the Spitsbergen archipelago of which West Spitsbergen is the largest island. Before embarking there is an opportunity to stroll around this former mining town, whose parish church and Polar Museum are well worth visiting, while in the surrounding area of Longyearbyen. In the early evening the ship will sail out of Isfjorden.

 

Day 2 - We visit Raudfjord on the north coast of West Spitsbergen, a beautiful fjord dominated by spectacular glaciers and favoured by Ringed and Bearded Seals and where we often sea Polar Bears.

In the evening we will sail by the island of Moffen where a big herd of Walrus can be found.

 

Day 3 - At Laagøya a haul-out place for Walrus we make a landing. Later we sail through Beverleysundet named by Parry in 1827 and also sailed by the Swedish-Russian Arc-of-Meridian Expedition in 1898. Today we will reach our northernmost point at Phippsøya, in the Seven Islands north of Nordaustlandet. Here we will be at 81 degrees north, just 540 miles from the geographic North Pole.  Polar bears inhabit this region, along with ivory gulls.

 

Day 4 - We push east to reach the area of Nordaustlandet, where the Nobile expedition drifted around in 1928 and where the Italian Sora tried to come to the rescue. There we hope to get to Alpinøya, reached by Sora in 1928, and then to the mouth of Finn Malmgrenfjord, and Albertinibukta and to climb Soraberget (205 M) from where we have a fantastic view on the ice-cap of Nordaustlandet. Alternatively we will land at Storøya, where again we may meet a group of Walruses.

 

Day 5 - Today we hope to get to the rarely visited Kvitøya farthest to the east, close to the Russian territory. The island is dominated by an ice-cap, which leaves a small area bare of ice and snow. We will land at the western tip at Andréneset, where the Swedish explorer André and his companions perished in 1898. We will also try to get to Kraemerpynten in the east, where an enormous group of Walruses resides.

 

Day 6 - We retrace our voyage to the west, but now all the time through and along the pack-ice north of  Spitsbergen. We may sail north of Phippsøya, in the Seven Islands, 81 degrees north, just 540 miles from the geographic North Pole.  Polar bears inhabit this region, along with ivory gulls.

 

Day 7 - We are still at the ice, northwest of Spitsbergen and later turn south, where we get to a good area for whales.

 

Day 8 - Return to Longyearbyen and disembark for the transfer to the airport and the flight to Oslo and home.