Length
6 days
Departs
Longyearbyen
Price
On quote
Sails
mid-May – Sep
6 days, Saturday to Thursday, pairing a pre-cruise Longyearbyen stay and guided town tour with a west-coast voyage aboard a Polar Code-compliant expedition vessel. You start on land — settling in, learning the place — then sail the west Spitsbergen coast with Zodiac landings most days. It runs in the midnight-sun season.
This is the same length as the Six-Day Fjord Voyage but front-loaded with town. If you want context before the coast — the history, the museums, the layout of Longyearbyen — this is the version that builds it in with a guide.
The route
| Leg | Waters | What you’ll likely see |
|---|---|---|
| Sat | Longyearbyen | Arrival, guided town tour, harbour |
| Sun | Isfjorden | Board ship, first glacier fronts, seabirds |
| Mon | West Spitsbergen coast | Tidewater glacier, Zodiac landing, seals |
| Tue | Sheltered bay | Walrus haul-out, tundra walk, reindeer |
| Wed | Return coast | Open-water wildlife, Arctic fox, last landings |
| Thu | Longyearbyen | Disembark, transfer to airport |
Life on board
Once at sea, the vessel meets the Polar Code for ice-affected waters and carries about 57 crew, including 15 polar specialists and an onboard physician. All meals are served on board and naturalist lectures run between landings. Daily Zodiac excursions take you ashore or close to glacier fronts, conditions allowing. The land portion adds a guided town tour before you board.
Wildlife odds, honestly
Over a normal six days the west coast delivers walrus, seals, seabirds, reindeer, and Arctic fox with good reliability. Polar bears are possible but not the aim of a short coastal loop — they follow the sea ice further out. No sighting is promised: ice, weather, and animal movement decide the week. The naturalists work to put the ship in the right place, and the town day gives you a strong start whatever the sea offers.