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Published: August 2nd 2023
Yes! Another absolutely amazing trip!! We spent 10 days on board Ocean Expeditions’ Hondius ship circumnavigating Svalbard. We could not have asked for a better trip. When we booked it, we were a little concerned with the size of the boat and the # of passengers (170), not our usual style. But it was incredibly well organized with excellent guides, lectures and zodiac trips. Sara, the Expedition leader stated from Day 1, she wanted us to spend as much time outside as possible. Every day we had 2 zodiac trips, each one lasting 2-3 hours, one - a landing for walking/hiking and the other cruising along the coastline. We had great weather, with a mixture of beautiful sunshine and some overcast days. It was cold, and we found ourselves wearing every layer of clothing we brought most days!.
Other than hoping to see a polar bear (which the first pic shows we did), we really did not have any other expectations. The history of the area and all the various polar explorations in the late 1800s/early 1900s was fascinating. The guides were excellent, as zodiac drivers, their depth of knowledge and friendliness. Many had PHDs and we found
the daily lectures always interesting and informative. Who knew Plankton was so important!! The variation of the areas, with glacier mountains, waterfalls, bird nesting areas with literary tens of thousands of guillemots, adorable arctic foxes, huge walruses, seals and reindeer. Each day was packed with a different activity and scenery.
Our first day was a stop at Ny-Alesund – the only place (besides Longyearbyen pop 2300), we visited with people, @ 130 in the summer and at 78.9 degrees north latitude claims is the northern most town in the world. Many polar expeditions to the North pole originated from here. After that it was all open water, glaciers, sea ice and pristine quietness. Not having any internet by choice, just added to the isolation and calmness. It was wonderful to be disconnected and only concerned with the day to day activities and the beautiful untouched scenery.
And of course the polar bear sighting was a major highlight. It was the afternoon of our 3
rd full day of sailing. We had spent a fabulous morning in a zodiac ride at Monacobreem. We awoke to a fairly thick fog, which made the quiet zodiacs almost mystical
as we travelled past the glaciers. We saw our first walruses, a couple on land, a couple playing in the water. Various gulls, beautiful Arctic terns (yes, we were slowly learning our birds), and then our guides were amazed as we spotted a beluga whale, their first sighting in this area. I glanced at my pic, disappointed until I learned it is a white whale and the pic I had taken was of their white body, not another glacier ice. We also saw 3 young belugas, feeding at the base of the glacier. After about 2 hours, the sun broke thru and the remaining zodiac ride was in a beautiful inlet with gleaming glaciers around us.
So, a beautiful morning, with the afternoon scheduled for a zodiac landing and a hike. The first group had landed when one of the guide scouts spotted a single polar bear in the far distance. So, plan B, we all got back into our zodiacs and were able, from a distance in the water, to see the sleeping bear. First impression, they were more blonde then white and the fact he was on dry ground was easy to spot. When he
got up, he was large, and surprisingly agile as he walked across the tundra and down the hill. He then walked around to the other side of the hill It was incredible!!
Later that afternoon as we headed north east into the sea ice, and attempting to reach 81 degrees north, about 500 miles south of the North Pole, another polar bear was spotted in the far sea ice. Within the next 3 hours we spotted 3 separate bears, two more in the distance. Once we knew what we were looking for, the blonde spec in the distance, they were easier to spot. Fortunately, the last bear was more accommodating for us as he walked across the pack ice towards us, went for a swim in front of the boat and tried to climb on a piece of ice.
And this was just the third day, with so much more to see!! I will post a 2nd blog in the next couple days. We are now in Oslo, flying to Dublin tonight.
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D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley
Marvelous! Svalbard
We hope to go to Svalbard next year and this is a great blog. Thanks for taking us along.