This is an intrepid voyageto little-visited island outposts in the North Atlantic Ocean. From Scotland, you sail to the volcanic island of Jan Mayen; a wild and isolated land of snow-covered peaks and pristine glaciers. In the company of little auks and guillemots, journey deeper into the Arctic Circle to the remote north-west of Spitsbergen, where the mighty polar bear awaits you.
M/V Ortelius is a former Russian scientific vessel, built in Poland. Named after the cartographer who published the first modern world atlas, Ortelius is a good expedition vessel for exploring the more remote polar regions because of its high ice-class rating (meaning it can navigate difficult conditions). It also has a large amount of deck space from which passengers can observe the passing wilderness and a good number of on-board experts and Zodiacs to maximise wildlife-viewing.
Itinerary
[+] Detailed Itinerary
Day 1:
Arrive in Aberdeen
More passengers will board the ship in Aberdeen.
The Scottish waters offer excellent possibilities to spot Minke Whales, White-beaked Dolphins and Harbour Porpoises. Several other cetaceans, including Orcas (Killer Whales), are also native to these waters.
Overnight Cruise Boat (H++)
Included meals: Dinner
Day 2:
Fair Isle
At Fair Isle, in the Shetlands, we are welcomed by the 70 or so inhabitants (famed for their knitwear, examples of which we will see) to be followed by a walk to the bird observatory. Later, on Mousa, one of the smaller Shetland Islands, we visit one of the best preserved brochs in Scotland. Brochs are circular stone towers probably built by the Picts. During a night excursion we will watch thousands of Storm Petrels return to their burrows or crevices.
By day we view Grey Seals, Black Guillemots, Red-throated Divers, Arctic Skuas and a wonderful Spring Flora.
Overnight Cruise Boat (H++)
Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 3 to 4:
Jan Mayen, Sealife sightings
We sail north to the Norwegian island of Jan Mayen, situated 300 nautical miles north-east of Iceland. During our two days at sea there will be plenty of time to watch for the blow of a Minke, Fin or Blue Whale, which could herald a rewarding encounter with these gentle giants. Perhaps we might run into a pod of Orcas, who can often be quite curious about boats such as ours.
Overnight Cruise Boat (H++)
Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 5:
Jan Mayen: its volcanoes and whaling past
Jan Mayen is a volcanic island of breathtaking beauty and mystique, dominated by Mt Beerenberg. From the slopes of the 2300m volcano, impressive glaciers spill into the sea. Until recently, the island was off-limits as it is a military base, and was rarely visited by tourists, but with permission from the Norwegian authorities we hope to visit the weather station. We will also walk across the island to Kvalrossbukta to look at the remains of a 17th century Dutch whaling station and a substantial colony of Fulmars. We also plan to sail by Koksletta where thousands of Little Auks and Brünnich's Guillemots breed close to a glacier, watched over by Glaucous Gulls.
Overnight Cruise Boat (H++)
Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 6 to 7:
Sea life at night
In the midnight sun we sail north along the edge of the sea-ice, looking out for different species of whales, dolphins, seals and a variety of seabirds, until the sea-ice stops us, then we will sail to North Spitsbergen.
Overnight Cruise Boat (H++)
Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 8:
Fjords and polar bears
Depending on the position of the sea-ice, we sail into Raudfjord or one of the other fjords in Northwest Spitsbergen, where we have chances of seeing Polar Bears at the heads of the fjords, where seals are sunbathing on the fjord-ice. At Fuglesangen we have an opportunity to see thousands of Little Auks on their breeding grounds.
Overnight Cruise Boat (H++)
Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 9:
Seabird colonies in Spitsbergen
Fuglehuken the northern tip of Prince Karls Forland is probably the place where Willem Barentsz made the first landing in Spitsbergen. It is an area with beautiful seabird-colonies and many remains of the Polar Bear hunting period of a century ago. Later we will look for Walruses at Sarstangen, Engelskmansbukta or Poole-Pynten. In the evening we could land at Alkhornet another seabird colony where at the slopes we can find Reindeer and Arctic Foxes.
Overnight Cruise Boat (H++)
Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 10:
Spitsbergen
We disembark in Longyearbyen, the administrative centre of Spitsbergen, for flights south to Oslo and onward home.
Included meals: Breakfast
