Spitsbergen Circumnavigation:
Big Islands, Big Adventure
Spitsbergen is the largest island of the Svalbard archipelago, which we will attempt to
circumnavigate on this voyage. Lying entirely within the Arctic Circle, it is rugged, wild, unspoiled
—utterly unforgettable. When it comes to viewing Arctic wildlife Spitsbergen is known as one of
the most prolific destinations.
Offering one of the world’s best opportunity to view polar bears, you’ll be able to see the world’s
largest carnivores in their natural habitat. Walrus populations love Spitsbergen as well, feeding
in the food-rich icy waters around the island. Whales and seabirds will entertain you during the
sailing portions of the expedition, while you may catch a sighting of reindeer or Arctic fox when
taking Zodiac excursions to land.
EXPEDITION IN BRIEF:
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The complete Svalbard experience
Unique Arctic wildlife – polar bears, walrus, reindeer
Exploring the Polar desert
Continuous daylight
Tundra hiking
Zodiac cruising
Optional kayak adventure on selected expeditions
DID YOU KNOW? Spitsbergen and the Svalbard Archipelago
have been known to exist since the time of the Vikings and the first
circumnavigation of the archipelago was by a Dutch whaler named
Cornelis Giles in 1707.
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Adventure Options
You have the chance to book optional adventure
activities on your expedition. These options vary by
departure, are all subject to availability and fill up
quickly, so be sure to book yours early. Please note,
all Adventure Options are weather dependant.
SEA-KAYAKING
Imagine gliding along the surface of a bay in the presence of
icebergs and glaciers! Our sea-kayaking adventures are the
best way to feel at one with the sea.
Taken in small groups of 10-16 people, multiple times per
voyage, sea-kayaking adventures are only done during calm
weather conditions. We require you to have some prior
sea-kayaking experience, including the capability to do a wet
exit.
More information about your Adventure Options, including
physical requirements and cost of each option is available by
contacting your Polar Travel Adviser.
INCLUDED OPTIONS
SNOWSHOEING
A novel way to experience the beauty of the Polar landscape,
and discover remote alcoves and hidden valleys. The rewards
of walking atop the snow are well worth the effort, as we’ll
be able to visit new places that are inaccessible on foot.
This traditional means of transport across the deep snow
comes from the indigenous people of North America.
While you can appreciate a connection with the past,
the snowshoes we use today are much lighter and more
forgiving than the old wood-weave snowshoes used during
the days of the North American fur trade.
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Itinerary
DAY 1 Embarkation Day in Longyearbyen
Your Spitsbergen arctic voyage
begins when you board your ship
in Longyearbyen, the island’s largest
settlement. Enjoy your first view of
the island’s rugged, glacier-topped
mountains, rising majestically from icy
Arctic waters.
DAYS 2 TO 12 Circumnavigating Spitsbergen
Expect a new adventure every day,
as you journey around the island of
Spitsbergen and explore smaller, outlying
islands. The variety of incredible wildlife
and geological formations found here
is astounding! Every expedition will be
unique, but a few of our favorite landing
sites include the 14th of July Glacier, Ny
London, Phippsoya, Aklefjellet and the
seldom visited Kvttøya.
The names may seem strange to you, but
they each have their own unique appeal.
For birders, the 14th of July Glacier is
home to purple sandpipers, common
eiders, barnacle geese and Arctic terns;
while Alkefjellet is home to nesting
brünich guillermots (thick-billed murres).
If you want to prove that reindeer are
real, then you’ll want to have your
camera ready for visits to sites like
Ny London, Sundneset and Alkhornet.
As for the largest land carnivore in
the world – searching for polar bears
is a constant activity, with Phippsoya
and Isbukta being two of their preferred
places for hunting – meaning great
potential for you to capture them
in action.
CALYPSOBYEN
A big part of appreciating Spitsbergen
comes from understanding the culture,
not just how people live today, but how
this land was first explored. Whaling
was a key industry here and you will
see blubber ovens and other whaling
evidence at landing sites such as
Smeerenburg. Colorful tundra meadow
displays are complimented by glaciers
and the potential exists for spotting
beluga whales.
DAY 13
Disembarkation Day in Longyearbyen
Your adventure ends as it began, in the
frontier-style settlement of
Longyearbyen. From here we’ll transfer
you to the airport for your flight home.
WANT TO STAY LONGER OR ARRIVE EARLIER?
Contact our Polar Travel Advisers via email, live chat or phone
(1.888.892.0073) for seamless worry-free booking of all trip extensions.
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Inclusions
THIS EXPEDITION INCLUDES
• Shipboard accommodation with daily
housekeeping
• All breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks on
board throughout your voyage
• All shore landings per the daily program
• Leadership throughout the voyage by our
experienced Expedition Leader
• A daily program of lectures by noted naturalists
• All Zodiac transfers and cruising per the
daily program
• Formal and informal presentations by
our Expedition Team and Special Guests
as scheduled
• Photographic Journal on DVD, documenting
the voyage
• A pair of waterproof expedition boots on loan
for shore landings
• An official Quark Expeditions parka to keep
• Coffee, tea and cocoa available around the clock
• A selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic
beverages
• Hair dryer and bathrobe in every cabin
• Comprehensive pre-departure materials,
including a map and an informative
Arctic Reader
• All miscellaneous service taxes and port charges
throughout the program
• All luggage handling aboard ship
SPITSBERGEN CIRCUMNAVIGATION • Arrival transfer from Longyearbyen airport
to your hotel if you arrive one day prior to
embarkation
• On embarkation day transfer from your hotel or
Longyearbyen airport to the ship
• On disembarkation day group transfer
from the ship to airport or local designated
drop-off location
• Emergency Evacuation Insurance for all
passengers to a maximum benefit of
US$100,000 per person
THIS EXPEDITION EXCLUDES
• International airfare
• Passport and any applicable visa expenses
• Government arrival and departure taxes not
mentioned above
• Any meals ashore with the exception of breakfast at
the host hotel
• Baggage, cancellation, interruption, and medical
travel insurance
• Excess baggage charges
• Laundry and other personal charges
• Telecommunications charges
• The voluntary gratuity at the end of the voyage for
shipboard staff and crew
• Any overnight accommodation required due to
flight connections
• Optional sea-kayaking activities
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Dates & Rates
SPITSBERGEN CIRCUMNAVIGATION Big Island, Big Adventure
Expedition Aboard the Adventure Ship SEA SPIRIT
Dates
Main Deck
Classic
Deluxe
Premium Owner’s Suite
July 8 - July 20, 2014
Days Emb/Disemb
13
Longyearbyen $7,295
Triple
$9,295
$10,295 $11,995
Superior
$12,995
$13,995
$17,995
July 20 - Aug 1, 2014
13
Longyearbyen $7,295
$9,295
$10,295 $11,995
$12,995
$13,995
$17,995
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All non-alcoholic and house pouring drinks are included. A selection of premium alcoholic drinks (such as top wines and spirits) is also available at an
additional cost.
HOW TO BOOK YOUR EXPEDITION & ADVENTURE OPTIONS
To book your cabin or inquire about the availabilty of adventure options,
contact a Polar Travel Advisor 1.888.892.0073 (+1.203.803.2666).
1-888-892-0073
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Spitsbergen
POSSIBLE LANDINGS AND WILDLIFE SIGHTINGS
ALKEFJELLET
This cliff is a seabird center, where brünnich’s guillemots
(thick-billed murres) raise their young. An estimated 100,000
breeding pairs raise their young here in the basalt cliffs.
The birds do not build nests, rather they lay an egg on the
bare ledge.
LILLIEHÖÖK GLACIER
In 1906, His Serene Highness Prince Albert I of Monaco
visited Lilliehöök Glacier to conduct scientific investigations.
His great-great-grandson visited the glacier 100 years later. He,
too, was part of a scientific investigation, this time to further
our understanding of the Arctic clam, a species that lives
for more than a century. The growth rings of a single clam’s
shell contain evidence of the chemicals encountered by the
clam. Scientists can determine the variations of the water’s
temperature and pollutant content by studying the shell.
LONGYEARBYEN
DISKOBUKTA
This bay on the west shore of Edgeøya affords a landing
site with a box canyon where black-legged kittiwakes
raise their young. Arctic foxes have been seen combing the
canyon floor to feed on scraps that have fallen from the
nests above. Watch for bones of ancient bowhead whales on
the canyon floor, evidence that the shoreline has changed
over millennia.
Eighteen hundred people inhabit the administrative capital
of Svalbard, which is situated on the shore of Isfjorden. The
settlement was founded in 1905 by John Munroe Longyear,
the majority owner of the Arctic Coal Company of Boston.
MOFFEN ISLAND
This island is designated as a protected sanctuary for walrus.
ISBUKTA
MONACO GLACIER
On the eastern shore of the southern tip of Svalbard is Ice Bay.
Sabine gulls, skuas and bearded seals inhabit the bay. polar
bears are known to patrol the area as well.
HSH Prince Albert I of Monaco, a pioneer of oceanography,
led an expedition to Svalbard in 1906. His team used
sophisticated photographic techniques to understand the
shape and position of several glacier fronts. Monaco Glacier
honors the expedition, the prince and the principality over
which he reigned.
ISISPYNTEN
Is an island! Both nautical charts and topographical maps
define Isispynten as a point of land, but we’ve proved them
wrong. Receding glaciers have turned this point of land into
an island.
KAPP LEE
This is a well-known walrus haul out. The pink color to a
walrus’ hide as it lies in the sun is caused by blood pumped
to the skin’s surface to aid cooling, similar to that of a
hippopotamus in Africa.
KVITØYA
PHIPPSØYA
This small archipelago is the northernmost land in Svalbard.
Englishmen left their mark during a survey of the islands
in the 1780s. The party named the islands after themselves,
with the smallest and least significant island being named
Nelsonøya, after the lowly midshipman.
ROSENBERGDALEN
This is an excellent location to stretch the legs and explore
the Arctic on foot. We often head out hiking here in search
of reindeer.
The western part of this island is only 98 km from Victoria
Island in Franz Josef Land, which is part of the Russian Arctic.
This remote outpost is actually closer to the Russian Arctic
than it is to Nordaustlandet (117 km) and is actually located on
the same longitude as Cairo, Egypt!
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SAMARINVÅGIN
The Samarin Glacier dominates the landscape that surrounds
the bay, where icebergs, kittiwakes and brünnich’s
guillemots (thick-billed murres) may be seen.
VIBEBUKTA
IMPORTANT REMINDER Embracing the unexpected
is part of the legacy – and excitement – of expedition
travel. When travelling in extremely remote regions, your
expedition staff must allow the sea, the ice and the weather
to guide route and itinerary details. The above is a tentative
outline of what you’ll experience on this voyage; please be
aware that no specific itinerary can be guaranteed.
This polar desert may seem barren, but traces of life
can be found here, including fossils and whalebones
that are 9,500 years old. The bones provide nutrients for
microenvironments that leach from the ancient bones.
VON OTTERØYA
Otter Island is an excellent location for Zodiac cruising to
search for and photograph polar bears and walrus.
WORSLEYNESET
This is a beautiful and colorful tundra-covered island with
moss campion (a small wildflower), saxifrage and Arctic
mouse-eared chickweed. Fun names on an island that is a
pleasure to explore.
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