An expedition on board M/S Quest at the end of July. An adventure filled with exciting landings, Zodiac cruises and surreal encounters with the wildlife and nature of Svalbard.
After leaving Longyearbyen we steered north. Our first stops were in Krossfjorden, at Lilliehöökbreen, named after the Swede Gustaf Bertil Lilliehöök (1836–1899)
M/S Quest left Longyearbyen and headed north. Our expeditions first stop was in Krossfjorden, at Lilliehöökbreen, named after the Swedish Gustaf Bertil Lilliehöök (1836 – 1899). And short after we stopped at Signehamna where we got an interesting history lesson about the German weather stations that were located here during the Second World War. As M/S Quest headed north, towards the pack ice, we saw both whales and white-beaked dolphins. Who would have thought that our ship would be surrounded by jumping dolphins that close to the pack ice boarder? Then Kjeld, our Captain, steered south, towards Hinlopen. We past the Murchinson Fjord and the old Swedish research station, Kinnvika. The expedition continued and our days passed way too quick. The days were filled with Zodiac cruises and shore landings as we made our way south along the east coast of Spitsbergen. Along the way we got to see lots of birds, walruses and also some polar bears in good distance. After a lecture on how plastic and litter affect wildlife, the group took on the task of collecting plastic and other litter at each landing.
As we approached the southern parts of Spitsbergen, even more whales were seen, some were very close. At one point it was like the water was boiling from all the spray. Unfortunately, our trip was coming to an end. During the cruise we had seen a lot, but so far only a few of us had seen the Arctic Fox, and that at a great distance. But in Ekmanfjorden, on our last landing, we went to visit the Hemsilfossen waterfall, and all of the sudden a curious arctic fox came up to the group to investigate what was disturbing its afternoon rest. It was an amazing encounter.
Back in Longyearbyen again, not only a lot of very happy expeditioners left Quest, but also, several big bags of trash, plastic and washed-up fishing nets were lifted ashore.
Since 1999, we have taken travellers on once-in-a-lifetime trips to Svalbard. From May to September our three small expedition ships, carrying only 12 and 53 passengers, explore this magnificent Arctic archipelago. Unpredictability and flexibility are the main keywords when you travel with PolarQuest as the exact route depends on weather, ice conditions and wildlife encounters. Sometimes you might be woken up in the middle of the night if a polar bear has been spotted on the ice.
”A life far from consumerism and status symbols” – An interview with Gunilla Lindh
The winters in Greenland are long, cold, and stormy. For almost seven months of the year frost, ice and snow have a firm grip on Greenland. The people here live in one of our worlds most isolated locations and this is one of the most sparsely populated areas on earth. About 56,000 people live in Greenland and most of them were born here. Since roughly 80 percent of Greenland is covered in ice, most of the people live along the west, east and south coasts. Greenland today has the status of autonomous territory of Denmark with queen Margret II as head of state.
PolarQuest’s expedition leader Gunilla Lindh came to Greenland for the first time in 2013. At the time, she had just sold everything she owned and left a flourishing career in the Scottish financial sector to settle in East Greenland. A whole new world and life was calling. A simpler life closer to nature, in a completely different culture. Her first job in Greenland was within expedition logistics for five-month on the east coast, just north of Ittoqqortomiit. Since then, Gunilla has lived several rounds in Tasiilaq and also lived and worked with the local Inuit hunters in East Greenland.
How would you describe life in Greenland? You live in small communities. The largest community on the east coast has around 2000 inhabitants. The communities on the west coast are a little bigger and this is also where we find the capital Nuuk, which has around 18,800 inhabitants. The life in Greenland is family oriented, and very far from all type of consumerism and status symbols. The distances are great and the infrastructure is unlike our own – there are no road and train connections. In Greenland you are completely dependent on flight, helicopter and boat connections. To go between smaller settlements in the winder time, they use snowmobiles or dog sleds, and during the few months of the year when the ice loosens its grip, they can use smaller boats.
Greenland is an island in change, life and opportunities differ on the east and west coasts. Traditions and pride are strong among the Inuit population, while new influences and opportunities in education, work and technology, mostly on the west coast, create a developing Greenland.
What do you love most about Greenland? I get that question a lot. The nature in Greenland is magnificent, with deep fjords filled with iceberg, high snow-capped mountains, small communities with colorful houses against a background of the world's second largest ice sheet – the Greenland Ice Sheet. But Greenland wouldn't be so special if it weren't for the amazing people who live there. Because the island is isolated and quite expensive to get to and from, large parts of its population lack the opportunity to travel outside of Greenland. Therefore, there is a great need among the population to meet and talk to visitors. All the Greenlanders I have had the privilege of meeting have been incredibly hospitable, curious and open. Amazing people from whom I have learned a lot. While they are curious about the outside world, they also cherish their own culture, traditions, and way of life. If you come as a guest to Greenland with an open and curious mind, you will be warmly welcomed.
Could you tell us about the food in Greenland? Most of the time I have spent in Greenland I have been on the east coast, in small settlements where logistics and connections are few. In these places, hunting and fishing are large parts of everyday life to supplement the goods that can be imported. With the Greenlandic terrain and climate, it is difficult to grow fresh produce that we are used to in Europe. A supply ship visits the communities on the east coast once in the spring and once in the autumn to supply them with goods that last a long time. The vegetables and the fruit you find in the store are mostly frozen to last longer, a smaller range of fresh fruit and vegetables is flown in from Iceland, but this is both expensive and in a small scale.
The Greenlandic diet consists largely of fish and seal meat, as these are fished and hunted locally in Greenland. My diet for long periods in Greenland consisted mostly of seal meat, a dark red meat that taste best when grilled with lots of pepper and thyme. It was also a great honor for me to be offered raw seal liver during a hunting ritual on the ice. It showed that I had really been accepted into the fine Greenlandic culture and meant a lot to me personally. The liver was so fresh it oozed heat.
You talk a lot about the importance of getting the outside world to Greenland. How do you mean? Although Greenland belongs to Denmark, it is an isolated part of the world. Employment is low, it is difficult to get an education and many of the community-supporting jobs such as police and fire brigade are held by Danes. But with tourism comes more opportunities for work and economic growth to the people of Greenland. It becomes a mutual exchange of personal meetings, experience and opportunities.
How do Svalbard and Greenland differ? I usually say that Greenland is like a mixture of Svalbard and Northern Norway. But the fjords are deeper, the mountains are higher, the icebergs and glaciers are bigger. The small communities are like blobs of color, almost like fairytale villages. In addition, Greenland is much greener than Svalbard and has its own special culture and ancient traditions. There is not as much animal life in Greenland as in Svalbard.
Is there a chance of seeing any wild animals? The extent of wildlife depends on which part of Greenland you are in, but generally you can spot humpback whales, seals, reindeer, arctic foxes, and musk oxen.
What are the chances of seeing a polar bear? On Svalbard there is a relatively high concentration of polar bears in a small area. Greenland is so much bigger, so the chance that you will see a polar bear on our Greenland trips is very small. But at the same time, we carry weapons when we go ashore on the east side, because you never know. There are also musk oxen that you must respect.
What type of traveler will get the most out of a trip to Greenland with PolarQuest? A person who is genuinely interested in nature and would like to experience a stunning landscape. Greenland is also for the one that has a curiosity for new cultural impressions and openness to communicate and learn from people from a culture very different from our own. If you are curious and open-minded, there is a good chance that you will be invited for coffee when we visit isolated Inuit communities. The Inuit will want to share everything with their big, almost toothless smiles and try to communicate in any way they can. We will do some disembarkation with hikes and the terrain is not always super easy.
What will the weather be like? In summer, the weather is stable with a temperature of between 10 and 20 degrees. The large ice cap provide constant high pressure.
Can you tell us about the different trips? We travel with the luxurious expedition ship M/S Balto. She carries only 12-passengers just like two of the ship we operate in Svalbard, M/S Sjøveien and M/S Stockholm. The first trip of the season is in June and we start in Ilulissat on the west coast. In mid-July we will do a life-affirming adventure of 26 days as we travel from Ilulissat on the west coast to Scoresby Sound on the east coast. In August, we will do 3 expeditions in the northeast Greenland.
What characterizes West Greenland? The Disko Bay area is known for its diverse and astonishing landscape, including unique geological formations, deep fjords, springs and caves, magnificent towering icebergs, and impressive glacier faces. The ocean is home to humpback, minke and pilot whales and ashore we might meet reindeer and Arctic foxes. There are significantly more people living here than on the east coast.
What characterizes East Greenland? A wonderful and dramatic nature and the feeling of being at the end of the world, in the most positive sense. The communities are extremely isolated here and the silence unreal. The chance of seeing polar bears and musk oxen is greater than on the west coast. The east coast of Greenland is to me the most beautiful place in the world.
What do you think the guests will take with them from the trips? An almost religious feeling of the magnificence of nature, fond memories of the atmosphere on board and warm meetings with local people. A greater understanding of how to protect one of the last unspoiled wildernesses in the world!
Experience Greenland’s untamed wilderness with the elegant 12-passenger ship M/S Balto, designed to explore the most remote fjord systems, visit isolated Inuit settlements and take you to secret anchorages. Greenland’s spectacular coastline offers some of the most remarkable nature experiences. The Arctic landscape is dominated by ice-filled fjords, majestic peaks and vast tundra.
Images from an unforgettable Svalbard Season
At the end of April and beginning of May our three small expedition ships arrived to a true Arctic wonderland characterised by sparkling ice formations, snow-covered mountains and incredible polar landscapes – Svalbard. Finally, it was time for our travellers to head out on their long-awaited polar adventures!
A few weeks ago, the last travellers of the season disembarked and left the iconic wildlife, the magnificent glaciers and the stunning fjords behind. In this slideshow you get a glimpse of what this year’s PolarQuest adventures offered. Enjoy!
At the end of August an important catastrophe exercise was arranged by the network ARCSAR (Arctic Search And Rescue) in Svalbard on our expedition ship M/S Quest. ARCSAR is an EU-funded project to establish the first formal security and preparedness network for the Arctic and the North-Atlantic. During four days they carried out different exercises, held lectures and tested new technology. On the final day a live scenario exercise took place, an exercise with an on board fire and mass evacuation. Our Operations Manager, Henrik Törnberg, was the Coordinator on board.
These were the words of Henrik the day that he got off M/S Quest in Longyearbyen, Svalbard:
"I have been a part of planning this rescue exercise for four years. A total of four days of exercises and lectures. Today was the Grand Final with Mass Rescue Operation from one of our ships. A large-scale, realistic and very instructive exercise that took place both in Svalbard, at the PolarQuest office in Gothenburg, the rescue center in Bodø and the Arctic Explorer office in Tromsø."
Henrik, who attended this event on M/S Quest? ARCSAR is an EU-funded network with many members. Involved in this project were 20 different organizations from 12 different countries, most of which had at least one representative on board M/S Quest. We were a total of approximately 50 people on board including a journalist and a film crew. In addition to that, the ship's crew, myself and four guides from PolarQuest participated. Overall, it was an impressive collection of knowledge in Arctic maritime safety.
Which guides from PolarQuest were on board during this trip? Martin Berg was the expedition leader, and the guides were Zet Freiburghaus, Johan Carlsson, Miriam Vermeij.
How come PolarQuest was involved in this project? About four years ago, the organization AECO contacted our CEO, Marie, and told her about this project and that they needed someone to organize the whole event. PolarQuest was naturally interested in doing so and Marie then gave me the responsibility to be charge of this project.
What is AECO? Back in 2003, PolarQuest co-founded the organization AECO (The Association of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators) to regulate tourism on Svalbard and promote sustainable, safe and environmentally friendly tourism in the area. Today, the organization is a prominent representative of the expedition cruise industry in the Arctic and a beacon for those who want to work with sustainable tourism. PolarQuest CEO Marie sits on the board at AECO, where she previously also was the chairman.
What was your task in the project? In this project, I had a role as coordinator, meaning that I got a core position in everything that had to do with the practicalities – planning the trip, organizing the activities on board and keeping in touch with the ship M/S Quest. You could say that PolarQuest hosted the event and that I had a very central role which meant that I was involved in most things regarding this project.
During the planning stage of the project, what kind of questions could you get? It could be all sorts of questions, e.g. Is it doable to set up cameras on board? Is it possible to fill the ship with smoke? Would it be okay to use the ship's lifeboats? It was a big variation of very fun and different questions and challenges that were interesting to solve.
Why did it take four years to plan this project? It didn't. The plan was that we would carry out the event in 2020, but the pandemic put a spanner in the works and caused all trips to Svalbard to be cancelled, for two full seasons. Finally, in the season of 2022 and for the first time since the pandemic, we were able to return to Svalbard and complete the project.
Could you explain a little bit about how the schedule was set up during your days on board? We spent three full days out at sea and the last day we spent ashore in Longyearbyen. The guides along with the ship's crew had their usual role as always in any expedition cruise with PolarQuest. The expedition started as a regular trip with PolarQuest, we had a safety briefing and made landings at New London, among other places. However, the guides' lectures on board were exchanged for lectures given by the various participants within ARCSAR's network. On the third day, the great disaster exercise was carried out, which went on throughout the day. At the last day ashore in Longyearbyen we went through the entire exercise step by step, we also divided ourselves into groups and dug deeper into different concerns and problems..
Where on Svalbard was the ship located during the disaster exercise? For logistical and security reasons, we could not place the M/S Quest in the remote location of the scenario in the exercise, but we had a simulated position and an actual position. The simulated position was outside off Phippsøya while the actual position was in the Sassenfjord, not too far from Longyearbyen. As there is no form of contact with the mobile network at Phippsøya, this was not a method of communication that we were allowed to use in the exercise. All communication included in the exercise was via VHF radio or over satellite phone.
Could you tell us more about the disaster exercise itself? The entire exercise was based on a Mass Rescue Operation (MRO), i.e., a rescue operation involving many people. In our case, we had 50 passengers on board plus guides and crew, a total of almost 80 people. In an area like Svalbard the first one on scene, in case of an emergency, would most likely be another ship followed by a helicopter. Therefore, we practiced so-called ship-to-ship rescue.
The scenario was that at eight o'clock in the morning, the fire alarm went off because of a fire that had broken out in the engine room on board the M/S Quest. To make the exercise feel all as lifelike as possible, everyone on board had a specific role to play- as a panicked passenger or a person who suffered an injury for example. To make things even more authentic, they had theatrical make up put on.
M/S Quest's regular crew was also involved in various ways. We wanted to test everything from the rescue operation, new technology and the human factor. We had a gathering up in the lounge and we launched M/S Quest's own lifeboats. The passengers on M/S Quest were all to be evacuated and this was done by lifeboats and life rafts to the Coast Guard's ship as well as through a helicopter. Smoke divers from the Coast Guard also came on board to reinforce the smoke diving actions made by the ship's own crew. A lot of new technologies were also tested such as thermal imaging cameras from drones, sending distress signals from small handheld tracking devices to satellites and using mobile signals to count and track people.
What task did you have during the exercise itself? I was not involved in the actual exercise, but I drove one of the "real" Zodiac boats. We had to be prepared for different scenarios in case something would go wrong in real life, and a person would fall into the water for example.
The staff here at the PolarQuest head office in Gothenburg were also involved on this day, can you explain how? The office in Gothenburg was contacted by phone by various parties when the alarm went off, the rescue center in Bodø were the first ones to call. After that phone call, the exercise was in full swing even in the office where various calls came in from shipowners and even an inquisitive journalist. The staff at the office devoted the whole day to this exercise to see through our routines, preparedness and actions. This was a very useful and instructive exercise, both for our staff in here Gothenburg and for the staff out in the field.
Why was this project carried out? A big reason was to increase the cooperation between all parties and to build trust between tourist ships, rescue stations, etc. We wanted to examine how we work, how do we collaborate, how are we organized and what common resources are there. We also wanted to test new technology for search, alarm and rescue.
Was the project successful and did you feel that you learned a lot from it? It was all very successful. I was a little nervous before, because I knew that there were many components that would work together and unite, but the weather was on our side and all the collaborations worked excellently. I learned a lot more than I could have imagined.
Do you know if there are any plans for another project like this in the future? I know that there is a strong will to continue with such collaborative exercises in the Arctic, but there are no concrete plans yet. After all, the first step is to show the usefulness of this exercise and then try to arrange funding for continuation. Maybe it will then be in some other place than Svalbard, Arctic Canada, Iceland, the Faroe Islands or Greenland for example?
Since 1999, we have taken travellers on once-in-a-lifetime trips to Svalbard. From May to September our three small expedition ships, carrying only 12 and 53 passengers, explore this magnificent Arctic archipelago. Unpredictability and flexibility are the main keywords when you travel with PolarQuest as the exact route depends on weather, ice conditions and wildlife encounters. Sometimes you might be woken up in the middle of the night if a polar bear has been spotted on the ice.
A day at the Seven Islands
We woke up to a frantic knocking on the cabin door and a call of; ‘there’s a bear outside!’. Emerging into a sunny morning without a breath of wind, there was indeed a spec of a bear, highlighted against the grey sand on the beach. This was on the approach to Phippsoya, and the Captain was just about to drop the anchor.
Phippsoya is in a group of islands called Sjuoyane or Seven Islands, a small archipelago north of Nordaustland, in the very northernmost part of Svalbard and therefore, Europe. Due to the happy discovery of our first bear, we decided to jump into the zodiacs before breakfast and try to get a better look, in case it disappeared over the hill not to be seen again. But as luck would have it, when we approached the beach (called Isflakbukta), there was not only one but two bears. We enjoyed these bears at a respectful distance, before heading back to the ship for a late breakfast, the galley team had been very patient with us!
We reconvened for a second outing later that morning, keen to see if the bears were still there. We drove over towards the cabin on the beach, this one having been built in 1936 by representatives of the Norwegian government to be used as an emergency shelter, it is in fact the northernmost cabin in Svalbard. The two bears were still there, basking in the sun and walking around over the rocks. We spoke a bit about bear behaviour, feeding habits and their adaptations which allows them to keep warm in a usually cold environment. Cruising around the coast line, we were able to see some walruses on the beach and playing about in the water. A great observation was made by a guest that for the walruses, it seems as though their food is so abundant that they have all of this spare time and energy for play and socialising, which very much seems to be the case.
After a delicious lunch, the ship was repositioned next to the most northerly islands, Vesle Tavleoya and the rocky outcrop of Rossoya. Here we were just 1,018km from the North Pole! We cruised around and through the narrow gap between the two islands, where we were met by a bright green hillside, a lot of lush vegetation that had been fertilised by bird cliffs. We couldn’t believe it when we saw yet another polar bear, sitting up on the hillside amongst the grass and moss. This time it was a female and seemed to have a tracking collar around her neck. We watched her wandering around and smelling the terrain for a while before circumnavigating the most northerly island, enjoying the kittiwakes and guillemots and returning to the ship.
The crew had lit the woodfire in order to heat up the hot tub, so we took advantage of the sun beating down on us, the lack of wind, and celebrated a fantastic day by jumping off the ship into the sea at out northernmost point of the trip!
Since 1999, we have taken travellers on once-in-a-lifetime trips to Svalbard. From May to September our three small expedition ships, carrying only 12 and 53 passengers, explore this magnificent Arctic archipelago. Unpredictability and flexibility are the main keywords when you travel with PolarQuest as the exact route depends on weather, ice conditions and wildlife encounters. Sometimes you might be woken up in the middle of the night if a polar bear has been spotted on the ice.
The indescribable silence of Svalbard
I started working with marketing at PolarQuest in the middle of the pandemic, a time when we had to cancel two entire seasons in Svalbard. But then suddenly the day came when I got the chance to visit Svalbard and I could not be more excited. To go on an expedition to Svalbard had for a long time been a dream of mine. I could not imagine that the Arctic would ever exceed my extremely high expectations, but I was wrong!
What I appreciated the most, was the silence. Nowadays, we are always connected, available and surrounded by different sounds, both in our everyday life or on vacation. But in Svalbard, me and my fellow travelers experienced an almost indescribable silence.
I was alone up on the deck as our ship M/S Quest slowly left Longyearbyen in Svalbard. I had just finished a video call with my family and now I watched the service on my phone decrease quickly, until the text "no service" appeared. I put the phone in my pocket and looked up at the most incredible view. Longyearbyen had just disappeared behind us, the rays from the sun were finding their way through the clouds to illuminate a few snow-capped mountains on the horizon and suddenly there it was, the silence!
The nature in Svalbard is truly unique and unlike anything I have ever experienced before. I visited Svalbard at the end of May 2022 and throughout the week I was lucky enough to get incredible weather with almost no wind, a few plus degrees celsius and sunshine every day. Something not that common in Svalbard. Every morning we woke up to a voice in the speaker system. The voice belonged to our expedition leader, Elke, wishing us good morning. She let us know that breakfast was now served and told us what we could see if we looked out the cabin window.
Some of us had adopted a very lovely tradition on board. We always took our morning coffee out on the deck, coffee with a view! Some mornings was so peaceful that you could hardly tell the sky from the sea. The open atmosphere on board and the lack of mobile phones also made it very easy to get to know the other travelers in a nice way. But at the same time, there was always an unspoken understanding among us that sometimes you just wanted to sit by yourself and enjoy nature.
Besides the silence, it was the nature that took my breath away. I've never felt so small before, in a good way. During the entire expedition, we only saw other ships on a couple of occasions and we only met a few other people when we docked at Ny-Ålesund. Besides that, we were alone all the time. I was struck by how varied nature is in Svalbard. One day I was standing on the beach at the foot of huge green-brown mountains, the next day I was on a zodiac cruise next to a glacier, then on top of a snow-capped mountain and another day I did a polar plunge in an ocean filled with ice floes. During a week like this, it is very difficult to pick just a few moments to share. I want to share everything and then some, and preferably in chronological order. I just want to bring all my loved ones to Svalbard so that they can experience exactly what I experienced.
In addition to all the incredible hikes I got to experience during my expedition, there are a few landings that stand out a little extra. One morning we anchored outside a place called Fuglesangen. The plan was for us to do a Zodiac cruise along the coast and then go ashore at this bird mountain. One of our guides said that this is one of the best landings and we will understand why in a while. I did not have very high expectations for this excursion, since my interest in birds is not the greatest, but once again I was disproved. I stepped out of the Zodiac into the ocean on the beach, again thanking my colleagues who had told me that knee high boots are a must in Svalbard. We did a short hike in the white snow and the closer we got to the bird mountain, the louder it got. The birds flew their way as we approached. We climbed up the mountain carefully not to destroy the moss. Some climbed a little higher while others remained at the foot of the mountain. Always in the company of our guides. We sat down and after a while the birds came back, some really close. We sat there for a long time with an incredible view of the endless sea and felt that we really are small on earth. The thousands of birds that joined us here are the smallest in Svalbard and are called Little Auk.
Another very strong memory was when we hiked up a hill in a place called Ossian Sars. On our expedition, we were lucky enough to have a yoga instructor on board. Once at the top, the yoga instructor, Isabel asked if anyone would like to join her in a shorter meditation. Several of us sat down on the ground and with our legs crossed and our hands on our knees, Isabel led us in a calm and quiet meditation. Of course, it had to be a meditation where we didn't close our eyes, because you did not want to miss a second of the view we had in front of us. It was a very peaceful moment together.
On our final day when I once again was standing out on deck. I saw Longyearbyen slowly appear at the horizon, I took my mobile out of my pocket and saw that I had full service again. I was very happy and touched that the first message I received was a photo of my smiling children, but at the same time I couldn't help feeling a little sad that the peace and quiet was now over.
Since 1999, we have taken travellers on once-in-a-lifetime trips to Svalbard. From May to September our three small expedition ships, carrying only 12 and 53 passengers, explore this magnificent Arctic archipelago. Unpredictability and flexibility are the main keywords when you travel with PolarQuest as the exact route depends on weather, ice conditions and wildlife encounters. Sometimes you might be woken up in the middle of the night if a polar bear has been spotted on the ice.
