Length
6 days
Departs
Longyearbyen
Price
On quote
Sails
mid-May – Sep
6 days, Wednesday to Monday, sailing the west Spitsbergen fjords from Longyearbyen aboard a Polar Code-compliant expedition vessel. The package includes one hotel night in Longyearbyen and all transfers, so you land, settle, and board without arranging anything yourself. It runs in the midnight-sun season, with Zodiac landings most days.
This is the shortest voyage in the fleet and the easiest to slot into a normal holiday. You stay close to the well-known west-coast fjords, where glacier fronts, wildlife, and tundra landings come quickly and the sailing distances stay short.
The route
| Leg | Waters | What you’ll likely see |
|---|---|---|
| Wed | Longyearbyen & Isfjorden | Town arrival, harbour, first fjord views |
| Thu | Outer Isfjorden | Seabird cliffs, seals, glacier fronts |
| Fri | West Spitsbergen fjord | Tidewater glacier, Zodiac landing, reindeer |
| Sat | Sheltered bay | Walrus haul-out, tundra walk, Arctic fox |
| Sun | Return coast | Open-water wildlife, final landings |
| Mon | Longyearbyen | Disembark, transfer to airport |
Life on board
The vessel meets the Polar Code for operations in ice-affected waters and carries roughly 57 crew, including 15 polar specialists and an onboard physician. All meals are served on board, and naturalist lectures run between landings to put the geology, ice, and wildlife in context. Daily Zodiac excursions take you off the ship and onto shore or close to glacier fronts, conditions allowing.
Wildlife odds, honestly
The west fjords are reliable for walrus, seals, seabirds, reindeer, and Arctic fox across a normal six days. Polar bears are possible but not the focus of a short west-coast loop — they range with the sea ice, which sits further out and north. Nothing is guaranteed: sightings depend on ice, weather, and where the animals are that week. The naturalists position the ship for the best odds, but the Arctic sets the terms.