ARCTIC CRUISES IN SVALBARD & HOLIDAYS IN GREENLAND

The high Arctic is a frontier of our Earth, it challenges our emotions and perceptions whilst providing overwhelming beauty and exceptional experiences for those few travellers that visit. Having experienced first-hand the Arctic we naturally had to offer you this amazing wildlife and wilderness experience. Raw nature abounds: remote mountains and huge glaciers and pack ice define Svalbard and Greenland alike. Wildlife here is truly memorable; watching polar bear, walrus, Arctic fox, whales and the summer birds that return to nest in the brief Arctic summer. Then there are the fragile tiny flowers of summer in the Arctic tundra, characterised by the saxifrages. On our holidays in Greenland you can also discover the small populations of Inuit hunters that inhabit the remote, yet stunning east coast of Greenland.

Given that it is reasonably well connected with flights via Oslo, Svalbard offers the chance of accessible polar bears on a wildlife cruise that is unique. Many ships now ply the waters of Svalbard intent on snapshots of polar bears and other iconic species. We have deliberately avoided larger vessels with 100 or more passengers and have chosen some of the smallest and most intimate cruise ships that provide the highest class of service and best guiding to give you incredible encounters and a definitive understanding of this amazing region.

Similarly for our holidays in Greenland we are offering a comfortable yacht. The Aurora, sails primarily in the quiet waters of isolated fjords to discover ice-filled bays, spectacular mountains and the remote outposts of Inuit peoples. You are likely to see whales and other wildlife but this holiday is less a wildlife cruise but more a discovery of a region that very few visit. You are unlikely to see other tourists here and these holidays will give you an insight into a beautiful wilderness and the culture of Greenland.

Seasons

Client Comments:

Just to say I did have a fantastic trip.I would recommend the M/S Stockholm to anyone - the crew were so friendly, the food (and wine!) excellent and the whole experience was so much more intimate being on a small boat. We were very lucky with our polar bear and walrus sightings, with one bear coming right up to the ship, and standing up putting his paws on the boat for a better look and smell. We saw several females with a cub each, taking it in turns to feed on a dead whale in the fjord, and also saw one female with two cubs on a large iceberg.
A fantastic place, and I can see why people go back - there were two couples on the trip that had already been three times!
Ms. H. - Essex

Travel Information

CAPITAL Oslo, Norway; Nuuk, Greenland

TIME ZONE Norway GMT +1 hour, GMT - 3 hours for Greenland

FLIGHTS

To Longyearbyen, Svalbard

Airline SAS

Flight time approx. 5.5 hours


To Kulusuk, Greenland

Airlines Icelandair & Air Iceland

Flight time approx. 5 hours but overnight in Iceland required

HEALTH

Consult your G.P. but there are no major health issues in this region.

WEATHER

The harsh polar climate and pack ice means that is only possible to cruise in the waters of Svalbard between June and September each year. At this time there is constant 24h daylight and of course the midnight sun is high for most of this period. The weather pattern is often stable with long sunny periods. There may be an occassional snowfall or rain but it is quite unusual, the region is classified as a semi-desert with most precipitation falling as snow. Temperature encountered are likely to be between -5 and +5 °C although with wind chill it can feel colder.

Similarly sailing in Greenland takes place between July and August when the weather pattern and sea-ice conditions are favourable although temperatures can become warmer than in Svalbard further north.