Foxes, belugas and polar bears in Hornsund
Our amazing guides are blogging from the Sea Endurance ship, and below you can read about an adventure with exciting wildlife encounters in Hornsund.
3rd of June 2017
The beautiful fjord of Hornsund welcomed us with a blue sky, calm water and an astonishing view over Hornsundstinden 1463 m.a.s.l. At Gnålodden, we stepped ashore by the trappers hut used by several trappers, amongst them Vanny Wolstadt and also made a visit at the pomor site. A white Arctic fox came running along the shoreline, but was soon met by a blue fox, inhabiting the area. The blue fox was barking and shattering, and when the sounds did not scare the white fox off, it started to chase the white fox out of the territory.
Back on the ship, we continued deeper into Hornsund during the lunch and discovered one resting polar bear on the ice and another one distinctively walking south. The walking bear went into the water and swam towards the glacier Svalisbreen, where it went up on the ice again. From the Zodiacs, we could enjoy a really nice encounter with the bear on the shoreline. The cameras were working hard, and when, all of a sudden, a herd of belugas showed up, it was almost too intense for a short while. This fantastic day was ended by a ship cruise in front of the glacier Samarinvågen, where big herds of belugas were moving around in the waters.
Destinations
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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 50 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.