Svalbard Spring Wildlife Expedition

We arrive in Helsinki and check in to our airport hotel, included in your Charter Flight & Hotel Package. You then have the rest of the day to explore museums, galleries and restaurants, relax in a Finnish sauna, or wander the vibrant Design District. If you head into the city centre, the rail service from the airport is convenient – about 40 minutes – making it easy to come and go.

After breakfast, we transfer to Helsinki Airport and board our private charter flight to Longyearbyen – both included in your Charter Flight & Hotel Package. As we fly north, southern forests give way to taiga and tundra, with the mountains of Norway and northern Sweden below and the Norwegian and Barents seas meeting beyond. Nearing Svalbard, you may glimpse snowcapped ridges, glaciers and swirls of sea ice. We land in Longyearbyen and transfer to the harbour to embark our ship, where the High Arctic adventure truly begins.

We spend seven full expedition days exploring Svalbard in the glow of the Midnight Sun, when snow and sea ice are at or near their annual peak. Each day, our Expedition Team and Bridge Officers consult the latest ice charts, shaping our route to maximise opportunities for exploration and wildlife while respecting the ever–moving pack. We navigate along – and sometimes through – the ice edge, spending time on deck scanning for life on the floes: seals on the drift, ivory gulls, walruses, Arctic foxes and, with luck, polar bears patrolling the margins. Ashore, spring’s pristine landscapes remain snow–covered, bays can still be filled with ice, and on bright days the contrast of cobalt skies and white ridgelines is striking; in softer light, the Arctic reveals a moody palette of greys and blues. As the season stirs, patches of ground reappear, grasses and mosses seize the returning light, and meltwater gathers speed – though freeze–thaw cycles continue, especially farther north and east. Seabird cliffs come alive as little auks, guillemots and kittiwakes return to breed, and while sightings are never guaranteed, whales may also be encountered, from year–round belugas to early migrating giants. Alongside drifting pack, icebergs and smaller bergy bits hint at distant glaciers. With conditions as our guide, we aim to visit a range of fjords – Hornsund, Bellsund, Isfjorden, Krossfjorden, Smeerenburgfjorden, Raudfjorden, Woodfjorden, Sorgfjorden and others – where mountains rise straight from the sea and glaciers can calve at the water’s edge. We plan regular shore landings, often on snow and sometimes on rocky terrain, and if it is safe and suitable, we may even step onto the sea ice itself – an unforgettable sensation of walking on water.

We disembark in Longyearbyen and transfer you to the airport for the return group charter flight to Helsinki – followed by an included hotel night as part of your Charter Flight & Hotel Package.

After breakfast at your included hotel, you make your own way to the airport for your onward flight home, or you can spend more time exploring Helsinki if arranged in advance.