In search of polar bear and pack ice
by mick woodford
Departure in June 2023
by mick woodford
Departure in June 2023
Been on one of our voyages?
Leave your own reviewFull Spitsbergen Circumnavigation
PLA06-24 Take a cruise around Spitsbergen and explore the icy waters of the North Atlantic. This special expedition offers you the chance to catch sight of whales, reindeer, Arctic foxes, walruses, seals, and the star attraction, the polar bear.
m/v Plancius
Cruise date:
4 Jul - 13 Jul, 2024
Berths start from:
5100 USD
Watch for wildlife in iconic Arctic terrain
RVR09-24 The North Spitsbergen cruise sails to some of the remotest locations of northern Europe. The expedition gives you the opportunity to spot historic whaling remains, glaciers, a variety of Arctic birds including the Little Auk, and polar bears.
s/v Rembrandt van Rijn
Cruise date:
8 Jul - 18 Jul, 2024
Berths start from:
on request
Full Spitsbergen Circumnavigation
OTL06-24 Take a cruise around Spitsbergen and explore the icy waters of the North Atlantic. This special expedition offers you the chance to catch sight of whales, reindeer, Arctic foxes, walruses, seals, and the star attraction, the polar bear.
m/v Ortelius
Cruise date:
10 Jul - 19 Jul, 2024
Berths start from:
7700 USD
Full Spitsbergen Circumnavigation
HDS07-24 Take a cruise around Spitsbergen and explore the icy waters of the North Atlantic. This special expedition offers you the chance to catch sight of whales, reindeer, Arctic foxes, walruses, seals, and the star attraction, the polar bear.
m/v Hondius
Cruise date:
12 Jul - 21 Jul, 2024
Berths start from:
12300 USD
Full Spitsbergen Circumnavigation
PLA07-24 Take a cruise around Spitsbergen and explore the icy waters of the North Atlantic. This special expedition offers you the chance to catch sight of whales, reindeer, Arctic foxes, walruses, seals, and the star attraction, the polar bear.
m/v Plancius
Cruise date:
13 Jul - 22 Jul, 2024
Berths start from:
5400 USD
Comment from Oceanwide Expeditions
Thank you for your review. We value any feedback that helps us improve our voyages.
In this case, however, we can only reiterate what we state frequently in our itineraries and other content: wildlife sightings are not guaranteed and are determined entirely by the animals, not by us. Their presence or absence, like that of pack ice, is beyond our control.
While it is a shame we did not see bears any closer, there are strict guidelines governing how close we are able to get to bears when there are other vessels in the vicinity. The vessel did, however, navigate the fringes of pack ice that had begun to break into smaller floes.
Our trip titles reflect our goals and the general way each trip is meant to go, but nature is under no obligation to agree. Sometimes it has other plans, making it more difficult for us to deliver a trip the way we intend. This is the variable nature of expedition travel. It is the risk we all take when embarking into such remote regions.
Nonetheless, we hope your voyage afforded you some pleasure and memorable moments, and we are pleased you chose to sail with us.