Longyearbyen Norway

Categories Cruises Escorted Tours Adventure & Eco Travel Arctic Cruises Small Ship Cruises Summer Tours Svalbard Spitsbergen

A BREATHTAKING VOYAGE WITH MS NORDSTJERNEN

Your Artic adventure starts from Longyearbyen with the breathtaking voyage with MS Nordstjernen to the northwest Spitsbergen National Park. This the quintessential Spitsbergen experience. You get to visit Barentsburg and Ny-Ålesund, and marvel at the amazing landscapes and unique wildlife in the Arctic.

Focusing on the Northwest Spitsbergen National Park, we will experience the extraordinary Arctic landscape, glaciers and bird cliffs.

After two or three nights onboard MS Nordstjernen, depending on a Tuesday or Friday departure, we get to the north side of Kongsfjorden and Blomstrandhamna - our base camp and home in the wilderness.

Every day, different hikes will be planned. We hike in small groups, together with our knowledgeable local guide who carries all the necessary safety equipment. Only a minimum of clothes and food are needed for these one-day hikes. There are no paths or roads where we go hiking. The terrain is rocky, wild, untouched and beautiful! Living in the camp intensifies the feeling of freedom and our connection to the Arctic

Itinerary

Arrival in Longyearbyen late Thursday evening. A representative from Spitsbergen Travel will join you on the transfer to Spitsbergen Hotel and Coal Miners’ Cabins where you will spend the first night.

Your guide will meet you in the reception for an information and welcome meeting at 9:00am. After this, you get some free time to walk around the town center or do any necessary last minute purchases. Lunch is on your own this day. Later, we have the possibility to join a guided sightseeing around Longyearbyen that starts at the Spitsbergen hotel and ends at the harbor. MS Nordstjernen departs from Longyearbyen and heads to Barentsburg.

Here we’ll explore this Russian settlement, before we head out from the Isfjord and go north – towards Prins Karls Forland.

We arrive in the area first discovered by Willem Barentz in 1596. Visit to the historical and scenic Magdalenefjord.

Explore the northern fjords and visit the Monaco Glacier. In favorable conditions, we sail to 80° north and to Moen - an island where you will get a chance to see walrus. .

Visit to the “King fjord” – where you’ll get to see majestic Arctic peaks and large glaciers. Enjoy a guided trip in Ny-Ålesund, an isolated scientific community. Afer the landing in Ny-Ålesund, we are transported to the Blomstrand beach. This is the base for our trekking camp. Dinner will be served in the evening.

Camping and hiking in the Kongsfjorden area. The area offers the possibility of hiking on the glacier, as well as a wide range of interesting trekking routes, both long and short ones. The campsite is surrounded by beautiful, scenic views, located next to the fjord - between mountains and next to glaciers. We keep the same base camp during the trekking expedition. This is where we will return to sleep and prepare our meals. Packed lunch will be prepared every morning. We will find a sheltered place to eat lunch while on our treks. On Thursday night, after dinner, MS Nordstjernen picks us up. We enjoy a hot shower and a comfortable bed on board while sailing our way back to Longyearbyen.

We spend the morning sailing through the Isfjord before arriving in Longyearbyen at 10:00am in the morning. You get a transfer to the town center where you can store your luggage before a transfer takes you to the airport in the afternoon.

Notes