Spitsbergen - Land of the Midnight Sun

Spitsbergen, the largest island in the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard, is only 600 miles from the North Pole.   About the same size as Ireland, its name means 'pointed mountains'.  It is the summer home for an abundance of special birds, mammals and plants in a land of spectacular scenery and fascinating history.

This tour will appeal to all who have a spirit of adventure and who love wild, remote and peaceful places.  The bird and mammal list is small, but very special.   From the spectacle of teeming colonies of thousands of Brunnich's Guillemots and Little Auks, to the grace and beauty of Ivory and Sabine's Gulls; with colourful Grey Phalaropes and drake King Eiders alongside breeding Purple Sandpipers and Snow Buntings; with nesting Pinkfooted and Barnacle Geese and Arctic and Long-tailed Skuas; and where Ptarmigan and Red-throated Divers' calls echo across the tundra; Spitsbergen has a very special appeal to the birder.  Add Polar Bears, Walruses, Minke Whales, Arctic Foxes and Reindeer, and over 170 species of flowering plants, and its appeal is irresistible to any naturalist.

The tour is based on the Russian expedition ship Grigoriy Mikheev (48 passengers) In this road less, rugged archipelago, sailing is the best, and really the only, way to visit the remote fjords, glaciers, mountains and tundra. Sturdy inflatable Zodiacs make daily landings where weather and pack ice conditions permit, and several hours are spent ashore on each of these.

The ten previous WildWings tours have all been very successful, each seeing most of the wildlife described above.   No two years are the same in the Arctic, and the unpredictability of weather, ice conditions and wildlife make for an exciting and unique trip every time.   With a well-run and comfortable ship, a very professional expedition team, and generally settled weather with light winds and sunshine, one could not ask for more. The 2004 trip yielded 10 Polar Bears, close encounters with Walrus, Arctic Foxes and all the expected birds including stunning Ivory Gulls and on one afternoon, a lone Beluga Whale. 12 Polar Bears and plenty of Walrus were amongst the many highlights of the 2005 tour. 2006 produced 18 Polar Bears including four cubs and close views from the Zodiacs of an adult eating Eider duck eggs, plus great views of King Eiders amongst the many other highlights.

Holiday Information

Dates:                         21st – 29^th June 2008

Tour Leader:                Tony Marr and the ship’s expedition team .

Cost:                           From £2499 per person sharing a twin cabin

Single supp:                on request

Deposit:                       10%

Group size:                  The maximum number of WildWings participants will be 20 plus the leader

Price includes: Economy class air travel, all airport and port taxes, transfers in Longyearbyen, hotel accommodation at Oslo airport with breakfast, accommodation and all meals on board the vessel, Zodiac shore landings accompanied by naturalist guides, lectures aboard ship, services of WildWings tour leader and ship’s expedition team, WildWings evening log call sessions, pre-tour information pack and WildWings daily checklist of birds and mammals. 

Price excludes: Travel insurance (from £16.22), drinks, laundry, souvenirs and other items of a personal nature, crew and staff gratuities (suggested Euro 10-15 per passenger per day onboard ship) and optional excursion in Longyearbyen (approx £5). Allow £40pp for dinner and drinks at Oslo Airport. 

Itinerary

Day 1: Fly London Heathrow to Oslo and overnight.

Day 2: Morning flight from Oslo to Longyearbyen. Transfer to ship and sail early evening.

Days 3-8: The itinerary is subject to weather and pack ice conditions.  We will sail up the west coast of Spitsbergen and if possible round the northwest tip and along the north coast.  The principal places we hope to visit include: Ny-Alesund - the northernmost town in the world - Ivory Gulls, Grey Phalaropes, Glaucous  Gulls; Fuglesongen - a large colony of Little Auks; Moffen - resting island for Walruses and Sabine’s Gulls; the pack ice - Zodiac cruising around the ice -  Polar Bears, auks, gulls and skuas;  the tundra - walks through breeding habitat of skuas, waders and geese –plus beautiful flowers and plants ; the islands - landings for more wildlife adventures; Blomstrand - breeding place for Red-throated Divers, Ptarmigan, Long-tailed  Skuas and Snow Buntings.

Day 9: Disembark at Longyearbyen early morning. Explore the settlement on foot or optional birding excursion by bus. Fly Longyearbyen via Oslo back to London Heathrow arriving late evening.

 Previous trip reports are here or available from us.