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:

Exodus

Tour code:

ZVZ

Guide Type:

Fully Guided

Group size:

60 - 120

Physical rating:

Leisurely / Moderate

Age range:

17 to 99

Special diets catered:

Please inform Exodus of specific dietary requirements

Tour operated in:
English
Trip Styles:

Adventure Tours

Interests:

Polar, Wildlife Tours

This tour is no longer available

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

  • Photograph dramatic landscapes, including chiseled fjords, glittering glaciers, and lush tundra blazing with purple saxifrage and moss campion.

  • Discover hundreds of thousands of breeding seabirds, including kittiwakes, guillemots, dovekies, puffins, and rare ivory gulls.

  • Explore by Zodiac, kayak, and on foot to fully appreciate the varied landscapes of this wild, nearly uninhabited realm.

  • Enjoy opportunities for extended exploration during the long summer days of nearly continuous daylight.

  • Search for the Svalbard Archipelago’s legendary wildlife: seals, walrus, whales, Arctic foxes, reindeer, and our ultimate goal—polar bears.

Itinerary

Expand All

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

  • Gift certificates for recommended expedition gear

  • Medical expense coverage and emergency evacuation insurance

  • World-class lecture and expedition team

  • Arrival and departure transfers on group dates

  • Daily activity options including Zodiac cruises, nature walks, and cultural tours

  • Meals

    3 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 3 dinners.

What's Not Included

  • Airport arrival and departure taxes

  • Items of a personal nature such as laundry, alcoholic beverages (other than listed above), and other incidentals

  • Airfare from your home city/Oslo/Longyearbyen and Longyearbyen/Oslo/home city

  • Travel insurance

  • Email/Internet/fax/telephone charges

Food

Accommodation

Check out our Q&As

  • 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.

  • How long has the tour company been trading?

    Exodus has been trading since 1974

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

Reviews of this Operator

Gergana Racheva  

Very helpful and prompt service

06-Jan-2023

Very helpful and prompt service. I called to check for an already booked trip and once we sorted this, the agent was ready to help me with another booking as well. He actually waited for me to book my flight tickets, answered all my questions, informed me of all my options. Exodus is a tour company I am using regularly due to the quality of their trips, ease of booking and helpfulness of their customer service team

Trustpilot
Tim Hardy  

Stunning walking. Walking the Amalfi Coast

04-Nov-2021

This trip takes you through the most beautiful parts of the Mediterranean walking with a guide and also discovering the wonders of Pompeii and Vesuvius. The hotel had a nice feel as family run, spotless and comfortable rooms, we were well looked after for breakfasts and dinner each day, and the barmen fixed some mean cocktails for us.!

Paul Green  

It's amazing what you can do in a week! Cycling the Dalmatian Coast.

08-Oct-2021

This holiday was extremely enjoyable. The itinerary is well planned and the route takes you to a variety of destinations. Not having been to Croatia before I didn't know there were so many beautiful small islands and I loved the ferry and catarmaran rides. The coastal route we took was dramatic and the World Heritage sites in Split and Dubrovnik very interesting and worth visiting. The Adriatic Sea was warm, blue and inviting, good for swimming even in October. The hotels we stayed in varied in size from medium to large. I particularly liked the one just outside Dubrovnik as I had a sea view. Tourists were plentiful in Split and Dubrovnik but in the other places we stayed there was an end of season feel and it was quiet on the roads and in the resorts. The food was good and our guide was always able to recommend a nice restaurant for our evening meal. The weather in October was good for cycling - not hot, partly cloudy most days and one day it rained!

Mrs Y Morrison  

Fabulous company and trip

06-Jan-2023

We went overland from Cape Town to Zimbabwe through Botswana and Namibia. What a fantastic trip. Our first time with Exodus although we have travelled extensively around the world. We would highly recommend this company for such a brilliant trip - we got everything and more all at a good price. Thanks to everyone involved. We are looking at our next trip!

Trustpilot
John Edwards (Google Reviewer)  

I went cycling in Albania...

19-Aug-2023

I went cycling in Albania with exodus as my first holiday with them. Such a well organised and wonderful experience where I met multiple fellow travellers who have been advocates of them for many years. You can't argue with happy repeat customers and I'm planning my next adventure with them soon

Rob Burridge (Google Reviewer)  

I'v just come back from...

17-Jul-2022

I'v just come back from an amazing Wildlife & Wilderness trip in Botswana and I highly recommend Exodus Travels. Our guide Brian, was extremely knowledgeable on both the wildlife and history of Botswana and neighbouring countries. The other three staff, Abbis, Chief & Mr T, who accompanied us through out our 2 week trip, put in the hard work and made sure our camp was always prepared and that we we're well fed and looked after. The tour took us to some beautiful places and we saw some amazing wildlife, and on several occasions this was due to Brian's knowledge of the area and wildlife behaviour. Exodus have been very quick to respond to any queries I had, and the whole experience ran smoothly. I was also pleased to hear that during lockdown they provided staff with food packages 👍. I'd normally go on self organised trips, however, with this trip, the tour and guide Brian took us to places not possible otherwise and showed us things that we would'v missed out on. All of which were the highlights of the tour.

Daphne Partridge (Google Reviewer)  

After 14 roup adventure holidays...

26-Nov-2023

After 14 roup adventure holidays with Exofus we would not hesitate to recommend them as an excitingholiday company. They take you off the beaten track but offer great support and expertise :)

Alison Payton (Google Reviewer)  

I've done 8 trips in...

17-May-2023

I've done 8 trips in the last 14 years with Exodus, and have been rewarded with a 10% discount on all future bookings. I feel very confident that I'll receive pleasant, efficient service, and have the unusual holiday experience that I'm looking for each time. I've trekked to the top of snow-capped peaks, wild-camped in the desert, seen amazing spectacles of nature, visited 4 capital cities in a week, and learned about local culture and experienced local hospitality in a way that I simply wouldn't on a conventional holiday. The quality of the accommodation and guides can vary, but this is mainly down to cultural differences and things that Exodus can't control. I've only ever complained once, my complaint was taken seriously, and I was sent a discount voucher - you can't say fairer than that. I remain a loyal customer.

Jacquelyn Moore (Google Reviewer)  

Food came quickly. Staff very...

07-Mar-2024

Food came quickly. Staff very friendly and polite . However the chef or person preparing the food did not seem to read the menu! If it says a meal should come with vegetables, you should not have to ask for them. They served shepherds pie with garlic bread! The munchies ice cream sundae said it should come in a glass with a flake but came in a little bowl with just a few munchies! When asking the staff were happy to replace and correct but customer should get what they order and what menu says first time round!!

johanna leonor (Google Reviewer)  

If you like to be...

07-Sep-2023

If you like to be mistreated Exodus is perfect for you. If you enjoy terrible choices for hotels and pseudo restaurants Exodus is perfect for you. Careless about their clients and loveless about their propositions. Exodus has been a dissatisfaction and disappointment about every dealing i and my group have had with him. Especially a man called Simone who just cares about the money he can get from you couldn’t care less about service.

Book with Confidence

  • Transfer as credit to Future Tours

    Exodus allows you to transfer existing payments to a future tour to avoid cancellation fees if you can't travel and inform exodus, 43 days before departure.

  • Low Deposit

    Exodus requires a minimum deposit of 25% or the full booking value, whichever is less, with the final balance not due until 90 days before departure.

  • Cancellation Policy

    We don't charge a cancellation fee, here is a summary of exodus charges.

    Up to 70 days before tour starts: Forfeit 100% of deposit.

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