Spitsbergen Highlights: Expedition in Brief aboard the Ocean Adventurer
Experience a 7-day trip and discover the highlights of Spitsbergen
Spitsbergen Highlights: Expedition in Brief
A -day long Cruise
The Trip Highlights
Witness iconic Arctic wildlife
Explore Spitsbergen like few travelers do
See a polar bear!
Photograph magnificient Arctic seabirds
Your Polartours 'Plus' Experience
Hike up a sparkling glacier
Experience the chill of a polar plunge
Your trip is 100% carbon offset
Learn from Polar experts
Retrace the steps of thousands of past explorers over seven days on this expedition cruise along the west coast of Spitsbergen. The Arctic will enchant you with its breathtaking scenery, snow-capped peaks and towering icebergs. Climb a sparkling glacier, experience the cold of a polar plunge and make the most of your trip aboard your Zodiac to photograph the most beautiful polar wildlife.
Your ship: Ocean Adventurer
The Ocean Adventurer is a comfortable vessel with spacious cabins. All cabins have private bathroom facilities and exterior views. This vessel is designed to carry travelers in comfort to the most remote corners of the world. Ocean Adventurer was built in 1976 and underwent extensive upgrades in 2017. This multi-million dollar investment included renovations to the interior of the ship, significant technical upgrades, and the addition of a new cabin category, the Owner’s Suites. The refurbishment included new bathrooms in every cabin and upgrades to the lounge, dining room, gym, and suites.
Amenities
Fitness Center
Observation Deck
Zodiac Fleet
Observation Lounge
Gift Shop
Medical Services
Library
Open Bridge Policy
Food & Drinks
There is one dining room located on the Upper Deck. While mealtimes may change due to landings and wildlife encounters, you’ll always be served three delicious meals a day.
Breakfasts and lunches are normally served buffet-style, while dinners are served plated. À la carte meals are made at the time of your order, allowing the chefs to prepare each dish to your individual needs. Working in a small kitchen, the chefs are able to monitor and control the quality of food being served, ensuring you receive top-quality meals during the course of your expedition.
An assortment of freshly baked cookies and/or pastries are offered each afternoon. There is also a selection of hot and cold snacks available in the lounge during cocktail hour, expedition activities permitting.
Day 1 • Arrive in Oslo, Norway, and start your adventure!
Norway’s capital is a fjord-side city surrounded by gorgeous nature, so there are plenty of places to get some fresh air. Whether it's boating on the Oslo fjord or hiking in the rolling hills that flank the town, there are lots of active options to choose from.
Oslo's small size makes it perfect for walking around: just pick a direction and frolick away. To the west, you will find large houses with green gardens and the Bydgdøy peninsula that is home to several museums like the outdoor museum, Folkemuseet and the Viking ship museum. To the east, the younger population has created a funkier vibe with a large number of vintage shops, cool cafes and restaurants and a distinct retro flair. A subway ride away (slightly north) you find the famous ski jump and the forest. Downtown is home to restaurants, cafés, great shopping areas and an unusual number of sculpture parks, the most famous being the Vigeland Sculpture Park and Ekeberg Park.
Day 2 • Fly to Longyearbyen, and embark you new home
This morning, the group will transfer to the airport and board a private charter flight to Longyearbyen.
Isfjorden is the second-largest fjord in Svalbard at 66 miles long. An important anchorage and shelter from the earliest times of human habitation here, most of the largest settlements on Spitsbergen have grown up along its shore. The largest is Longyearbyen, that started as a mining town and is the transport hub for those flying in and out of Svalbard, and the Russian mining town of Barentsburg.
Another key attribute of this fjord is that it very rarely ices up, thanks to the warm current of the Gulf Stream that is able to enter the fjord from the west. This not only makes it attractive to human settlers, but also for the wildlife that can't feed under fast ice.
Zodiac trips over the calm waters are a highlight, exploring the glacier fronts, and landings to explore the tundra and the chance to visit some spectacular bird cliffs. Do bear in mind that many cruise ships spend less time in the fjord (often sailing out the first evening and doing landings and exploration of the are on the last full day).
Therefore, for those that spend some extra time in Longyearbyen, it is highly recommended to spend more time exploring the area around the town, and activities like dog sledging, and also to visit other parts of Isfjorden fjord system, from day tris to camping. If you did not visit it on the cruise (and quite a few chose not to), a real highlight is to visit to the eerie and disused Russian mining town of Pyramiden. It used to be the biggest settlement in Svalbard and it feels like it belongs in Siberia, having the most northerly bust of Lenin in the World!
Day 3-4 • Explore Spitsbergen
A trip along the northwestern coast of Svalbard is always worth with the wildlife, the scenery, and the history. As far back as the 1600s his part of Svalbard was a huge center for whaling, including "Blubber Town" - with the main target being the oil-rich bowhead whale, the Arctic's only full-time resident baleen whale species.
The "town" of New Ålesund is on the shore of King's Bay ("Kongsfjorden") and well worth a visit. With a summer population of 120 and a hardy winter population of about 35, this is the most northerly permanent civilian settlement in the world. Originally the coal mining town of King's Bay, it played a key role in the history of arctic exploitation and exploration, especially flight.
Today it is at the center of Arctic and atmospheric research, and is one of the most northerly communities in the World. Don't miss the chance to send a postcard from the world's most northerly Post Office.
Day 5-6 • Sail back south towards Longyearbyen
Isfjorden is the second-largest fjord in Svalbard at 66 miles long. An important anchorage and shelter from the earliest times of human habitation here, most of the largest settlements on Spitsbergen have grown up along its shore. The largest is Longyearbyen, that started as a mining town and is the transport hub for those flying in and out of Svalbard, and the Russian mining town of Barentsburg.
Another key attribute of this fjord is that it very rarely ices up, thanks to the warm current of the Gulf Stream that is able to enter the fjord from the west. This not only makes it attractive to human settlers, but also for the wildlife that can't feed under fast ice.
Zodiac trips over the calm waters are a highlight, exploring the glacier fronts, and landings to explore the tundra and the chance to visit some spectacular bird cliffs. Do bear in mind that many cruise ships spend less time in the fjord (often sailing out the first evening and doing landings and exploration of the are on the last full day).
Therefore, for those that spend some extra time in Longyearbyen, it is highly recommended to spend more time exploring the area around the town, and activities like dog sledging, and also to visit other parts of Isfjorden fjord system, from day tris to camping. If you did not visit it on the cruise (and quite a few chose not to), a real highlight is to visit to the eerie and disused Russian mining town of Pyramiden. It used to be the biggest settlement in Svalbard and it feels like it belongs in Siberia, having the most northerly bust of Lenin in the World!
Day 7 • Disembark in Longyearbyen & fly to Oslo
The time to say goodbye has come. Your adventure ends as it began, in the frontier-style settlement of Longyearbyen. From here, we’ll transfer you to the airport for your return group charter flight to Oslo, included in the transfer package.
Isfjorden is the second-largest fjord in Svalbard at 66 miles long. An important anchorage and shelter from the earliest times of human habitation here, most of the largest settlements on Spitsbergen have grown up along its shore. The largest is Longyearbyen, that started as a mining town and is the transport hub for those flying in and out of Svalbard, and the Russian mining town of Barentsburg.
Another key attribute of this fjord is that it very rarely ices up, thanks to the warm current of the Gulf Stream that is able to enter the fjord from the west. This not only makes it attractive to human settlers, but also for the wildlife that can't feed under fast ice.
Zodiac trips over the calm waters are a highlight, exploring the glacier fronts, and landings to explore the tundra and the chance to visit some spectacular bird cliffs. Do bear in mind that many cruise ships spend less time in the fjord (often sailing out the first evening and doing landings and exploration of the are on the last full day).
Therefore, for those that spend some extra time in Longyearbyen, it is highly recommended to spend more time exploring the area around the town, and activities like dog sledging, and also to visit other parts of Isfjorden fjord system, from day tris to camping. If you did not visit it on the cruise (and quite a few chose not to), a real highlight is to visit to the eerie and disused Russian mining town of Pyramiden. It used to be the biggest settlement in Svalbard and it feels like it belongs in Siberia, having the most northerly bust of Lenin in the World!