Oslo is the capital of Norway and is also its largest city, situated at the head of Oslo Fjord and surrounded by hills and forests. Home to some 50 museums and full of galleries, cafés, a sculpture park and the Royal Palace, this vibrant city with its handsome 19th-century buildings and wide streets has much to offer. Its history dates back 1,000 years, and includes a rich seafaring heritage that ranges from the Viking era to Thor Heyerdahl’s Kon Tiki expedition. Discover more about this exciting city on our varied selection of excursions.

This morning, please ensure your cabin luggage is fitted with cabin tags clearly labelled with your name and cabin number. Enjoy breakfast at the hotel before transferring to the airport for our charter flight to Longyearbyen for embarkation. Any valuables or personal items should be kept on you throughout the day. In Longyearbyen, explore the town on a guided excursion tour.

After the tour, you will be transferred directly to the pier to embark in the late afternoon. Settle into your cabin before attending important safety briefings and enjoy the thrill of departure as we ‘throw the lines’ and set sail.

Svalbard offers Arctic wilderness at its best. Our experienced expedition team will use their expertise to tailor our day-to-day itinerary, choosing the best options, based on the prevailing weather, sea-ice conditions, and the possibility of encounters with wildlife. Above the Arctic Circle during the boreal summer, the sun does not drop below the horizon until late August, so we enjoy 24 hours of daylight, and more time to explore this breathtaking part of the planet.

Svalbard's phenomenal fjords, magnificent mountain ranges and polar desert are rich in fossils, perfectly setting the stage for heroic tales of early exploration. We may encounter walrus hauled-out on sea ice or wallowing on beaches. We may seek out towering cliffs noisy with nesting guillemots and listen to the busy chanting of little auk colonies protected amongst the scree slopes.

With more time than on our classic Svalbard voyages we plan to reach further afield; we will attempt to explore the two largest islands in the archipelago; Spitsbergen and Nordauslandet. We may enjoy the delights around Barentsoya and Edgeoya that are located in the Hinlopen Strait, a known polar bear migration route. We plan to visit the remains of old whaling settlements, old pomor sites, and enjoy early morning Zodiac cruises. We will encounter glittering glaciers, keep watch for beluga whales and watch for ivory gulls.

Weather and ice permitting we may sail along the most northerly point of the Svalbard archipelago, a favoured spot to a large colony of walruses.

If you are participating in an optional activity such as kayaking, you will have opportunity to experience the Arctic whenever conditions allow. For those who are enthusiastic to participate in a polar plunge, when conditions are perfect, you will hear the announcement to prepare for an exhilarating dip – a memory to savour for years to come.

Longyearbyen is the biggest settlement in Svalbard. Seat of the Norwegian administration, it also has the best services and infrastructure in the archipelago. Located deep in the Adventfjord, a sidearm of the Isfjorden (Icefjord), Longyearbyen’s airport can be used all-year round, but its harbor is blocked by ice in winter. Most shops, hotels, restaurants and a hospital are within easy walking distance of the port. One of the most prominent buildings in town is the UNIS center, where several Norwegian universities have joined forces to operate and offer the northernmost higher education to both Norwegian and international students. Adjacent to UNIS, and well worth a visit, is the Svalbard Museum, covering the natural history and exploitation of Svalbard. Remnants of the former mining activity can be seen all around Longyearbyen and even in town.