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Itinerary
Northwest Spitsbergen by Tall Ship
13 days - Aug-Sep - From US $ 2,964
Day 1: You will fly from Amsterdam, via Oslo, to Longyearbyen. At Longyearbyen, a crew member will meet and escort you to the Oosterschelde.
Day 2: Longyearbyen is the gateway to Spitsbergen and, with 1200 inhabitants, is the biggest village of the archipelago. You will embark the Oosterschelde here, setting sail for Trygghamna bay, in the northwest corner of the Isfjorden. Trygghamna means “safe haven”, and is a Norwegian translation of the original Dutch name which Dutch whalers gave to this sheltered bay. The ship will anchor here, and you can take a walk near the bird cliff Alkhornet (Auk-horn originally), a cliff that rises more than 400 meters (1,312 ft.), and is home to thousands of breeding pairs of kittiwakes and Brünnich’s guillemots. On the tundra below, you may see reindeer and arctic foxes.
In the afternoon, the ship will set sail again, its destination being Prins Karls Forland.
Day 3: In the morning, the ship will land at the Prins Karls Forland at Poolepynten. On the sandy beaches of Poolepynten, on the southwest side of the island, walruses often haul out. After being hunted almost to extinction, the walrus population is slowly recovering and this is one of the few places where these magnificent animals can be seen on land.
In the afternoon, you will sail through Forlandsundet, the channel between the Prins Karls Forland and Spitsbergen. Weather permitting, the ship will land in the evening at Fuglehuken, the northern cape of Prins Karls Forland, where nice bird cliffs can be found. You can also visit an old graveyard of whale hunters and the remains of Norwegian polar bear hunters.
During the night, the ship will head for the Krossfjorden.
Day 4: The ship will anchor near Ebeltoftbukta, well inside the Krossfjorden. Here, you can still find remains of the oldest train-oil ovens from Svalbard. During World War I, a German radio station was established at this remote place. You can take a long walk around the bay, during which you may see reindeer and sometimes even polar bears. From the top of the hills that surround you, you will have a beautiful view of the fjord.
In the evening, the ship will heave anchor and sail along the glacier coast to the Magdalenafjorden.
Day 5: The Magdalenafjorden is famous for its scenery and it is here that Dutch explorer Willem Barentsz, in 1596, gave the name Spitsbergen to this archipelago. Spitsbergen means “sharp mountain” in Dutch, and steep, jagged peaks tower on both sides of the fjord. In the morning and afternoon, you can take a walk to the Gullybreen in the Magdalenafjorden, where you will be close to the glacier front.
In the evening, the Oosterschelde will sail to the glacier at the end of the fjord. You will stay in the Magdalenafjorden for the night.
Day 6: You will leave the Magdalenafjorden in the morning and sail through the Smeerenburgfjorden to Ytre Norsk Øya. On this island, Dutch whale hunters had a whaling base during the 17th century. You will take a walk to the highest point of the island, the “Utkiken” or “Zeeuwse uitkijk” as the Dutch call it. Here, whale hunters used to have an observation point from where they could spot the bowhead whales which they were hunting.
After the walk, you will sail east toward the Liefdefjorden.
Day 7: Early in the morning, you will cross the 80° latitude and pass Moffen Island on your way to the Liefdefjorden. Moffen Island is an isolated sandy island that is very popular with walruses. Restrictions forbid the ship from getting closer than 300 meters (984 ft.) to the island.
In the afternoon, the ship will arrive in Liefdefjorden, a beautiful wide fjord colored by red sandstone. The sandstone gives proof to the theory that Spitsbergen was once situated at the latitude of the Sahara and suffered a hot desert climate. At the end of the fjord, you will find the huge Monacobreen, a blue glacier that has a front with a width of more than 5 kilometers (3.1 miles). The Liefdefjorden is a caving area for polar bears, so the chance of encountering them here will be very high.
In the evening, you will arrive at Mushamna, where a Norwegian trapper still lives and works. His home is a beautiful cabin built of Siberian logs that drifted ashore here after being brought to Spitsbergen by the sea currents.
Late in the evening, the Oosterschelde will leave the fjord and set sail for the Smeerenburgfjorden.
Day 8: In the morning, the ship will arrive at Virgohamna, on Danskøya, where you can visit the remains of the expeditions of two polar explorers. The Swedish Salomon Andrée tried to sail to the North Pole in 1897 with a balloon. He did not succeed and died with his two companions after a gruesome three month journey across the pack ice. The other polar pioneer that started his polar journey in Virgohamna was the American Walter Wellman. He used an airship but did not succeed either.
In the afternoon, you will visit the former Dutch settlement Smeerenburg, on Amsterdamøya. It was the main whaling base of the Dutch whalers in the 17th century, and you can still see the remains of train-oil ovens that were used to cook the oil out of the whale blubber.
After this expedition, you will leave for the Kongsfjorden.
Day 9: You will visit Ny-Ålesund in the morning. This village boasts of being the northernmost village in the world. Although originally built as a coal mining village, it has since become a modern science center for Arctic research. The village was also the starting point for two of Roald Amunsden’s expeditions to the North Pole in 1925 and 1926. You will have the chance to visit the exhibition center, souvenir shop and small post office. In the afternoon, the ship will sail along the huge Kongsbreen and Kongsvegan glaciers.
Late in the afternoon, the ship will sail toward Blomstrandhalvøya. Arriving in the evening, you can have a look at the remains of a marble quarry. You will also be able to view the wildlife that live near the little lakes on the island, including the red-throated divers and long-tailed ducks that breed in the little lakes.
The ship will sail for Barentsburg later in the evening.
Day 10: Today you will visit the Russian mining village Barentsburg. About 700 Russian and Ukrainians live and work here. During the Cold War, Barentsburg was of major strategic importance to the Russians, but today the mining town is a bit run-down.
In the evening, the ship will sail for the Tempelfjorden where it will anchor for the night.
Day 11: In the morning, you will sail through the beautiful Tempelfjorden and along the Von Postbreen. The mountains here have shapes like temples, thus the reason for the fjord’s name.
In the evening, you will arrive at Fredheim, in Sassendalen, to visit the old trapper cabin. The famous Norwegian trapper Hilmar Nøis lived and worked here for many years, hunting for arctic foxes and polar bears. After your expedition to the cabin, the ship will sail to Skansbukta where it will anchor for the night.
Day 12: After breakfast, you will make your last expedition, visiting the remains of a gypsum mine. Skansbukta is also an interesting place for a plant lover, as several species of plants grow here.
In the afternoon, you will sail back to Longyearbyen. After your return to the harbor, there will still be time for you to visit the interesting Polar Museum and do some souvenir shopping.
Day 13: In the early morning, you will say good-bye to the Oosterschelde and its crew, and fly home.
The above itinerary is based on the experience of earlier voyages made by the Oosterschelde and the skilled guides who have spent a vast amount of time traveling along the coast of Spitsbergen. The itinerary should be read as an example of how the voyage might progress, bearing in mind that weather, wind, and ice will determine the actual course of the journey, making it a true Arctic experience.
Day 2: Longyearbyen is the gateway to Spitsbergen and, with 1200 inhabitants, is the biggest village of the archipelago. You will embark the Oosterschelde here, setting sail for Trygghamna bay, in the northwest corner of the Isfjorden. Trygghamna means “safe haven”, and is a Norwegian translation of the original Dutch name which Dutch whalers gave to this sheltered bay. The ship will anchor here, and you can take a walk near the bird cliff Alkhornet (Auk-horn originally), a cliff that rises more than 400 meters (1,312 ft.), and is home to thousands of breeding pairs of kittiwakes and Brünnich’s guillemots. On the tundra below, you may see reindeer and arctic foxes.
In the afternoon, the ship will set sail again, its destination being Prins Karls Forland.
Day 3: In the morning, the ship will land at the Prins Karls Forland at Poolepynten. On the sandy beaches of Poolepynten, on the southwest side of the island, walruses often haul out. After being hunted almost to extinction, the walrus population is slowly recovering and this is one of the few places where these magnificent animals can be seen on land.
In the afternoon, you will sail through Forlandsundet, the channel between the Prins Karls Forland and Spitsbergen. Weather permitting, the ship will land in the evening at Fuglehuken, the northern cape of Prins Karls Forland, where nice bird cliffs can be found. You can also visit an old graveyard of whale hunters and the remains of Norwegian polar bear hunters.
During the night, the ship will head for the Krossfjorden.
Day 4: The ship will anchor near Ebeltoftbukta, well inside the Krossfjorden. Here, you can still find remains of the oldest train-oil ovens from Svalbard. During World War I, a German radio station was established at this remote place. You can take a long walk around the bay, during which you may see reindeer and sometimes even polar bears. From the top of the hills that surround you, you will have a beautiful view of the fjord.
In the evening, the ship will heave anchor and sail along the glacier coast to the Magdalenafjorden.
Day 5: The Magdalenafjorden is famous for its scenery and it is here that Dutch explorer Willem Barentsz, in 1596, gave the name Spitsbergen to this archipelago. Spitsbergen means “sharp mountain” in Dutch, and steep, jagged peaks tower on both sides of the fjord. In the morning and afternoon, you can take a walk to the Gullybreen in the Magdalenafjorden, where you will be close to the glacier front.
In the evening, the Oosterschelde will sail to the glacier at the end of the fjord. You will stay in the Magdalenafjorden for the night.
Day 6: You will leave the Magdalenafjorden in the morning and sail through the Smeerenburgfjorden to Ytre Norsk Øya. On this island, Dutch whale hunters had a whaling base during the 17th century. You will take a walk to the highest point of the island, the “Utkiken” or “Zeeuwse uitkijk” as the Dutch call it. Here, whale hunters used to have an observation point from where they could spot the bowhead whales which they were hunting.
After the walk, you will sail east toward the Liefdefjorden.
Day 7: Early in the morning, you will cross the 80° latitude and pass Moffen Island on your way to the Liefdefjorden. Moffen Island is an isolated sandy island that is very popular with walruses. Restrictions forbid the ship from getting closer than 300 meters (984 ft.) to the island.
In the afternoon, the ship will arrive in Liefdefjorden, a beautiful wide fjord colored by red sandstone. The sandstone gives proof to the theory that Spitsbergen was once situated at the latitude of the Sahara and suffered a hot desert climate. At the end of the fjord, you will find the huge Monacobreen, a blue glacier that has a front with a width of more than 5 kilometers (3.1 miles). The Liefdefjorden is a caving area for polar bears, so the chance of encountering them here will be very high.
In the evening, you will arrive at Mushamna, where a Norwegian trapper still lives and works. His home is a beautiful cabin built of Siberian logs that drifted ashore here after being brought to Spitsbergen by the sea currents.
Late in the evening, the Oosterschelde will leave the fjord and set sail for the Smeerenburgfjorden.
Day 8: In the morning, the ship will arrive at Virgohamna, on Danskøya, where you can visit the remains of the expeditions of two polar explorers. The Swedish Salomon Andrée tried to sail to the North Pole in 1897 with a balloon. He did not succeed and died with his two companions after a gruesome three month journey across the pack ice. The other polar pioneer that started his polar journey in Virgohamna was the American Walter Wellman. He used an airship but did not succeed either.
In the afternoon, you will visit the former Dutch settlement Smeerenburg, on Amsterdamøya. It was the main whaling base of the Dutch whalers in the 17th century, and you can still see the remains of train-oil ovens that were used to cook the oil out of the whale blubber.
After this expedition, you will leave for the Kongsfjorden.
Day 9: You will visit Ny-Ålesund in the morning. This village boasts of being the northernmost village in the world. Although originally built as a coal mining village, it has since become a modern science center for Arctic research. The village was also the starting point for two of Roald Amunsden’s expeditions to the North Pole in 1925 and 1926. You will have the chance to visit the exhibition center, souvenir shop and small post office. In the afternoon, the ship will sail along the huge Kongsbreen and Kongsvegan glaciers.
Late in the afternoon, the ship will sail toward Blomstrandhalvøya. Arriving in the evening, you can have a look at the remains of a marble quarry. You will also be able to view the wildlife that live near the little lakes on the island, including the red-throated divers and long-tailed ducks that breed in the little lakes.
The ship will sail for Barentsburg later in the evening.
Day 10: Today you will visit the Russian mining village Barentsburg. About 700 Russian and Ukrainians live and work here. During the Cold War, Barentsburg was of major strategic importance to the Russians, but today the mining town is a bit run-down.
In the evening, the ship will sail for the Tempelfjorden where it will anchor for the night.
Day 11: In the morning, you will sail through the beautiful Tempelfjorden and along the Von Postbreen. The mountains here have shapes like temples, thus the reason for the fjord’s name.
In the evening, you will arrive at Fredheim, in Sassendalen, to visit the old trapper cabin. The famous Norwegian trapper Hilmar Nøis lived and worked here for many years, hunting for arctic foxes and polar bears. After your expedition to the cabin, the ship will sail to Skansbukta where it will anchor for the night.
Day 12: After breakfast, you will make your last expedition, visiting the remains of a gypsum mine. Skansbukta is also an interesting place for a plant lover, as several species of plants grow here.
In the afternoon, you will sail back to Longyearbyen. After your return to the harbor, there will still be time for you to visit the interesting Polar Museum and do some souvenir shopping.
Day 13: In the early morning, you will say good-bye to the Oosterschelde and its crew, and fly home.
The above itinerary is based on the experience of earlier voyages made by the Oosterschelde and the skilled guides who have spent a vast amount of time traveling along the coast of Spitsbergen. The itinerary should be read as an example of how the voyage might progress, bearing in mind that weather, wind, and ice will determine the actual course of the journey, making it a true Arctic experience.
