‘ARCTIC KINGDOM’ - SVALBARD PHOTO WORKSHOP

Day 0 Meeting in Longyearbyen

While the workshop officially begins on day 1 (April 21st), it is recommended to arrive one day prior to the sail (i.e. April 20th), to ensure you have all of your equipment, and to avoid missing the sail due to flight delays.
We will meet in a hotel in Svalbard's capital of Longyearbyen, have dinner and discuss the days ahead.
Longyearben is the administrative capital of Svalbard and a well-known Arctic destination. The world’s northernmost town is home to an international population of approximately 2500 people.
Longyearben is unique in that is has a rich mining history, no street names, and only one grocery store. Shoes are still removed before entering restaurants and hotels.

 

Days 1-9 Adventure Mode

At exactly 16:00 in the afternoon of day 1 we will assemble and board the beautiful MV Villa, our mothership for the 9 days's sail along Svalbard's western coast. We will settle in our rooms, depart the harbor and embark on our journey.
From our ice-strengthened ship, we will witness wildlife and beautiful mountains the moment we leave the dock. As we want to make sure we get the most of our trip, there is no daily schedule; there is no set plan, we will make it up as we go. The ship's crew has been exploring Svalbard for 20 years now and knows you have to be flexible to get the best and most out of your journey.

 

We expect to encounter ice (and a lot of it) around the archipelago, especially this season. The ice-strengthened hull of your expedition vessel will allow us to enter the pack ice as we endeavor to encounter wildlife that makes its home in this extreme environment. Cruising through the ice floes, we hope to spot polar bears hunting for seals. From our Zodiacs we may spot walrus resting on the ice or on the nearby beaches. Watching the magnificent wildlife from the exterior decks promises to be a highlight of our journey. Our skilled Captain will maneuver the ship in order to give us the best possible views. The open deck of MV Villa will offer you many unique photographic perspectives. The main emphasis during the workshop will be the polar bears, but we will also look for Arctic foxes (which will still have their white winter pelt in April), walruses, birds and other species.

 

There are incredible landscapes on our way: mountains, glaciers, fjords, all in snow and under magical winter light. Aerial photography is especially recommended and will be done at every possible opportunity.

 

SAILING ITINERARY

In principle, our sail is extremely flexible. The crew is always vigil and on the lookout for bears and other wildlife, and if we get word of a good sighting closeby, we will head there to get the shots. That said, there is a general plan for the sail, a plan which puts the emphasis on both good wildlife statistics and great landscape photography. In the map below you will find an approximate route map for our trip. Note that this itinerary is most often used for 7-day sails whilst ours is no less than 9 days, which means we will have far more flexibility and may sail further than seen here. It depends on sightings and on the situation of the pack ice in this season.

 

Flexibility is one of the key features of this expedition. The Captain and Expedition Leader decide where to land based on weather and sea conditions. This allows your leaders to make the  best plans for visits to the most interesting areas based on updated local information. Given this flexible itinerary, a daily briefing will be held to outline the following day's plans.

Depending on the route our voyage takes, We may spend time exploring the following areas:
Danskøya & Amsterdamøya Islands
Danskøya Island, was the launch site for a failed attempt by Salomon Andrée and two companions to reach the North Pole by hydrogen balloon in 1897. Amsterdamøya Island was a Danish and Dutch whaling station in the early 1600s and is now the home to nesting Arctic terns.
Liefdefjorden
As the Villa enters this spectacular fjord, Zodiacs are launched for a cruise through the ice fields leading up to the Monaco Glacier. This scenic region is frequently visited by polar bears. Conditions permitting, we go ashore for a hike near the glacier or along the shoreline. We will explore this stunning fjord where photographic opportunities often include Arctic fox, whales, ringed seals and thousands of kittiwakes.
Kongs fjorden & Ny-Ålesund
We may choose to visit an international research station along the shores of this scenic passage, or view the small settlement from the deck of our ship. The mighty Kongs Glacier is a place where polar bears come to hunt for seals. Close by, the lush hills of Ossian Sars offers a breathtaking hike.
Hornsund
Hornsund is the southernmost fjord on Spitsbergen Island. The coastline features several bays with glacial valleys leading to high mountain peaks. A Polish research station has been operating here since 1957 working on meteorology, seismology and glaciology. Arctic fox, abundant seabirds and reindeer are frequently seen here.
Bellsund
Located between Isfjord and Hornsund lies the mighty Bellsund, entrance for Van Mijenfjord, Va Keulenfjord and Recherchefjord. Here you can find old hunter’s cabins and remains of the era of early whaling that took place here and still stir the imagination. Akselöya separates the fjord entrances of Van Mijenfjordand and Van Keulenfjord.
 

OUR SHIP - THE MV VILLA

 

MV Villa operates in the Arctic Circle of the northern hemisphere. She spends spring and summer in Svalbard and the Norwegian Arctic, and autumn and winter in the fjords of northern Norway. The Villa boasts 120m2 of above-deck space and 160m2 of below-deck space. This allows for ample storage and protection of sensitive equipment in a dry environment. As an ice-strengthened ship (ice class B) with an installed ice keel and ice propeller, MV Villa is designed to operate in icy waters.

 

 

CABINS

MV Villa features accommodation for up to 12 passengers in 6 different cabins. On deck, suites Nansen and Amundsen offer private bathrooms whilst cabins Boyd and Shackelton share a separate shower room and bathroom between them, as do cabin Andree and Arnesen on deck 1. Named after the great polar explorers, all accommodations onboard feature an ever-changing view of the Arctic.