MS FRAM SPITSBERGEN
NORTH WEST SPITSBERGEN NATIONAL PARK
10-DAY
EXPEDITION VOYAGE
DEPARTURES: May 18 and May 27, 2017
BOOKING CODE: CENFRSPI1701
For full information on prices and excursions, please see pages 210–211
FROM £ 2800pp Bjørnøya Longyearbyen Barentsburg North Cape SPITSBERGEN Tromsø
POLAR PIONEERS OF SVALBARD
If you crave for a spring filled with blossoming trees, warmth and chirping birds, this is not the voyage for you! A spring expedition to the Arctic brings you to latitudes where it feels like winter in other parts of Europe. How- ever, wherever we make landfall, you’ll have the pleasure of leaving footprints in untouched snow and ice. In Spits- bergen, you’ll see the summer’s Midnight Sun over a land- scape where winter reigns — a unique experience as few people venture this far north.
YOUR EXPEDITION DAY BY DAY
DAY 1: TROMSØ Tromsø is called the Gateway to the Arctic. When polar explorer Roald Amundsen recruited members for his famous expeditions more than100 years ago, he went to Tromsø. This was the only place he could fi nd men (yes – it was mostly men back in those days) with navigational experience from Polar seas. He needed men that knew how to survive with minimal of means in the Arctic, men that had survived an overwintering in Sval- bard by trapping and hunting. Today Tromsø is home to the most competent people on polar operations and the academics that investigate Global warming in the Arctic. It is a melting pot with indigenous people, locals and people from all over Europe. Tromsø is in short still the Gateway to the Artic and a natural starting point for several expeditions heading north – just like the one you are about to experience.
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DAY 2: BJØRNØYA Bjørnøya, with a population of 9 persons, is the southernmost island of the Svalbard Archipelago. It is situated very isolated in the middle of Arctic Ocean. This small island is known for being “the largest concentration of sea birds on the Northern Hemisphere”. This is where the cold waters from the Arctic Ocean meets warm Gulf Stream currents. When these water masses collide nutrient-rich water is pushed up to the surface, making it an “all-you-can-eat” buff et for 126 diff erent bird spices of birds living here. We will try to make a landing here.
DAY 3: EXPLORING SPITSBERGEN Cruising northbound from Bjørnøya we will take advantage of the conditions at hand, focusing on the ice edge. We will attempt to enter fjords where we can expect fast ice – ice that is landlocked. This is the platform
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where the ringed seal cast (gives birth) to their off spring, making it a perfect hunting ground for polar bears.
DAY 4: EXPLORING SPITSBERGEN Within the Svalbard Archipelago there are about 3000 polar bears, probably the largest concentration on Earth. There are more polar bears than humans. On the other hand the polar bears are solitude animals with no set colony or living area. It is only the pregnant females that use denning areas during winter. It is more likely to observe this marine mam- mal on the drift ice, close to the ocean or even in the ocean. Bottom line is that we oft en observe polar bears on this itinerary – not every day and seldom on very close range – there are no guarantees for sure. But the more eyes scouting through binoculars the higher is the chance of observing the King of the Arctic.
NORWAY
NORTH 80°
ARCTIC CIRCLE 66°33'N
KONGSFJORDEN
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