Quest Itinerary

Expedition Svalbard with Mattias Klum

Day 1: Longyearbyen, Svalbard

We arrive in Longyearbyen and transfer to our hotel.

Days 2-11: Expedition cruising

Explore Longyearbyen on your own before meeting up with your fellow travellers and guides for lunch. In the afternoon we embark on the expedition ship and sail out through the spectacular Isfjorden - the Arctic expedition has started! We are now in a part of the world where we are totally dependent on the ice and weather conditions. Our exact itinerary depends on these factors and on the wildlife we encounter. Our ambition is to head out on Zodiac cruises every day and go ashore when the opportunity arises. Here are some examples of places we may visit:

Northwest Spitsbergen

The scientific village of Ny-Ålesund is situated in Kongsfjorden. It was from here that Amundsen and Nobile started their heroic expeditions to the North Pole. Two other courageous attempts to reach the North Pole started on the island of Danskøya. Swedish explorer Andrée made an attempt with a hydrogen balloon, and American journalist Wellman started with an airship. There are still interesting remnants from these expeditions left on this site.

Magnificent fjords

Svalbard offers the visitor countless spectacular fjords. During our journey we will explore a few of them, such as Liefdefjorden, meaning “The fjord of love,” which is lined with snow-covered mountain peaks, and here we hope to cruise along the face of the spectacular Monaco Glacier. Many common eiders and pink-footed geese nest in the area. In Krossfjorden we revel in the beautifully sculptured front of the 14th of July Glacier to the raucous greeting of the large number of kittiwakes and Brünnich’s guillemots nesting on the nearby cliffs. Raudfjorden is an area of immense natural beauty—dominated by beautiful glaciers. It is also a favourite spot for seals, and the bird cliffs are bursting with activity.

Hinlopen Strait and Alkefjellet

If the ice allows, we enter Hinlopen Strait. Here is Alkefjellet, an impressive, basaltic cliff, which is the home to an estimated 200,000 Brünnich’s guillemots. We may also continue into the beautiful bay Palanderbukta on Nordaustlandet.

Eastern Svalbard

The island of Nordaustlandet is covered by an enormous ice cap and fascinates naturalists as well as historians. There are huge glacier fronts here, intersected by hundreds of waterfalls. Barentsøya and Edgeøya offer magnificent landscapes and vast tundra. Chances to encounter walruses, Arctic foxes, and Svalbard reindeer are good here.

Southwest Spitsbergen

The grand fjords of Hornsund offer spectacular glaciers and a breathtaking landscape of towering mountain peaks, often reaching above the clouds. On a clear day we can see the summit of the highest mountain, Hornsundtind, measuring 1431 metres. Hornsund is a favourite haunt for some of Svalbard’s polar bears, and bearded seals are often seen resting on the fjord ice.

Day 12: Longyearbyen

Early in the morning we disembark our expedition ship and begin our journey back home.

Sample itineraries are for guidance only. Actual itineraries may differ slightly due to factors such as weather, wildlife, logistics and local regulations.