Svalbard wildlife
expedition

July 07 - 17 2024

MAIN WILDLIFE SEASON SVALBARD

In main summer season some of the snow has melted, but still large areas could be covered by drift ice around Svalbard. Polar bears, walruses, whales, seals and diverse birdlife are on the move making for great opportunities to see Svalbard wildlife during this time of year.

Our expeditions are the ultimate in polar exploration. Svalbard is Arctic Wildlife Tours back yard. We are a Norwegian owned company and have a lot of experience searching for wildlife and creating the best tours designed for photographers in Svalbard. Our guides and travel leaders know how to handle the constantly changing weather, drifting ice conditions and wildlife on the move, 24 hours a day. Every day is different, every year is different, and the High Arctic nature is in constant change.

Join this exclusive small ship charter navigating through the Svalbard wilderness and icy waters of the High Arctic. We focus on photographic opportunities but our expeditions are well suited for anyone interested in wildlife experiences. The guides aboard the small vessel MS Origo are Norwegian and Swedish, all of them have years of experience hiking and exploring the Norwegian landscape and Svalbard nature. The expedition ship MS Origo is a well suited ship to do expeditions in Svalbard.

We focus on seeing all the different wildlife around Svalbard at this time of the year, among them of course are polar bears, blue whales, walruses and seals. Landscapes and scenery is also outstanding for photographic opportunities if you know where to look and what to look for. Please contact us and talk to us about what you can expect and for more information. Your guides on this tour will be an experienced team on Svalbard.

If you have questions about this expedition please do not hesitate to send an email on [email protected]

Dates: July 07 - 17, 2024
Duration: 10 nights/11 days
Embark: Longyearbyen, July 07, 18:00
Disembark: Longyearbyen, July 17, 09:00

Single cabin, Shared facilities, SOLD OUT
EUR 9 000 pr. pax.

Twin cabin, private facilities, 2 spots available(One cabin)

EUR 9 000 pr. pax.

Twin superior cabin, private facilities, SOLD OUT

EUR 10 500 pr. pax.

Please ask us for latest information about availability and booking procedures. The single cabins can also be used as double cabins.

Ship:MS Origo

Svein Wik and Vide Brandt will be your guides

Together Svein and Jens has done numerous expeditions throughout the years. They are considered as a experienced team whom will give you the best experiences and opportunities for pictures during your voyage.
Read more about the guides here

Practical information

What's included?

Travel Route Svalbard photo expedition

Itinerary

Svalbard is situated at about 80 degrees north, so we schedule the expedition in accordance with prevailing weather and ice conditions. The map on this page shows the estimated route for this expedition. Even if it normally will be some changes in the planned itinerary this route cover the main areas we will visit. In early June the drift ice edge can be situated near the Svalbard islands still. It's a good place searching for wildlife. Weather and ice conditions will be what we plan the sailing rout according to, along with where to find wildlife. From 2024 more of our activity will be planned to visit the drift ice areas north of Svalbard.

Day 0 We always recommend to arrive Longyearbyen at least one day and night in advance.

Day 1 Departure from Longyearbyen throughout Isfjorden. Dependent on weather and ice conditions we sail towards Northeast or Southeast. Any direction will bring us into interesting areas for finding wildlife. The first choice in mid summer will be sailing towards north and the towards east.

Day 2-10 Looking for wildlife in accessible areas around the Svalbard islands. It's still early season in June and some of the most remote areas can still not be accessible. This will vary from season too season. We will reach the Seven Islands and up in the drifting ice. Depending on the ice conditions and weather we will choose the route for this Svalbard photo expedition. We will look for wildlife like polar bears, seals, whales and also some birdlife this time of the year. We will plan stops visiting Walrus haul outs as well.

The route illustrated in the map on this page is just a estimate for where we will sail. It probably will be changed depending on the ice conditions.

Day 11 Leaving the ship after breakfast and prepare the travel home.

What to expect?

  • Navigate far into the icy north for close-up wildlife encounters
  • Enjoy walking in and sailing through incredible landscapes and breath-taking fjords and waterfalls
  • Enjoy the small group flexibility our expeditions provide. We do what we want, when we want!
  • Get close to the Arctic wildlife and have your chances for stunning images
  • Spend the moments and sometimes long waitings for the extraordinary wildlife encounters with like-minded people
Booking Information

Booking Inquiry for Svalbard photo expedition

Registration: You register by sending in the booking forms we send you upon your request. This inquiry is not a binding booking.

After sending us an inquiry we will send you the booking forms by email. Send in the completed reservation/booking after receiving them. We will inform you about deposit payments and payment method as soon as you inquire with us. Payments can be done either by wire transfer or credit card payments. Receiving your booking form and a deposit payment will be a confirmed booking.

Booking Inquiry

    Check if you wish to join the list

READ SOME OF THE BLOGS FROM THE SVALBARD TOURS

Blog posts about Svalbard

stefano unterthiner

National Geographic photographer Stefano Unterthiner

24. January 2023

Stefano Unterthiner join us regularly for doing workshops we now have named Masterclass onboard. Stefano recently gave out his book about climate changes on Svalbard. Growing up in the mountains of Northwest Italy, Stefano Unterthiner…

Read more
svalbard photography opportunities

The return of the Walrus on Svalbard

26. December 2022

The Walrus is one of the species we see more and more in Svalbard. The populations are growing after being almost exterminated back in the 1960`s. The story about the return of the Walrus on Svalbard…

Read more
arctic photography expeditions

Photographer Ömer Acar on photographing polar bears and swimming in polar water

8. November 2022

With a love for spending time in nature, and wanting to photograph wildlife in the arctic circles, Ömer Acar booked a trip to exotic Svalbard through Arctic Wildlife Tours AS.

Read more