During this exciting expedition cruise we explore Spitsbergen`s spectacular fjords and glacier-coated islands in-depth. In a small and exclusive party of 12 on board the veteran ship M/S Stockholm we discover this magnificent archipelago amongst sea birds, walrus, seals and polar bears.

The goal on this expedition cruise is to explore Spitsbergen`s nature, fauna and cultural heritage and to visit sites where few people have set foot. We travel through Spitsbergen`s magnificent archipelago and hope to spend quality time in the pack ice. We visit bird cliffs and walrus colonies, hike on the tundra and cruise along glacier fronts. Our unique expedition ship M/S Stockholm is iceclassed and carries only 12 passengers. With her we carefully break through the pack ice, where we have good chances of seeing the lord of the Arctic - the polar bear. We can also expect to see seals on the ice, and whales often cruise along the ice edge. We travel in the footsteps of polar explorers such as Andrée, Nordenskiöld, Amundsen and Nobile and every day we do landfalls in spectacular settings. Scientists, whalers, trappers and miners have travelled to Spitsbergen for the past 400 years and have left behind many traces such as buildings and equipment, geographical names and fascinating stories. If ice and weather conditions allow we will land on White Island, Spitsbergen`s easternmost island. We travel carefully through Spitsbergen`s sensitive environment and have minimal impact on its nature and animals. Photographs and memories are all we bring home and we leave nothing behind. This is ecotourism at its best.

Day 1: Oslo - Longyearbyen
We land in Longyearbyen in the afternoon and embark the M/S Stockholm.

Day 2 - 10: Spitsbergen
Our route depends on weather, ice conditions and the wildlife we encounter. Each day we make several landings with our rigid Zodiac craft and these are a few of the places we hope to visit:

Prins Karls Forland
This beautiful island, covered by a magnificent mountain chain, is home to walrus, seals and seabirds. The M/S Stockholm is one of very few ships, which can sail through the strait separating the island from mainland Spitsbergen.

Ny Ålesund
Here Amundsen, Byrd and Nobile started their courageous attempts to reach the North Pole.

Danes` Island
This was the starting point for Andrée`s hydrogen balloon, the Eagle, which left Danes` Island on July 11, 1897. Three days later the balloon crashed on the pack ice north of Spitsbergen.

Northwest Spitsbergen
On Danes` Island and Amsterdam Island we see remnants of 17th century whaling stations.

North Spitsbergen
In beautiful Mossel Bay we visit Polhem, the world`s northernmost house, where Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld over-wintered in 1872-73.

Hinlopen Strait
If the ice allows we may visit Hinlopen Strait. Here is Auk Mountain, a vertical basaltic cliff, which makes out the home for some 200 000 Brunnich`s guillemots. The waters here are especially nutritious, which explains the large quantities of sea birds.

East Spitsbergen
Heading east we may meet the massive pack ice border. We enjoy the silence and grandeur of this icy landscape. The chances of meeting polar bears increase the further we travel into the ice.

Nordaustlandet
This island, covered by an enormous ice cap, fascinates naturalists as well as historians. Here you find a huge glacier front intersected by hundreds of melt-waterfalls, an abandoned German weather station from WWII and the well kept scientific station at Kinnvika.

Storöya
In favourable ice conditions we may reach Storöya, situated east of Nordaustlandet. Walrus and polar bears frequent the area.

White Island
If ice conditions allow, we land on White Island, where few people have ever set foot. Here Andrée and his men were found 33 years after their unsuccessful attempt to reach the North Pole with balloon. We visit the monument commemorating these brave men, and admire the huge ice cap, which covers the island.

Barentsöya and Edgeöya
On Barentsöya there are remnants of old Pomor fishing camps, some 400 years old. The Pomors were brave pioneers sailing here in small open boats from the Arctic shores of Russia to fish and hunt. Edgeöya treats its visitors to magnificent landscapes and tundra plains where chances are good of seeing reindeer, Arctic fox and walrus.

Halvmåneöya
On Halvmåneöya (Half Moon Island) we visit the trapping station of the Norwegian polar bear king Henri Rudi. The island was also the scene of one of the most dramatic survival stories in polar history. Four Russian Pomors had to spend six winters on the island before they where rescued.

Tusenöyane
On Aekongen and Bölscheöya in the spectacular Tusenöyane island group (Thousand Islands) we study beautiful basaltic formations. During hikes across the tundra we often encounter skeletons of polar bears, seals and whales.

Hornsund
A grandiose fjord on Spitsbergen`s Southwest coast where enormous glaciers tumble down to the sea between alpine mountains. This is a favourite area for the islands` many polar bears.

Day 11: Longyearbyen - Oslo
We sail into Longyearbyen and fly back to Oslo in the afternoon.

Please, read this itinerary as a guide only; our exact route and program will vary depending on ice and weather conditions - and the wildlife we encounter. Flexibility is the key to a successful expedition!

Photo: George D. Lepp/Corbis, Adam Rheborg, B&C Alexander, Dierk Ronneberger, Ole-Jörgen Liodden & Lisa Ström.