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Svalbard with Hurtigruten Expeditions and Oslo on our own - part 3

Posted by (Isle of Skye, Scotland) on

part 3....

All in all we were kept very busy, with landings, lectures, eating, drinking and socialising with our fellow passengers. They were a mix of nationalities, Brits and Americans in the majority, with about 20 French/Belgians, 10 or so Germans and a group of about 15 from South Korea. Announcements on board were made in English and German, with the French and Koreans having their own translators. The age demographic was largely from about 45 to 70. There was a mix of singles and couples. HX went to the effort of having restaurant tables set aside for single travellers to meet others and likewise in the bar.

Our expedition was focussed on the fjords of the west coast of the Svalbard archipelago. This meant we got to visit the research settlement of Ny Alesund, which is said to be the most northerly settlement in the world. A really interesting place with a museum covering the history of the place from mining and whaling to the current research stations. There was a really cool shop where we bought a couple more Christmas ornaments.

Then finally we headed far north as it was possible to go - to the edge of the polar ice. Zodiacs took us right to the edge of the ice, which at this time of year is not a flat sheet of ice, but lots of fragments, which pile into each other, making crazy shapes and which sway up and down with the swell of the water. Hard to fathom how anyone could walk or ski to the north pole!

Finally, I should mention the wildlife. New regulations to protect polar bears mean we had to remain a minimum of 500m from any polar bears that we might see and we were cautioned that to see one would be a bonus not an expectation. In the event we saw two, which was fantastic even from a distance. We also visited two colonies of walrus and were able to get pretty close to them on foot (without disturbing them and remaining silent). We also saw whales, seals, arctic reindeer, and countless seabirds (not my strong point, but I know there were lots of little auks).

We were on board for 8 nights and it absolutely flew by. We ended up back in Longyearbyen and had another SAS flight back to Oslo.

Overall it was the experience of a lifetime and I feel privileged to have been able to make the trip.

If anyone wants to know more about Svalbard (which is also possible to get to without taking an all inclusive package like we did) then just write a comment and I'll do my best!

Skyegirl (Jacqui)

Posted by
5513 posts

This sounds really wonderful. Makes me wonder what it’s like in other months. Thanks for writing this up - it makes me dream….

Posted by
1492 posts

Ah well, they have perpetual daylight (midnight sun) from mid April to Mid August, then it gets darker until the sun doesn't rise from mid October to mid February (polar night). It was sunny but cold while we were there with average daily temperature of minus 2 celsius or about 28 fahrenheit. Wind makes a heck of a difference to how that feels! The cabins have very good black out blinds so it's possible to sleep.

Posted by
1040 posts

Thanks for sharing. It sounds like an interesting adventure. I'd love to take this trip, but haven't managed to convince the other half. We did Hurtigruten's coastal cruise along Norway's west coast 2 years ago and really enjoyed it.

Regarding your ship, do you think it would have felt crowded at full capacity?

Posted by
1492 posts

I don’t think the ship would have felt crowded, but suspect we might have had two dinner sittings, and a longer wait to get into a zodiac. I was told that the next two sailings had even fewer people than ours.

Posted by
3378 posts

Your trip sounds wonderful! Svalbard is on our list:). I would love any information on it that you have. We would not be cruising. Thanks!

Posted by
2714 posts

Thanks for your report.

Have you seen the new Simon Reeve series on the BBC about Scandinavia - he visits Svalbard (and Oslo). The warming climate means these Arctic lands are becoming more accessible to visitors and have geopolitical strategic implications. Not on my bucket list, but interesting nonetheless.

Posted by
1 posts

We are considering the HX 9-day and the 11-day Svalbard in Summer cruises. The main difference seems to be more time in Longyearbyen. While itinerary did you do, and did you feel that it was the right amount of time in Longyearbyen?
Glamorgan30 (Bruce)

Posted by
1492 posts

Hi Bruce, We did the Return of the Sun, 9 day version with 1 night in Longyearbyen. We gave quite a bit of feedback to the HX representative who happened to be on the trip. Apparently he was the Director of pre and post excursions for the company and was checking out the Longyearbyen offerings. We arrived in Longyearbyen just in time for dinner, so no time to explore that evening. Dinner was included and took a long time to be served, so there was lots of hanging around. The next morning we had a couple of hours to explore the town on foot, which enabled us to visit the (many) outdoor and tourist shops as well as the excellent supermarket (I love checking out supermarkets in other countries). Then we had lunch back at the Radisson hotel before being taken by bus, first to see some huskies and then to the museum before being taken to the ship. I had not realised we were going to see dogs, and I would have bypassed that in favour of more free time to spend at the (excellent) museum. I felt HX were not clear about what the pre trip excursion included. There is nothing you can see for yourself in the vicinity of Longyearbyen as you need a polar bear guard if you leave the city limits. If you had more time there you would either be tied to HX organised trips or you could organise something yourself as there are various tour and travel companies in the town. But to be honest you are going to see the best of Svalbard on the boat, so I'd say the 9 day would still be my preferred option (but without the dogs and more time in the museum). Hope that helps.
Jacqui

PS: as members of RSPB (The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds - a UK Charity) we got an additional 5% off the price of the trip - already discounted as HX Ambassador Members. But we had to phone them to get that price. We've also been to Antartica with them and are booked for East Greenland from Iceland next September.

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