Yacht Experiences

Svalbard’s Fjords and Polar Bears by Yacht

Svalbard is a stunning Arctic destination offering towering glaciers, imperious wildlife, and the wondrous Northern Lights. A yacht expedition through this Arctic archipelago guarantees incredible experiences, from the waves gilded by the midnight sun to immense walrus colonies.

When to go:

March – October

Experience highlights

Snowmobile polar bear safari & walrus colony
Adventure in Ny-Alesund & barbecue on the pack ice

Explore Pyramiden & abandoned whaler shacks
Dry suit dives with guillemots & Klerckbukta ice shelf

LONGYEARBYEN & ARCTIC SAFARI

Land at Longyearbyen Airport in Svalbard—the world’s most northerly airport. Transfer to your icebreaker yacht waiting for you.

With no roads outside of Longyearbyen, you’ll journey across this arctic expanse by snowmobile. Guided by internationally recognized experts, you’ll assist the Norwegian Polar Institute’s project of animal registration while searching for polar bears and other wildlife. If you identify an unrecorded animal, you’ll have the honor of naming it for future scientific study.

Arrive at Pyramiden and head ashore. You’ll explore this deserted Russian mining town, entirely preserved in the ice and snow from when 3000 miners abandoned it overnight. After lunch, reach the Research Station by dog sled. Here, you’ll meet the team of scientists and learn about their work into biodiversity, climate, and pollution monitoring.

Longyearbyen Svalbard Artic Fox Wildphoto

Pyramiden Svalbard Abandoned Town Pelorus

Longyearbyen Svalbard Polar Bears Wildphoto

WALRUS COLONY & ARCTIC BARBEQUE

Boarding your yacht’s tender, and accompanied by naturalists, approach the walrus colony found in the channel between the mainland and Forlandet National Park. Monitor these vulnerable animals during a profound encounter.

Drop anchor at Ny-Alesund. Svalbard’s ‘adventure playground’ offers you the opportunity to kayak past house-sized icebergs, traverse immense glaciers, and rappel into icy ravines. Arrive at 81 degrees north—the most northerly point possible for a yacht to reach—for a barbeque on the pack ice. With seals asleep on the broken ice, stay alert for hunting polar bears.

Sail to the Klerckbukta ice shelf where you can discover the cascading water columns. Glide closer to these glacial waterfalls on a kayak or paddleboard. Pelorus dive masters offer the opportunity to see the ice shelf below the waterline for a truly unique dry-suit adventure.

FJORDS & GUILLEMOTS

Arrive at Woodfjorden and explore whalers’ cabins, since abandoned, but once remote homes in frigid Svalbard. Climb glaciers and lunch overlooking the dramatic fjord.

Venture into Walenbergfjord’s glacial valleys and fjords, spotting polar bears (or maybe just ice?) from the deck. Make land using your tender and embark on a guide-led ski tour of the utterly untouched slopes taking your backcountry experience to a whole new level.

Journey on to Wijdefjorden and a cliff of basalt pillars located in the Hinlopen Strait. More than just a striking natural landmark, this is the home of the numerous and raucous Brunnich’s guillemots. You may also see polar bears, arctic foxes, and opportunistic glaucous gulls roaming nearby. Descend into the water in dry suits with a dive master to see the guillemots javelin into the depths to catch fish—a remarkable experience.