Arctic Wildlife Tours is happy to announce that we will be able to offer another Polar Bear photography workshop in Churchill, Canada in 2023. We did a great trip in…
Svalbard photo tours - one story.
In mid August 2015 Arctic Wildlife Tours did a photo expedition for Chinese customers around Spitsbergen and up to the Seven Islands, sailing with the MS Malmö. We were 12 passengers, myself as a travel leader, one extra guide and two travel leaders from China. Interesting ice conditions and good weather made this expedition into an exciting one.
Starting by exploring the west coast of Spitsbergen close to glaziers and spectacular landscapes. We found Arctic Foxes, Bearded Seals, Walruses and some birdlife during the first two days. Our focus was to arrive up by the Seven Islands as soon as possible. There was still some drifting ice and fjord ice in Rijpfjorden and Brennevinsfjorden. The drifting ice was still close to the Seven Islands.
Zodiac cruise in Krossfjorden on the way to the north.
We had beautiful light.
And wildlife like this Arctic Fox.
During different Svalbard photo tours we experience light and weather as the surrounding elements that gives us the title extra we need for our pictures. In the fog we slowly sailed into Brennevinsfjorden, one of the fjords on the north side of Nordaustlandet. Big ice was still drifting around in the fjords and the weather was good except of the dense fog we had for a moment.
After a while when we came closer to land, the fog started to disappear and our visibility improved. It was one of those moments I will always remember as if taken right out of a fairytale. I was almost expecting to see a Polar Bear appear in the fog when I suddenly discovered this beautiful female Polar Bear and her cub on a drifting ice flake. MS Malmö was at almost no speed and the Polar Bears were not scared from us. On the contrary, they were interested in us instead.
The seven Islands when fog clears.
Polar Bear mother and cub coming closer when the fog starts to clear.
Mother and cub connection - the cub is totally depending on its mother.
For about one hour, we had a fantastic moment there watching and photographing the Polar Bears. They had a fresh, half eaten, seal kill on the ice and continued eating as we watched them. A very nice and yellow light enhanced the photographic opportunities when the fog slowly but surely cleared. I consider this situation in the fjord one of the most spectacular moments I ever have had in the Arctic waters around Svalbard. Especially I liked the situations where we could watch the cub being so close attached to its mother. The images we captured illustrate this close relationship between mother and cub. I have never seen a situation like this which illustrated the relationship between mother and cub so beautiful as I did on this Svalbard photo tours.
Close relation between mother and cub.
We had one more fantastic encounter with Polar Bears during this expedition in Liefdefjord on the way back to Longyearbyen. Two-three animals there posed against the sunset several times for us. Among other situations on the way back to Longyearbyen with different wildlife we had a nice trip back. I choose to close this blog post with one image of a Polar Bear in silhouette against the red and orange sky in the late August evening.
I hereby invite you that is reading this story to join one of the Svalbard photo tours we arrange coming years!
Polar Bear and Arctic Tern.
Upcoming Svalbard tours
OPEN FOR BOOKING
Golden Eagle photo hides 2023-2024
The Golden eagle hides are open for booking during the season 2022-2023. Please send us your inquiry and we will help you.
NEW! 12 SPOTS AVAILABLE
Svalbard Early Winter expedition 2024 MV Kinfish
Svalbard winter photography on Svalbard. Join us for this very early winter photo expedition and experience the breathtaking light and scenery. The cold environment will make wildlife encounters to something…
4 SPOTS AVAILABLE
Svalbard Winter expedition 2024
Svalbard travel photography on Svalbard, every day is different, and every year is different. Arctic Wildlife Tours guides leads this winter expedition on Svalbard, a remote area we know well…
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Svalbard Masterclass on board 2024
Join our photography masterclass onboard hosted by Nat Geo photographer Stefano Unterthiner and Arctic Wildlife Tours
5 SPOTS AVAILABLE
Early season May 1 – 9 expedition 2024 MS Virgo
Arctic Wildlife Tours do this early May expedition on Svalbard in 2022. We will be using the expedition ship MS Virgo for this wildlife expedition, which is a recently refurbished…
SOLD OUT!
Peak Wildlife season Svalbard June 10 – 19 2024
Svalbard photo tour onboard a small ship in early summer to enjoy the wildlife in typically lot of drift ice and lengthy daylight hours, providing more opportunities to see Svalbard's…
6 SPOTS AVAILABLE
Peak Wildlife season Svalbard June 19 – 28 2024
Svalbard photo tour onboard a small ship in early summer to enjoy the wildlife in typically lot of drift ice and lengthy daylight hours, providing more opportunities to see Svalbard's…
SOLD OUT!
Peak Wildlife season Svalbard June 28 – July 07 2024
Svalbard photo tour onboard a small ship in early summer to enjoy the wildlife in typically lot of drift ice and lengthy daylight hours, providing more opportunities to see Svalbard's…
3 SPOTS AVAILABLE
Main Wildlife season Svalbard July 07 – 17 2024
Svalbard photo tour onboard a small ship in early summer to enjoy the wildlife in typically lot of drift ice and lengthy daylight hours, providing more opportunities to see Svalbard's…
FULLY BOOKED
Main Wildlife Season Svalbard July 17 – 27 2024
Svalbard photo tours and small vessel cruises in mid summer to photograph and experience the wildlife in typically warmer weather with lengthy daylight hours, providing great opportunities to see Svalbard's…
1 SPOT AVAILABLE
Main Wildlife season Svalbard August 16 – 26 2024
Svalbard wildlife photography tour in the late summer and early autumn to spend more time in the drift ice searching for Polar Bears and other wildlife.
7 SPOTS AVAILABLE
Late Autumn season Svalbard September 05 – 15 2024
In September we expect to spend days into the drift ice far north and east of Svalbard. Our goal is to photograph polar bears and other wildlife in golden light.
FULLY BOOKED
South Georgia photography expedition 2023
Join Arctic Wildlife Tours guides Svein and Jens onboard the M/V Sea Spirit and visit South Georgia. As it is the first trip for Arctic Wildlife Tours visiting these parts…
