We invite you to discover the Svalbard archipelago, located at latitude 80°North (just 1,100km from the North Pole!), the most northerly land accessible by boat, home to the polar bear, where we'll alternate excursions and sailing to discover the landscapes, glaciers, fauna and flora that make this place so charming. In summer, there's always plenty of daylight, so we'll be able to make the most of the very long days and the low-angled light of the midnight sun.

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Spitsbergen is the largest island in the Svalbard archipelago in the Arctic Ocean, north of Norway. Very mountainous, the island of Spitzbergen (which means "pointed mountain") has all the characteristics of a polar environment. It offers breathtaking panoramas, with gigantic glaciers plunging into the sea, steep mountains, but also flowery plains and welcoming tundra. It is home to a wide variety of Arctic wildlife, which we will show you: polar bears, bearded seals, walruses, reindeer, polar foxes, whales (belugas and minke whales), as well as numerous birds: common eiders, Arctic terns, puffins, guillemots, mergulas, buntings, geese, ivory gulls, phalaropes...
The scene of whaling in the 17th century, a fur trapping site and the starting point for numerous expeditions to the North Pole, the island has many vestiges of these activities that are still visible and we will be visiting them.

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Course of the trip

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You arrive at Longyearbyen airport. We'll set sail on the first evening and head north. Each day we'll be in a different place, and we'll sail along the west coast with numerous stopovers as far as the north of the island, then the north-east land if the pack ice allows. Most of the time, our sailing will be punctuated by encounters with whales, seals or bears. Most of our nights will be spent at anchor at the foot of glaciers, or in beautiful, peaceful bays. In the evenings, our guides will give talks on polar fauna, history and glaciers... And if the conditions are right, we'll set off again on evening excursions when the light is at its best !

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Each stopover will be an opportunity for an excursion by zodiac or on foot, sometimes just 2 hours on flat ground to get close to a walrus colony or a bird nesting site, sometimes to reach a summit and its panorama or to cross a peninsula behind which the Polaris or its zodiacs will pick you up. Each time, we'll have the chance to meet wild animals and take the time to observe them. All excursions are led by highly experienced polar guides. There is no fixed programme, as it is really the pack ice and the animals, mainly the bears, that will set the pace of our stay.

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We'll be constantly on the lookout for the lord of the arctic, and when he shows up, we'll be able to make some unforgettable observations of the life of this incredible animal. We've already seen mothers suckling their cubs, males hunting and devouring seals on icebergs, or simply bears on the prowl.

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