Spitsbergen - The Realm of the Polar Bear Package

• StartFinish
• ex Oslo
• What's Included
• - 8 nights aboard the M/S Expedition
  - All meals on board
  - Zodiac excursions with our expert expedition team
  - Lecture and educational program
  - 2 nights hotel accommodation
  - Return flights from Oslo to Longyearbyen
  - 3 hour historical and cultural tour including lunch
• Group Size Notes
• Max 124.
• Group Leader
• 8-10 expedition staff/naturalists.
• Meals Included
• All meals included on board the ship. Breakfast included at the hotels.
• Transport
• M/S Expedition, Zodiac, local buses, and domestic flights.
• Accommodation
• Comfortable hotel (2 nights); on board the M/S Expedition in a triple, twin-share cabin, or suite (all with ensuite bathrooms and porthole or window) (8 nights). Please note that all cabins consist of two beds and are outside facing. Suites have a queen size bed, subject to availability.
• Meal Budget
• Drinks and tips while on the expedition ship are not included.
• Recommendation
• For a cruise-only version of this tour please see Spitsbergen - The Realm of the Polar Bear - trip code XVRPNX.
• Brochure Notes
• 1. Read this itinerary as a guide only; our exact route and program varies according to ice and weather conditions and the wildlife we encounter. Flexibility is the key to the success of this expedition. Visits to Ny-Ålesund depend on final permission.
  
  2. Shared triple cabins are same-sex cabins only. Males and females can not stay in triple cabins together unless their traveling party has booked all berths in the cabin.
  
  3. Due to fluctuating flight times to Longyearbyen the day or time you fly might be different from the itinerary. Please reconfirm when making your reservation. This will effect trip departures starting on July 29 and August 6, 2010.

Day 1 Arrive Oslo

Arrive into Oslo, the capital of Norway at anytime.

Note: Passengers on the August 6, 2010 trip departure will fly from Oslo to Longyearbyen at 20:40 on August 6 (Day 1), and overnight in Longyearbyen instead of Oslo. For more details please read the "Important Notes" section in trip details on our website.

Day 2 Longyearbyen (B,D)

Our flight departs Oslo for the capital city of Svalbard, Longyearbyen. We will arrive in the early afternoon and be transferred directly to the ship to begin our exploration of this Arctic wilderness.

Day 3-9 Svalbard Archipelago / Spitsbergen (7B,7L,7D)

Each day will be planned to take advantage of local ice and weather conditions. Svalbard is one of the few places on the planet to offer such a plethora of natural and historical extravaganzas. We will spend the next 7 days exploring the remote polar regions. Visit ice covered fjords with breathtaking mountain scenery and glaciers crashing into the sea around us. Spend time steaming through the ice in search of polar bears hunting seals. At one or more of the stops, we hope to see one of Svalbard’s species of reindeer.

Some years it is possible to sail through the Hinlopen-Strait to attempt a circumnavigation of the archipelago early in the season, while other years there is a great deal of ice, which makes it harder to navigate around. We recommend the early tours for those who are keen to see large ice floes and the richest bird life. For those who would rather travel further east with the chance to sail around Spitsbergen, we recommend a tour later in the season. The final itinerary is dependent on ice- and weather-conditions, which have to be assessed during the voyage.

Day 10 Longyearbyen (B,L)

We arrive in Longyearbyen in the early morning for disembarkation. Prior to our flight we will go on a historical and cultural tour of Longyearbyen visiting the Svalbard Museum and Svalbard Gallery. We will have lunch at a local hotel before transferring to the airport. Once in Oslo, the evening is free to relax and see the sights.

Note: Passengers on the July 29, 2010 trip departure will do a city tour and lunch in Oslo instead of Longyearbyen on August 7 (Day 10). For more details please read the "Important Notes" section in trip details on our website.

Day 11 Depart Oslo (B)

You are free to depart at any time.