Oceanwide Expeditions

ATD11 Around Spitsbergen 2012

ATD11  * (Departure is currently under charter or sold out.)

This special voyage is dedicated to an intense nature experience in remote areas. We will offer full-day hikes to explore the rarely visited interior of various islands, which has been seen by reindeer and polar bears rather than by man. We will also offer shorter excursions in the same areas.

Day 1 - Arrive in Longyearbyen, the administrative capital of the Spitsbergen archipelago of which West Spitsbergen is the largest island. Before embarking there is an opportunity to stroll around this former mining town, whose parish church and Polar Museum are well worth visiting. In the early evening the ship will sail out of Isfjorden.

Day 2 - Heading north along the west coast, we arrive by morning in Krossfjorden, where we take the Zodiacs for a cruise along the front of the 14th of July Glacier. On the green slopes near the glacier, a colourful variety of flowers bloom, while large numbers of Kittiwakes nest on the nearby cliffs. There is also a good chance of spotting Arctic Foxes, who patrol the base of the cliffs in case a chick falls from its nest, and Bearded Seals, who cruise this scenic fjord. In the afternoon we sail to Blomstrand to climb to the top of the island to obtain a splendid view across the strait where until a few years ago a glacier connected the island with the mainland.

Day 3 - In Bockfjord the long hikers will set off for a day’s hike to thewarm springs about 8 km inland and will walk along glaciers and a volcano in one of the warmest areas in Spitsbergen in the summer. The shorter walkers will explore the warm springs along the coast in the morning and a lagoon on the spectacular Red Sandstone of Woodfjord, which derives its name from the immense numbers of logs washed ashore. In the evening we sail to the Monaco Glacier in Liefdefjord.

Day 4 - We will visit Laagøya today, a low island with a big lagoon where a big herd of Walrus tends to congregate. Sabine’s Gulls nest on the island as well. We will reach our northernmost point at Phippsøya, in the Seven Islands north of Nordaustlandet. Here we will be at 81 degrees north, just 540 miles from the geographic North Pole. Polar bears inhabit this region, along with ivory gulls. We may sit for several hours in the pack ice, taking in our spectacular surroundings and seeing a polar bear or two, before we turn south again.

Day 5 - Hinlopen Strait separates the two largest islands of Svalbard, Spitsbergen and Nordaustland. In Palanderbukta, surrounded by glacier fronts, we will set foot on Nordaustland and explore this desert-like, yet beautiful environment. The hikers will follow Palanderdalen, an ice-free corridor between two major ice-caps of Nordaustland. After about 20 km of polar desert, Augustabukta is reached, where an ascent on the ice-cap is easy. On the tundra we usually see a lot of reindeer. Both landings, Augustabukta Palanderbukta and Augutabukta, will also be done without the long hike. Nearby on Torrellneset there is a large herd of walrus.

Day 6 - The east coast of West-Spitsbergen is very rarely visited during the summer. We will sail along Negribreen one of the rare shelf-ice glaciers in the Arctic. At Teistpynten near Mohnbukta, all passengers will have the opportunity to have a stroll along the coast and on the tundra with many reindeer and with good views of again the front of the Negri-breen. Some of the Mesozoic sediment layers in this area are very rich in fossils such as ammonites and bivalves.  During mid-day, the ship repositions further south to Agardhfjell. Excursion opportunities include a 5 hours inland walk to a colony of ivory gulls.
 
- Alternatively we offer-
Sundneset at the south-eastern corner of Barentsøya with a lush tundra vegetation and often large numbers of reindeer. Following a river up to a waterfall, the hikers will cover about 17 km to enjoy splendid views.
Alternatively, a shorter landing at Sundneset, including highlights such as rich tundra, a waterfall and good chances for encounters with reindeer, will be supplemented with another excursion at Rindedalen on the south side of Barentsøya.

Day 7 - In Diskobukta, a good 20 km further southeast, we find a small canyon with a colony of Kittiwakes. Kapp Lee near the north-western corner of Edgeøya has been a focal point for hunting and scientific expeditions for centuries. Land uplift that followed the ice-age has left its traces in shape of ancient whalebones and driftwood far from the coast, having a respectable age of several 1000 years. The opportunity to hike from Diskobukta to Kapp Lee enables us to appreciate the whole coastline with plentiful driftwood, whalebones and potential wildlife surprises. Alternatively, it will be possible to land both at Diskobukta and Kapp Lee without a long hike.

Day 8 - The Hornsund at the west coast of Spitsbergen is surrounded by glaciers and mountains including the Hornsundtind (1.431 m) and the needle-shaped Bautaen. A day hike up to the mountain Ostragrodskyfjell in Brepollen, the innermost part of the Hornsund, will provide spectacular views of the glacier landscape, which can alternatively be explored by Zodiac. In the late afternoon, Burgerbukta on the northern side of the Hornsund will make clear why some think of the Hornsund as the most beautiful fjord of Spitsbergen.

Day 9 - Today we land on Ahlstrandhalvøya at the mouth of Van Keulenfjorden. Here piles of Beluga skeletons (the Beluga is a small white whale), the remains of 19th century slaughter, are yet another reminder of the consequences of thoughtless exploitation. Fortunately, Belugas were not hunted to the edge of extinction and may still be seen locally. Indeed, there is a good chance that we will come across a pod. Cruising into Recherchefjorden during the afternoon we can explore an area of tundra at the head of the fjord where many Reindeer feed.

Day 10 - Return to Longyearbyen and disembark for the transfer to the airport and the flight to Oslo and home.