Day 1
Arctic – 80 Degrees North
Curated Journeys
Cruising to the largest islands of the Far North, feel your spirit set free, floating with the ice floes of Spitsbergen. Experience the thrill of making zodiac landings on the Arctic shores, where the Great Bears and the huge bird cliffs are waiting to welcome you.
Trip Highlights
- Start your journey from the northernmost town of the North, Longyearbyen.
- Sail through huge glaciers, icebergs and ice floes of Spitsbergen, the largest island of the Svalbard archipelago.
- Experience zodiac landings ashore the Arctic through the eight days of the Arctic cruise.
- Hike in the snow amidst the jagged mountains of the magnificent ruins of Smeerenburg.
- Marvel at the site of the calving icebergs at the Monaco Glacier.
- Witness the largest colony of puffins burst into a riot of colours on the white landscape.
- Meet the Great Bears of the North at Hornsund and also be enthralled by the varied wildlife of the icy terrain.
- Follow the magical trail of the walruses.
- Visit the research town of NY Alesund from where stalwarts like Amundsen started their polar expeditions.
The Glaciers, the Bergs and the Fjords
A glacial wrapped archipelago of rugged islands peaks the Far North. A luxury yacht is waiting to take you ashore the largest islands of Spitsbergen. Hear the sound of the calving icebergs on the fjords of fantasy. Sight the exotic tundra wildlife. Feel at one with the lands of the northern hemisphere.
Journey begins June 18th 2020
Day 2
Meeting the Lord of the Arctic: Horn Glacier
Where the glacial cirques intersect, a mountain like structure towers over the water surface. Indulge in the wonders of a glacial peak at its best at the Horn Glacier. Also known as Hornbreen, this glacier lies between Torell Land and Sørkapp Land on Spitsbergen. The glacier debouches into Hornsund where you will be met by the Great Bears of the land.Day 3 & 4
The Best of Nature and Culture: Bellsund
Trace the historical centuries of Svalbard’s mining and mineral exploration in the mountains and cliffs of Bellsund. Amidst interesting geological formations, what are meant to catch the eye are bird cliffs that are home to large colonies of birds. Green tundra is at its best at the 20km stretch of the ‘sound’, a landmass of glaciers and peaks that are larger than bays and fjords.
Day 5
The Beauty of the Bergs: Makeoyane and Monaco Glacier
The sound of the calving bergs of ice will fill your senses in the Monacobreen or the Monaco Glacier as it is also called, situated in Haakon Vll land. Named in the honour of the first Prince Albert of Monaco, a famed explorer of the early 1900s, this region of pristine white and blue icebergs and black rocks is the best that can be explored in an Arctic cruise.Day 6
The Ruins of an Arctic Town: Smeerenburg
Ashore Smeerenburg, witness one of the most significant aspects of the Arctic’s cultural heritage. Smeerenburg also means the blubber town as it was once a Dutch whaling centre in the 17th century when the blubber of Greenland’s Right Whale was harvested along the coastline and fjords of Svalbard. Now, only the ruins of an abandoned settlement remain, with the whaling population having diminished due to years of intensive hunting. You are going to be stepping on a desolate yet protected region, with a trail of civilization that was left behind.
Day 7
NY-Ålesund & Kongsfjorden
The inlet of Kongsfjorden is 26 km long and ranges in width from 6 to 14 km. Kronebreen and Kongsvegen are the highlight fjords of this island. NY-Ålesund is the most significant research station in Kongsfjorden from where legends like Roald Amundsen and Umberto Nobile started their North Pole expeditions. Going there, expect to hear fables of heroes that touched the soul of the land.Day 8
Back to the Farthest North: Longyearbyen
On the seventh day, get back to where you started from, to the territories dominated by the national parks and nature reserves, the beautiful snow clad Longyearbyen.
The journey to the Arctic on a luxury cruise is a unique cruise in the breezy and light summer month of June; a trip that will stand out from your travelogue as one which is memorable and grandiloquent, one that the world thought was remote, wild and unexplored but one which you also conquered.
