Few places on Earth compare to the world of icy fjords, jagged peaks, and towering glaciers that is Svalbard. This remote Arctic Archipelago lies at the roof of the world. Here, the King of the North, the polar bear, reigns supreme. If you leave Svalbard's dramatic northern shores, you'll encounter nothing but open ocean and vast expanses of sea ice until you reach the North Pole.
Our Senior Copywriter, George Janes, recently joined a 7-night expedition cruise exploring Svalbard's north west, encountering iconic Arctic species and venturing deep into the pack ice at 81° 37' N. Read on to relive his adventure through his daily diary!
Day 1, June 26th, Embarkation Day.
Flying into Longyearbyen was a treat in itself, as snowy peaks began to appear out of the low cloud as we descended to the runway below. After snapping a photograph of the famous polar bear warning signs that line the edge of town, we explored the town, full of Arctic history and charm!
With a mental note to visit both museums in town after our adventures on board Ortelius, we headed to the dock where the expedition team was waiting to greet us and shuttle us by Zodiac to the ship, anchored just offshore. It was great to see some familiar faces and get to know some of the guests we would be sharing our adventure with!
Once aboard, we explored our cabins and the rest of the ship before being welcomed by the entire expedition staff and our captain, who toasted our upcoming adventures! As we cruised out of Isfjorden, there were also plenty of gulls in the skies and guillemots in the water, and even a minke whale! Before dinner, we received our muck boots and took part in a lifeboat drill. Then, watching as the snowy peaks passed by beyond the window, we shared a buffet dinner before heading out on deck to enjoy the sunshine.
Our first day ended in a real treat - an encounter with a blue whale! We watched it surface, blowing tremendous plumes of water high into the air for around an hour. These giants of the seas can reach up to 30 meters long, and are the largest animals on our planet.
A truly fantastic day one on this Arctic adventure!
Day 2, June 27th: Kongsfjorden & Ny-Ålesund
Our second day was one filled with Arctic history! We started nice and early for our AECO & safety briefings, before heading out for a Zodiac cruise along the shore of Ny-London. It's great to see that visiting the Arctic is taken so seriously by operators, AECO, and guests - it's a special place!
We could see the remains of English mining operations from the early 20th century, and plenty of Arctic terns, ducks, and little auks in the skies and sea around us as we explored Ny-London. The massive Kongsbreen glacier spilled out into the fjord, and we got the chance to hold some beautiful ice in our hands!
After lunch, we headed to Ny-Ålesund, the northernmost settlement in the world at almost 79°N! Here, we could literally touch history, with fascinating exhibits in a small museum detailing the settlement's mining history and role in Arctic exploration. The settlement is small but boasts character and is surrounded by pure beauty. The marshy ground close by is also an important nesting site for many bird species, including geese and sandpipers.
It was great to visit where Roald Amundsen once set out aboard the airship, Norge, and to see the remains of the mooring mast still standing, along with an impressive bust of Amundsen himself. It was also from here that the airship Italia departed on its fateful flight. Ny-Ålesund has also played a role in other expeditions, including those of Fridtjof Nansen.
Day 3, 28th June 2025: Ytre Norskoya & Smeerenburg
Today, we encountered the King of the Arctic, the polar bear!
Our adventures began with a landing on Ytre Norskøya, in the northwest of Svalbard, where a short but strenuous hike took us to the top of a sea cliff, passing some lonely graves and an Arctic fox along the way!
At the summit, we saw plenty of bird life, including Atlantic Puffins, little auks, and barnacle geese. After lunch, we visited Smeerenburg, where the remains of an 18th-century Dutch whaling settlement could be explored, including solidified blubber left over from try pots. We also encountered a group of walruses hauled out on the shore, along with their striking scent wafting in the air! They were truly enormous, and not even fully grown!
The real highlight of the day came during a Zodiac cruise along the coast of Danskøya, where we visited Virgohamna, a small bay where, in 1897, Salomon Andrée fatefuly set out to reach the North Pole in the hydrogen balloon, Örnen. But all history was forgotten when a large, healthy-looking polar bear appeared on a small headland and began to swim towards our earlier landing site at Smeerenburg!
We observed the bear as it paddled quickly through the icy water from our Zodiac, with the whole encounter lasting over an hour - it was amazing to see the raw power of the bear, covering a vast distance in no time at all!
A truly special day in the far north of Svalbard! Could it get any better? Well, perhaps. Tomorrow we venture into the sea ice!
Day 4, June 30th: Into the Pack Ice - 81° 37’ N
Wow. Today, we entered the stunning world of the pack ice, a continually moving, ever-changing landscape that seemed to stretch off into infinity on all sides!
Following leads, Ortelius cut through the gently rolling mass, exposing the beautiful blue underbelly of the ice, or created great jagged tracks ahead. As we passed through, massive floes butted together, crumbling and fracturing, while smaller chunks tumbled in a swirling mass on either side of the bow.
On all sides, dozens of seals basked in the bright sunshine. We could see bearded seals and ringed seals, while little auks, kittiwakes, and skuas circled the ship, flocking to the freshly exposed water in our wake, full of krill and other tasty treats!
The ice here can be several meters thick, with a heavy layer of snow making it tricky for the bridge crew to identify the best path. Every so often, the bulk of the ship would come to a grinding, exciting halt, encountering ice too thick to penetrate safely.
The sounds, remarkable colors, and patterns of the ice have to be seen to be believed. We reached 81° 37' N, with nothing between us and the North Pole but a vast expanse of white. Truly, today was otherworldly!
Day 5: Texas Bar & Monacobreen
This morning, our guides were up early to scout for polar bears before we landed at Texas Bar for a hike! There were no Texans or bears in sight, so we split into three groups, one heading out on a fast hike, one slightly slower to focus on photography, and another taking their time along the shoreline to hone in on the details.
We explored plenty of Arctic flora, including moss campion, saxifrage, and lots of lichens, which stained the rock a dazzling array of colors. From a viewpoint, we enjoyed a spectacular view out to Monacobreen, an immense glacier stretching for around 4.5km - one of Svalbard's highlights.
The weather was perfect and hot, so once we reached the small hut named Texas Bar, we all eagerly leapt into action for the polar plunge!
After lunch, we explored Monacobreen on a Zodiac cruise. This breathtaking glacier is over 50 feet high, and the fjord before it was full of brash ice, large growlers, and bergy bits. It was fantastic to get close enough to the jagged spires of ice and looming glacier front to photograph, and learn more about glacier formation from a lecture by one of our guides, Marco, later in the day!
The upsurge of cold fresh water from the glacier creates great feeding grounds for birds and marine mammals, and we saw a massive flock of kittiwakes feasting on the crustaceans, while bearded seals rested on the ice. Every so often, we heard loud booms from the glacier as huge chunks of ice crashed into the water below.
To wrap up, as we left the fjord, a group of minke whales were spotted feeding as the ship passed by. By my count, we saw at least four!
Day 6: Hamburgbukta & Magdalenefjorden
This morning, we awoke to find ourselves anchored just offshore of Hamburgbukta on the western side of Svalbard.
Whalers once used this sheltered bay, and the remains of blubber ovens and old huts could be seen in the tundra overlooking the shore. The seas were heavy, which made the Zodiac trip to land even more exciting than on previous days!
We spent a few hours exploring the coastline on a perimeter landing, with plenty of time to take photos of the many Arctic plants scattered about, and the magnificent glaciers and jagged peaks that loomed overhead. We were even lucky enough to see a group of harbour seals playing and feeding just offshore in the bay! While the shoreline was free from debris, we also took the time to collect any trash we found, removing plastic and other material from this fragile environment.
After lunch, Ortelius relocated to Magdalenefjorden, a magnificent fjord with several large, beautiful glaciers spilling out into the cold water. The whole ship headed out on Zodiac cruises, exploring the mass of mazy ice that carpeted the fjord, and coming into contact with seals, little auks, barnacle geese, walruses, and more whaling history!
It was truly spectacular and incredibly atmospheric, with great booms echoing as ice calved away from the ice walls. We were lucky enough to get up close to several large icebergs, and even got the chance to hold a wonderful piece of ice, over 1,000 years old!
Once back at the ship, we let our hair down with a BBQ and dance party on the heli deck! It was quite surreal to be able to dance with our fellow guests and guides until late into the night, as the midnight sun blazed overhead!
Day 7: Ymerbukta & Colesbukta
After sleeping off the excitement of the previous night's exertions, we began our day with a perimeter landing at Ymerbukta, at the head of Isfjorden, where we could explore a shoreline and glacier terrain full of fascinating geology, and even some fossils! A glacier terminated at the head of the bay, and we were lucky enough to get up close to this mass of ice. We even saw a small ice cave exposing the gravelly rock beneath.
Plenty of Arctic flora was on display further up, clinging to shingle and rocky outcroppings sheltered from the wind thundering in from the North Pole. It was wild, windy, and bleak, but full of Arctic beauty and incredibly atmospheric - very different than the other locations we have explored on this adventure!
After lunch, we visited Colesbukta for our final landing of the trip! This now-abandoned mining settlement provided an eerie glimpse into the working lives of those who once carved out a living in this wild, remote place. Some old remains still stand, including a small cemetery and living quarters. It was great to see a different side to the Arctic, other than the natural beauty.
Once back on the ship, it was time for a final toast from our captain and a cheer for the expedition crew before we enjoyed the highlight video prepared for us by Gabi, one of our guides.
It might be our last night aboard Ortelius. Still, it was one to remember, as we celebrated our experiences and toasted the hard-working members of the ship's crew, hotel staff, and expedition team that made it all possible!
Day 8: Disembarkation in Longyearbyen
And so, our adventure sadly comes to an end! We awoke once again in Longyearbyen, and after a final breakfast together, we packed our bags and departed Ortelius. There wasn't a sad face in sight, with new friendships made and bonds formed that will no doubt last long after we fly home.
With smiles, handshakes, and hugs, our expedition crew waved us off as we returned to Longyearbyen for a final look around this fascinating town. Both museums here give great insight into the geology, wildlife, and history of Svalbard and the Arctic as a whole, along with some of the past expeditions to the North Pole.
It's been a fantastic week exploring the fjords, glaciers, and tundra of Svalbard, full of unforgettable wildlife encounters. From the walrus approaching our Zodiacs to the mighty polar bear showing off its extraordinary swimming prowess, we got a superb glimpse into the drama of life at the top of the world.
Needless to say, the entire ship caught the polar bug and will no doubt be returning to the polar regions again soon!
