East Spitsbergen, Home of the Polar Bear

You touch down in Longyearbyen, the administrative center of Spitsbergen, the largest island of the Svalbard archipelago. Enjoy strolling around this former mining town, whose parish church and Svalbard Museum make for fascinating attractions. Though the countryside appears stark, more than a hundred species of plant have been recorded in it. In the early evening the ship sails out of Isfjorden, where you might spot the first minke whale of your voyage.

We start the day by quietly cruising the side fjords of the spectacular Hornsund area in southern Spitsbergen, enjoying the scenery of towering mountain peaks. The mountain of Hornsundtind rises to 1,431 meters (4,695 feet), while the peak of Bautaen testifies to why early Dutch explorers gave this island the name Spitsbergen, meaning “pointed mountains.” There are 14 magnificent glaciers in the area, and we have a fair chance of encountering seals and polar bears. The nearby cliffs of Sofiakammen are also home to thousands of pairs of nesting kittiwakes and little auks, and in the evening, we might see thousands of harp seals rutting on ice floes at Sørkapp. Long hike – If conditions permit, we land at Treskelodden, then walk from Treskelen to Adriabukta. From there we walk west to Hyrneodden and north to the glacier in Wibewika (about 16 km / 10 miles), where we will be picked up. The other guests will have their program in Brepollen (morning) and Luciakammen or Sofiakammen (afternoon). We might also do this program in reverse.

After navigating the drift ice of Storfjorden, where we sometimes see harp seals, we land in northwest Edgeøya at the northern bank of Rosenberdalriver. Here on the raised beach, we have the opportunity of walking to Rosenbergdalen, which is teeming with grazing reindeer. Afterward we plan to walk by a cliff with nesting black guillemots on our way to Stretehamna, where we often find a herd of walruses on the beach near an octagonal trapper’s cabin built in 1905. We can also see the remains of a 19th-century Pomor house as well as the bones of walruses hunted in previous centuries. Long hike – If conditions permit, we 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 to the south side of Rosenbergdalen (about 17 km / 10.6 miles), where we will be picked up. We might also do this program in reverse. If this long hike is not possible, we might offer an alternative hike on day 4.

Sailing into the waterway of Freemansundet, we plan to land at the tundra lowland of Sundneset, on the island of Barentsøya. Here we will visit the hut of a German scientific expedition (Würzbugerhütte) from sixty years ago, then take a brisk walk across the tundra in search of Spitsbergen reindeer and barnacle geese. After that, we plan to go on a Zodiac cruise near Freeman Glacier and visit a kittiwake colony in a canyon close by. In case of heavy ice in Freemandundet, however, we will instead sail to Negribreen, one of the most extensive glacier fronts on the east side of Spitsbergen. Here we can take a Zodiac cruise and land on Walrus Island, which became ice-free at the end of last century. Long hike – If conditions permit, we land in Barentsøya, near small lakes with wildfowl and waders, then walk east along the coast of Barentsøya to Freemanbreen. After about 10 km (6.2 miles), we will pass a colony of kittiwakes. After another 10 km walk, we will be picked up at the west side of Freemanbreen. This is a good area to spot polar bears. We might also do this program in reverse.

Today we sail to the east side of west Spitsbergen (west side of Storfjorden). Here we 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.

We continue our 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 Ahlstrandhalvøya, 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 into extinction, and you have a good chance of coming across a pod. Alternately, while cruising the side fjords of Bellsund, we can explore tundra where reindeer like to feed as well as rock slopes where little auks are breeding. Long hike – If conditions permit, we land at Recherchelagune and walk along the eastern shore of Recherchefjord, by Laegerneset (17th century whaling station). Our goal is to reach Ahlstrandhalvøya, and from there to Ingebrigtsenbukta. If need be, our Zodiacs can help us at the mouth of the river. We 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.