Itinerary
- Day 1
Oslo
You'll arrive in Oslo and get picked up by your expedition team for the transfer to your hotel. After getting your luggage cabin tags sorted at the hospitality desk, you have the rest of the day free to walk around the city and get oriented at your own pace.
- Accommodation
- Hotel (Hotel in Oslo to be confirmed), Hotel (Hotel in Oslo to be confirmed (or similar))
- Day 2
Oslo to Longyearbyen
Following breakfast, you'll head to the airport for your charter flight up to Longyearbyen. Once you land, a guide takes you around town and out to Camp Barentz in Advent Valley where you'll see husky teams and watch a traditional lavvo presentation. Before heading to the pier for boarding in late afternoon, you'll stop by the Svalbard Museum. The ship sets sail in the early evening.
- Meals
- Breakfast (Breakfast at the hotel)
- Accommodation
- Berth / Cabin (M/V Sylvia Earle), Berth / Cabin (M/V Sylvia Earle (or similar))
Included Activities
- Guided excursion tour of Longyearbyen
- Introduction to Longyearbyen's history from guide
- Presentation at Camp Barentz in traditional lavvo
- Meet the huskies at Camp Barentz
- Visit to Svalbard Museum
Optional Activities
- Purchase souvenirs at Camp Barentz
Landmarks Camp Barentz Advent Valley Svalbard Museum - Day 3
Svalbard Exploration
Your twelve-day expedition across the Svalbard Archipelago kicks off now. The expedition team plans each day based on weather, ice, and what wildlife shows up, so your route stays flexible. With nearly round-the-clock daylight, you'll make landings and take Zodiac trips to see towering ice cliffs, spot whales, and hike across the tundra.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
- Accommodation
- Berth / Cabin (M/V Sylvia Earle), Berth / Cabin (M/V Sylvia Earle (or similar))
Included Activities
- Landings or Zodiac excursions (multiple daily)
- Cruising along ice cliffs
- Wildlife observation - whale watching
- Tundra hikes
Landmarks Svalbard Archipelago - Day 4
Svalbard Exploration
Today you're navigating through fjords and mountain ranges across the polar desert. Keep an eye out for walrus hauled out on sea ice and beaches, then hike through tundra where colorful wildflowers dot the landscape. If conditions cooperate, optional kayaking trips and even a polar plunge become available for those interested.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
- Accommodation
- Berth / Cabin (M/V Sylvia Earle), Berth / Cabin (M/V Sylvia Earle (or similar))
Included Activities
- Tundra walks
- Wildlife observation - walrus viewing
Optional Activities
- Kayaking (when conditions allow)
- Polar plunge (when conditions suitable)
Landmarks Svalbard Archipelago - Day 5
Svalbard Exploration
With extra time on this longer voyage, you'll try to visit both Spitsbergen and Nordauslandet, the archipelago's two largest islands. The route takes you through the Hinlopen Strait, which is a known polar bear migration corridor, and around Barentsoya and Edgeoya where there's plenty to explore.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
- Accommodation
- Berth / Cabin (M/V Sylvia Earle), Berth / Cabin (M/V Sylvia Earle (or similar))
Included Activities
- Exploration of Spitsbergen and Nordauslandet
- Hinlopen Strait navigation
- Wildlife observation - polar bear migration route exploration
Landmarks Spitsbergen Nordauslandet Hinlopen Strait Barentsoya Edgeoya - Day 6
Svalbard Exploration
You'll visit what's left of old whaling settlements and historical pomor sites scattered across the region. Early morning Zodiac cruises get you out on the water to see glaciers up close, spot beluga whales, and watch for ivory gulls fishing in the cold waters.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
- Accommodation
- Berth / Cabin (M/V Sylvia Earle), Berth / Cabin (M/V Sylvia Earle (or similar))
Included Activities
- Visit to old whaling settlements
- Visit to old pomor sites
- Early morning Zodiac cruises
- Wildlife observation - beluga whales and ivory gulls
Landmarks Svalbard Archipelago - Day 7
Svalbard Exploration
High cliffs come into view today, and they're alive with seabirds. Guillemots and puffins nest on the sheer rock faces, while nearby scree slopes hold some of Svalbard's largest colonies of little auks all packed together.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
- Accommodation
- Berth / Cabin (M/V Sylvia Earle), Berth / Cabin (M/V Sylvia Earle (or similar))
Included Activities
- Visit to towering cliffs
- Wildlife observation - nesting guillemot and puffin
- Exploration of little auk colonies
Landmarks Svalbard Archipelago - Day 8
Svalbard Exploration
Polar bear encounters often turn out to be the most memorable part of the trip. The expedition team stays watchful throughout the journey, scanning the pack ice constantly for these powerful creatures in their natural habitat.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
- Accommodation
- Berth / Cabin (M/V Sylvia Earle), Berth / Cabin (M/V Sylvia Earle (or similar))
Included Activities
- Wildlife observation - polar bear watching
Landmarks Svalbard Archipelago - Day 9
Spitsbergen's Northwest Coast to Arctic Ocean
The ship rounds Spitsbergen's northwest coast out into the Arctic Ocean and into pack ice. You'll scan for beluga whales in open leads, polar bears hunting seals, and walrus herds, especially around Moffen Island where a major walrus sanctuary exists. Shore walks let you see old trapper huts, Arctic foxes, reindeer, plus tundra plants like purple saxifrage and Svalbard poppies. Weather and ice permitting, the expedition tries to cross 80 degrees north latitude before heading south toward Woodfjorden.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
- Accommodation
- Berth / Cabin (M/V Sylvia Earle), Berth / Cabin (M/V Sylvia Earle (or similar))
Included Activities
- Cruise along Arctic Ocean and pack ice
- Wildlife observation - beluga whales, polar bears, seals
- Visit to Moffen Island walrus sanctuary
- Visit to trapper huts
- Wildlife observation - reindeer and Arctic fox
- Tundra walks with wildflower viewing
Landmarks Spitsbergen Moffen Island Woodfjorden - Day 10
Svalbard Exploration
Conditions allowing, you'll sail to the archipelago's northernmost point, a location where large walrus colonies gather and haul out regularly on the ice and shore.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
- Accommodation
- Berth / Cabin (M/V Sylvia Earle), Berth / Cabin (M/V Sylvia Earle (or similar))
Included Activities
- Visit to northerly point of Svalbard archipelago
- Wildlife observation - walrus colony
Landmarks Svalbard Archipelago - Day 11
Svalbard Exploration
During the shore excursions, watch for eider ducks and Arctic foxes, along with the harder-to-spot Svalbard ptarmigan. As you cross near Barentsoya and Edgeoya, you're traveling through known polar bear migration routes where sightings remain possible.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
- Accommodation
- Berth / Cabin (M/V Sylvia Earle), Berth / Cabin (M/V Sylvia Earle (or similar))
Included Activities
- Shore excursions
- Wildlife observation - eider ducks, Arctic fox, Svalbard ptarmigan
- Passage through polar bear migration routes
Landmarks Barentsoya Edgeoya - Day 12
Svalbard Exploration
True expedition cruising means the itinerary shifts with ice and weather, not the schedule. If pack ice conditions allow, you'll round South Cape back into open water and navigate past rugged coastal mountains, then head north toward Hornsund and Bellsund, which are deep fjords loaded with glaciers and wildlife.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
- Accommodation
- Berth / Cabin (M/V Sylvia Earle), Berth / Cabin (M/V Sylvia Earle (or similar))
Included Activities
- Exploration based on ice conditions
- Sailing toward Hornsund and Bellsund fjords
- Glacier viewing
- Wildlife observation
Landmarks South Cape Hornsund Bellsund - Day 13
Svalbard Exploration
Should pack ice block the eastern route, the team adjusts and heads back to explore more of Spitsbergen's northern and western coasts. This can include visits to massive little auk colonies where hundreds of thousands of birds darken the sky as they fly back and forth to feeding grounds.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
- Accommodation
- Berth / Cabin (M/V Sylvia Earle), Berth / Cabin (M/V Sylvia Earle (or similar))
Included Activities
- Alternative exploration based on ice conditions
- Visit to little auk colonies
Landmarks Spitsbergen - Day 14
Isfjorden to Longyearbyen
A midnight cruise through the beautiful Isfjorden brings you back to Longyearbyen where your expedition voyage comes to an end.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
- Accommodation
- Berth / Cabin (M/V Sylvia Earle), Berth / Cabin (M/V Sylvia Earle (or similar))
Included Activities
- Midnight cruise of Isfjorden
Landmarks Isfjorden - Day 15
Longyearbyen to Oslo
After breakfast you'll disembark and transfer into town where you have free time before catching your charter flight back to Oslo.
- Meals
- Breakfast
