Tour Overview
| Duration | 12 Days / 11 Nights |
|---|---|
| Country | Svalbard — The Complete High Arctic |
| Price From | $6,831 per person (twin share) — 33% off from $10,195 |
| Tour Style | Ultimate Expedition / Complete Circumnavigation |
| Data Source | TourRadar / Poseidon Expeditions — 2026 |
Itinerary Highlights
Day 1: Arrive Longyearbyen & Embark
Arrive Longyearbyen and board the expedition vessel M/V Sea Spirit. Welcome briefing, safety drill, and dinner as you set sail into Isfjorden. Overnight on board.
Days 2-11: The Ultimate Arctic Expedition — 10 Days of Exploration
Ten full days circumnavigating Spitsbergen and exploring the remote islands and ice edges of the Svalbard archipelago. With 12 days (vs the standard 8), you can reach the most remote corners.
Highlights include:
- Brasvellbreen Ice Cap: The third-largest ice cap in the Arctic, stretching 150 km along Nordaustlandet’s coast — a 30-meter wall of ice that calves constantly
- Alkefjellet Bird Cliffs: 60,000 pairs of nesting Brünnich’s guillemots on towering basalt columns, with Arctic foxes and polar bears hunting below
- Kvitøya (White Island): Remote eastern island almost entirely covered by an ice cap — the final resting place of explorer S.A. Andrée’s ill-fated 1897 balloon expedition
- Seven Islands (Sjuøyane): The northernmost point of Svalbard at 80°44’N — just 1,000 km from the North Pole. Prime walrus and polar bear territory
- Hinlopen Strait: The narrow passage between Spitsbergen and Nordaustlandet, a wildlife corridor rich with seals, walrus, and polar bears
- Woodfjord & Liefdefjord: Dramatic fjords with the Monaco Glacier and historical whaling sites
- Ny-Ålesund & Kongsfjorden: International Arctic research community and beluga whale territory
- Hornsund: Svalbard’s southernmost fjord, dominated by soaring mountains and active glaciers — Polish research station since 1957
Each day brings 2-3 Zodiac landings or cruises, expert lectures on Arctic wildlife, glaciology, and polar history, and the constant thrill of scanning for polar bears.
Day 12: Disembark Longyearbyen
Morning disembarkation after breakfast. Transfer to airport for departure flights.
Wildlife Guarantee
While sightings cannot be guaranteed, Svalbard offers among the highest polar bear encounter rates in the Arctic. Additional wildlife: walrus (often in large haul-outs), Arctic fox, Svalbard reindeer, ringed/bearded seals, beluga whales, bowhead whales, and millions of seabirds. Poseidon Expeditions has a 95%+ polar bear sighting rate on this itinerary.
Inclusions
- 11 nights aboard M/V Sea Spirit (suite cabin)
- All meals, snacks, coffee/tea on board
- Unlimited Zodiac excursions (2-3 daily)
- Expert expedition staff (naturalists, historians, photo guides)
- Expedition parka (yours to keep)
- Boots on loan
- Welcome & farewell dinners
- Digital voyage photo log
- Emergency evacuation insurance
- Longyearbyen transfers
