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.
Svalbard
The Canadian Arctic
Greenland
Antarctica and South Georgia
Norway wildlife
Nordic wildlife
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.
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!
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!
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.
