Svalbard: A Polar Bear Quest
Svalbard: A Polar Bear Quest
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Svalbard: A Polar Bear Quest
12 Days Starting in Norway and ending in Spitsbergen
Visiting: Arctic, Norway
Tour operator:
Tour code:
ZVZ
Guide Type:
Fully Guided
Group size:
60 - 120
Age range:
17 to 99
Special diets catered:
Please inform Exodus of specific dietary requirements
Tour operated in:
EnglishTrip Styles:
Interests:
Tour Overview
For majestic beauty and untamed wilderness, few places can rival the Svalbard Archipelago. The long days of summer allow for ample time to discover the abundant wildlife and stark natural beauty of the High Arctic as you explore during Zodiac cruises, by kayak, and on foot.
Highlights
Itinerary
Day 1 : Arrive in Oslo and transfer to our hotel.
Meals Included: dinner
Arrive in Oslo and transfer to our hotel. Lunch and the remainder of the day
are at leisure to enjoy this fascinating and colorful city on your own.
Gather this evening for a welcome reception followed by dinner and overnight
at the /Radisson Blu Airport Hotel./
*Accommodation*: Radisson Blu Airport Hotel
Day 2 : Transfer to the airport and board our private charter flight to Longyearbyen.
Meals Included: breakfast, lunch, dinner
This morning, transfer to the airport and board our private charter flight to
Longyearbyen. Enjoy some free time to explore this Arctic mining town and
capital of Svalbard; the brightly colored buildings house a variety of small
shops and restaurants, as well as the Svalbard Museum. Embark the /Ocean
Adventurer/ in the late afternoon.
*Accommodation*: The Ocean Adventurer
Day 3-11
Meals Included: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Spend nine days exploring the rugged coastline, spectacular narrow fjords,
and offshore islands of Spitsbergen, the largest island of the Svalbard
Archipelago. The primary goal is to locate wildlife, which is found here in
abundance during the short summer season. Many varieties of seabirds nest in
great profusion along the steep cliffs surrounding the islands. In addition
to walrus haul-outs, bearded, ringed, and harp seals can be seen basking on
ice floes. Our team of experts will also keep an eye out for polar bears. The
nature of polar expeditions requires flexibility regarding the daily schedule
of activities, and landings may be dependent on weather, tide, and ice
conditions. Though specific stops are not guaranteed, the following are
places visited on past expeditions:
*Fjortende Julibreen* - Named after the French Bastille Day (July 14 Glacier)
by Prince Albert I of Monaco, this 10-mile-long glacier reaches more than 100
feet above sea level at its highest point. This is a wonderful opportunity
for photography, with the blue-white glacier surrounded by dark, imposing
mountains. The nearby cliffs are also prime breeding grounds for thick-billed
murres and puffins. With luck, experience the drama of calving ice as it
falls from the glacier wall into the surrounding water.
*Amsterdamøya Island* – Go ashore to explore the remains of the
16th-century Dutch whaling station of Smeerenburg. Among the ruins you will
find whale oil-cemented sands marked the sites of the blubber ovens which
rendered down the whale catch and a memorial erected in 1906. This historic
site honors the whalers who lost their lives in the 17th and 18th centuries
while working in extreme Arctic conditions.
*Phippsoya Island* - At the far northern edge of the Svalbard Archipelago,
Phippsoya Island boasts a classic High Arctic environment—a barren, rocky
landscape with some coastal plains, but otherwise mountainous, with steep
slopes. The lowlands support mostly lichens and mosses, some of which are
quite colorful, and small patches of Svalbard poppy and saxifrage are
scattered among the jumble of rocks. This area is known as a popular haul-out
for walrus, though sightings of these lumbering giants are never guaranteed.
They often create quite a rowdy scene, as each walrus vies for a choice spot
of coastline. There are also small colonies of seabirds including Atlantic
puffins, dovekies, and rare ivory gulls.
*Hinlopen Strait* - Glaciers, chiseled fjords, and icebergs hallmark this
desolate and exquisitely beautiful region. Board Zodiacs to watch for, and
photograph, bearded, harp, and ringed seals.
*Alkefjellet* - These impressive, sheer basalt cliffs are a haven for
breeding seabirds. Tens of thousands of thick-billed murres (Brünnich’s
guillemots) raise their young here, as well as glaucous gulls and kittiwakes.
Keep an eye out for opportunistic Arctic foxes hunting for eggs at the base
of the cliffs.
*Accommodation*: The Ocean Adventurer
Day 12
Meals Included: breakfast
Disembark this morning in Longyearbyen. Transfer to the airport for your
group charter flight to Oslo and connect with your independent homeward
flight.
What's Included
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Gift certificates for recommended expedition gear
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Medical expense coverage and emergency evacuation insurance
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World-class lecture and expedition team
What's Not Included
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Airport arrival and departure taxes
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Items of a personal nature such as laundry, alcoholic beverages (other than listed above), and other incidentals
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Airfare from your home city/Oslo/Longyearbyen and Longyearbyen/Oslo/home city
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Travel insurance
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Email/Internet/fax/telephone charges
Food
Accommodation
Check out our Q&As
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What happens if I need to change my holiday date once I’ve booked?
If you wish to make any changes to your booking, particularly if you need to alter any flights booked through us, please let us know as soon as possible. There is a booking or flight amendment fee of £40 per change and flight amendments often incur extra airline costs depending on the changes to be made and if the ticket has been issued or not.
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How long has the tour company been trading?
Exodus has been trading since 1974
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What documents will I receive before I travel?
Your final joining instructions and flight details, if booked with us, will then be sent out 2 to 3 weeks before departure. If you would like a hard copy posted, or if you require these any earlier, please contact the customer operations team. We advise that if you are booking connecting travel before receiving these, please ensure you leave plenty of time.
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Do you operate a “single share” option and how does it work?
Travellers are welcome to opt to share a room with a tour member of the same gender for no additional charge. If you'd like your own room, we can request a single supplement so that you will have your own room throughout.
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Can I join the tour once it has departed?
You are welcome to meet the group after the tour has departed however there is no reduction in rate for joining a tour after the departure date.
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Transfer as credit for future tours
Exodus Adventure Travels allows you to transfer existing payments to a future tour to avoid cancellation fees if you can't travel and inform exodus adventure travels, 90 days before departure.
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Low Deposit
Exodus Adventure Travels requires a minimum deposit of 25% or the full booking value, whichever is less, with the final balance not due until 120 days before departure.
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Cancellation Policy
We don't charge a cancellation fee, here is a summary of exodus adventure travels charges.
Up to 90 days before tour starts: Forfeit 100% of deposit.
At 89 days before tour starts: Forfeit 50% of booking price.
At 51 days before tour starts: Forfeit 75% of booking price.
At 30 days before tour starts: Forfeit 100% of booking price.
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