antarctica

Comfort Level boats are really nice and cozy, the cabins are with bunk beds (except for Superior Suite). The Luxury Level boat is with spacious suites (17-30 sq. Meters) with king size beds, hot tub and sauna on deck, gym and top amenities. Both boats have a nice dinning room, lounge for presentations and of course an open bridge, which we invite you to spend time on and get familiar with our amazing crew.

We are working with awesome chefs, which have received amazing reviews on our previous expeditions. They make our meals with a personal touch, since we’re such a small party.  But, since we are on a boat in the high Arctic, please remember that it won’t be like a restaurant in Provence, but we will do the best we can. The chef will make adjustments to your requirements in terms of allergies and food requirements (vegetarian, vegan etc.) 

Our top pro team is very familiar with the inhabitants of this remote land. We know where the bears like to roam and stay, including some secret spots that we keep especially for you. We have daily satellite ice-charts available, which help us plan ahead and since we operate several ships simultaneously, we notify our boat via satellite communications when we find something.

We are there in summertime, so the temperature are well above freezing. So, it shouldn’t be too cold with temperatures averaging at around +10°C / 50°F and ranging from +2°C / 35°F and +18°C / 65°F. Svalbard is a desert, so it almost never rains. This is our best kind of summer weather!

Inside the boat we keep temperatures at a warm +22°C / 70°F, so bring some short sleeved shirts and indoor shoes for the indoors. Outside it’s nice and cool, so bring layers: base layer and mid layer plus a warm coat, hat, gloves etc. We would rather have you complain on the heat, rather than on the cold. No need to bring classy clothes, we would prefer you’re feeling as comfortable as you can be.

Although photography is really cool (trust us!), you really don’t have to be a photographer to enjoy this trip. Actually, the non-photographers would argue that they enjoy the trip even more, thanks to the fact they’re not looking at the world through the viewfinder and at the end of the trip they get a super-pro level folder of images we took during the trip for them. Another cool fact – about 50% of our guests didn’t even bring a camera.

Remember in the previous answer we’ve mentioned you can enjoy without a camera? Well, trust us, with a camera you’re going to create your dream images of a lifetime. Svalbard is a candy treat for the lens, with its spectacular landscapes and wildlife. Our award-winning team is there to help you create those top shots and in fact many of our favorite shots that got published worldwide were taken in these same expeditions.

There is two kinds of guidance you’re going to get: about Svalbard, the wildlife, history and geography, which is for everyone onboard. And about the photography part, if you’re interested we will guide you on how to get the top images, how to edit them and answer any questions you might have. And of course, throughout the expedition, our experienced team is at your disposal and we encourage you to ask questions and learn as much as you can from them, that’s what we’re here for!

Well, that’s a tricky question. Although we can never guarantee polar bears, or any other wild animal, since they are wild animals in their  own wilderness… (it isn’t a zoo). we can certainly say that so far we’ve had perfect 100% success in finding polar bears. We can also add, that every expedition we found multiple sighting of every animal we aim for and we will continue to do our very best to continue this trend for you and for our spotless reputation.

Well, there’s no secret recipe – just hard work at play. We only lead expeditions at the peak season, only with the best crew, we  use all the information and intelligence we can get and because we’re free of regulation we can go to those secret spots where we usually see them. It’s a combination of experience and a professional approach that we wish for you to see in action.

The high Arctic Ocean really isn’t that bad around Svalbard. The ice really flattens the waves and in the fjords and the straits it’s even more so. We shouldn’t expect substantial waves throughout the expedition, and we might face a bit of rocking on the western side of Spitsbergen island for no more than a few hours on the way out and in of Isfjorden and  Longyearbyen. We do have plenty of anti sea sickness pills onboard in case you are very sensitive to motion.

In Svalbard, any boat with over 13 people is subjected to huge limitations and regulations. The smaller vessel are free of those limitations and can spend more time with the wildlife, get closer and operate around the clock. Also, disembarking and embarking the bigger ships takes very long time, their schedule isn’t flexible because of the need to feed hundreds of people and the animals keep their distance from large groups of humans. These advantages gets us between 200% and 800% better encounters. 

We will go on land as often as we need/desire and depending on the activity and opportunities. It can be even twice a day. We won’t do long hikes, and concentrate on the areas of highest interest for our expedition without wasting time at the boring locations other vessels must visit to pass the time.

Polar bears are the world’s largest land predator, and they are dangerous to humans, that’s very true. Our team has the experience and knowledge of how to get close to animals, and the protection as required by local law: rifles, bear deterrent spray and flare gun. But the best way is not to be harm’s way in the first place and that what our team does best.