A adventure of a lifetime

Arctic Expeditions

Exclusive

Arctic Photography Expeditions With Small Vessels

Knowledgeable

Team Of Expert Guides and Photographers

Responsible

Approach To Vulnerable Wildlife And Nature

Flexibility

To Freely Explore And Experience Your Destination

Wild Arctic - Escape the crowds

Discover a unique and intimate experience of true closeness to the pristine Arctic nature and its mesmerizing wildlife as we travel by small vessels with room for maximum 12 passengers.

Learn through respectfully connecting with – and capturing the essence of – this remote and fragile region, safely guided by our knowledgeable team of Arctic specialists.

Arctic Expeditions - Discover tours by destination

Welcome to Arctic Wildlife Tours website, a Svalbard-based company specializing in high-quality photo tours and expeditions. Our mission is to help you to come close to nature and wildlife, through that capture stunning images and while deepening your knowledge, respect, and appreciation for the natural world.

Arctic Wildlife cruises is our speciality  and we offer exclusive experiences with small groups of just 12 guests aboard our ice-strengthened expedition ships. Our chartered vessel allows us to safely navigate Polar waters. During our tours we spend quit a lot amount of time in heavy ice in the fjords or in the drift ice. Our vessels are equipped with two spacious zodiacs. You will have plenty of room camera gear and the opportunity to photograph wildlife and landscapes up close, from a lower perspective, and far away from the crowds.

We are deeply passionate about protecting the Arctic nature and wildlife. Our slogan is "closeness to nature"; which is a very important concept we work on every day. Through bringing people into the Arctic nature we want to spred knowledge, respect and love for these fragile areas.

The wonders of the Arctic seasons

The main features of the climate in the Polar region are permanent continental ice and also sea ice. In both summer and winter, a mass of very dense cold air hovers over the Arctic. The main cause of this is the low angle of the Sun’s rays. This means that the Polar region loses more heat than it receives from the Sun or additional sources (the oceans and the atmosphere).

9 months of winter, 3 months of summer

The difference in climate from one region to another is due to the fact that the Earth is round, and the seasons are caused by the fact that its axis of rotation is not perpendicular to the Sun. In the Arctic, there are two main seasons but they are far from equal: a long, icy and dark winter lasting 9 months and a short, very cool summer lasting only 3 months. Spring and autumn last just a few weeks each.

Arctic Wildlife - the wildlife of the High Arctic

Millenia of evolution have prepared Arctic species like the polar bear, walrus and narwhal for life on and around the sea ice. Now their habitat is radically shifting in a matter of decades. Even though we do not see skinny polar bears or other wildlife suffering under the climate changes. We see mostly healthy animals. Only a few times we have seen skinny polar bears. That does not mean it is happening at all, but mostly we think the wildlife in bigger parts of the Arctic still is fine. It might not be over a longer period! If you join us we will show you some of the wildlife - and teach you more about how these Arctic species live their lives in the Arctic.

Meet our expert guides – your Arctic Wildlife cruises specialists

We are Arctic specialists, bringing a wealth of knowledge and skill to every expedition. Drawing from over a decade of experience in meticulously planning and executing Arctic expeditions, we ensure that every aspect, every moment, is not only enriching for you but also safe for the wildlife in the regions we explore together. As esteemed nature photographers, we are also dedicated to helping you capture the most memorable testimonies from your journey on camera

What truly unifies us at Arctic Wildlife Tours is our profound love and respect for the High Arctic or Antarctic nature and the wildlife, coupled with an unwavering commitment to safeguarding this rugged yet fragile region for the generations to come.

Arctic Wildlife cruises - explorer testimonies

Just arrived back from an amazing, floating, 'Stefano Unterthiner Photo Tour' to Svalbard with Arctic Wildlife Tours. The MS Malmo proved to be a great way to travel. Svein, Jeanette and the rest of the crew and AWT guides worked exceptionally hard to find us some incredible wildlife sightings (polar bear; walrus; arctic fox etc. etc) and give us the best opportunity to take photographs with loads of space for the small group of guests. We were kept safe and well- briefed and, most importantly, they demonstrated a professional respect for the wildlife, ensuring we always kept a sensible distance and avoided doing anything that would impose unnecessary stress on these creatures. I would happily recommend AWT to anyone wanting to visit Svalbard. Truly a trip of a lifetime and one I hope to repeat soon!

- John Birch

My trip around Svalbard with Arctic Wildlife Tours was packed with unforgettable memories, a real respect for the nature we encountered and hearty laughs with the AWT team. Sailing on a smaller ship like MS Origo meant we had a fine crew and the flexibility to get out on zodiacs multiple times a day - whenever something exciting was spotted! The team did a great job of finding opportunities to take the best photos without disturbing the wildlife. The only problem I have now is planning my next trip with them!

- Marc Parnell

What a great trip!!! I respect Arctic Wildlife Tours so much. The way they honor the life patterns all of the species we were able to see was impressive.  Great leadership and knowledge of animal territories and boundaries so we were able to see them in their natural habitats without invading their natural routines. It was an excellent photographic, culinary and travel experience.

- Deirdre Corcoran Foote

Arctic Wildlife cruises expedition vessels

We are chartering several 12 pax v vessels at the time being. Our main focus is to find ships with the qualities for sailing in ice and have the flexibility we need for our expeditions. We also focus on mainly using ships suited for micro cruises. We have a ongoing process to improve our fleet and even if its hard to find such vessels at the micro size, we are making progress on that.

Are you ready to embark on the journey of a lifetime?