Svalbard Spring Wildlife Expedition

Arrive in Helsinki and make your way to our airport hotel – included in your Charter Flight & Hotel Package. We settle in, and you have the rest of the day to explore the capital’s museums, galleries and restaurants, relax in a Finnish sauna, or wander the vibrant Design District. If you plan to visit the city centre, the convenient rail service from the airport takes about 40 minutes.

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, watch southern Scandinavia’s coastal and birch forests give way to taiga and tundra, the mountains of Norway and northern Sweden, and the meeting of the Norwegian and Barents seas. Nearing Svalbard, first views of ridgelines, glaciers and distant sea ice set the tone. We land in Longyearbyen and transfer to the harbour to embark our ship.

Spring in Svalbard brings a compelling mix of snow, sea ice and the Midnight Sun. With sea ice at or near its annual maximum, we are drawn north. Each day our Expedition Team and Bridge Officers consult the latest ice charts – sea ice shifts rapidly – and our route adapts to where conditions offer the best opportunities for exploration and wildlife. We spend time along the ice edge – and at times through it – scanning for life among pressure ridges and marooned icebergs. Polar bears are a headline hope, attracted by seals, while we may also encounter walruses, Arctic foxes and ivory gulls, plus ringed and bearded seals. On shore, bays can still be filled with ice and the landscape remains snow covered, delivering pristine scenes in both bright sun and moody light. Try switching your camera to black and white – textures and contrasts become striking. As we travel, we witness spring’s awakening: icebergs and smaller bergy bits drift by, patches of ground reappear, grasses and mosses seize the returning light, and meltwater gathers pace – though freeze–thaw cycles continue, especially farther north and east. Migratory birds arrive in growing numbers, with little auks, guillemots and kittiwakes busy on the cliffs. Whales may also appear – blue whales can arrive by late spring, while belugas live here year round and sometimes thread through the ice. With seven full expedition days, we aim to explore a variety of fjords such as Hornsund, Bellsund, Isfjorden, Krossfjorden, Smeerenburgfjorden, Raudfjorden, Woodfjorden and Sorgfjorden. We look for thriving seabird colonies and plan regular landings, usually walking on snow, and if conditions are safe, we may even step onto the sea ice itself – an unforgettable sensation.

Our adventure concludes in the frontier settlement of Longyearbyen. We transfer to the airport for the group charter flight back to Helsinki, followed by an included hotel night – both part of your Charter Flight & Hotel Package.

After breakfast at the included hotel, you make your way independently to the airport for your onward flight home – or, if prearranged, you can spend longer exploring Helsinki.