Go with


the floe


A Svalbard sailing offers wildlife sightings and adventures aplenty – just don’t forget your waterproofs, says Jane Archer


DESTINATIONS SVALBARD | CRUISE


w


e’re in an inflatable Zodiac at the foot of a towering cliff dotted with birds’ nests while around us, thousands of gannets, kittiwakes, guillemots and other seabirds


swoop and dive. Then a movement at the water level catches my eye. A seal has popped its head from under the surface and is watching us inquisitively. It stares, disappears, pops up again and repeats, leaving us entranced. Talk about magical. I’m no stranger to expedition cruising but there are nine newcomers alongside me and there’s electricity in the air as everyone, in that moment, wakes up to the thrill of an expedition cruise.


FAIRWEATHER FROLICS


Our seal sighting is a turn-up for the books on the journey from Aberdeen to Spitsbergen capital Longyearbyen, on AE Expeditions’ ship


Seabirds off the cliffs of Noss PICTURE: Adrian Wlodarczyk travelweekly.co.uk 10 JULY 2025 43


Greg Mortimer. A call into the Orkney Islands had been abandoned due to wind and waves; likewise, our visit to Fair Isle. This Zodiac cruise to the bird cliffs on the Shetlands’ Isle of Noss was an unscheduled stop, an attempt to put some expedition back into the cruise – and boy, did it pay off. “As you’ve seen, we start with a plan, but things can change,” says Daniel, our expedition leader, during a briefing while Greg Mortimer battles its way through the choppy North Sea. By the time the Zodiacs are lowered for the Noss adventure, we’re on at least plan C, but no one seems bothered. Being flexible is all part of an expedition. Daniel is one of a 20-strong team of naturalists, biologists, geologists, historians and kayakers here to host lectures and take us ashore, or out in the Zodiacs or kayaks (an activity that comes at extra cost).


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