Spitsberg & the Svalbard Archipelago

ABOUT SPITSBERGEN & SVALBARD YACHT CHARTERS

Svalbard is the postcard-perfect true Arctic North. In the summer the midnight sun carries an ethereal magic. The land experiences a warm renewal and the ice-studded fjords sound with the deafening roar of glacial ice slamming into the sea. Nature capatilises on this brief but intense summer - the wildflowers blossom and the wildlife, including polar bears, seals, walruses and whales are active. Svalbard is also home to arctic foxes, reindeer and a large number of seabirds. There's a good chance you will see all of these while onboard your luxury charter yacht. Here polar bears easily outnumber locals. 

Spitsbergen is the largest and only inhabited island of the archipelago and an itinerary here is likely to start and finish in the main settlement of Longyearbyen. From there the photo opportunities will be endless. Hornsund, described as the most beautiful of the Spitsbergen fjords is 25km deep and features towering mountain peaks over glacial plains.

Cruising into Raudfjorden the translucent blue-tinged icebergs glimmer against the backdrop of the varied coloured cliffs. The shoreline here supports flourishing seabird colonies and an unexpectedly rich vegetation, which thrive in protected spots. Depending on ice conditions you may get the chance to navigate through Hinlopen Straits veiled with drifting ice floes.

Danskøys is home to the Seven Icebergs, which are in fact seven stunning glaciers while within Liefdefjorden lies the massive and majestic Monaco Glacier - an immense wall of ice that you can hear groaning and cracking as it gently slides into the sea.

Svalbard remains a relatively pristine group of islands of extraordinary splendour that are seldom visited...an Arctic fairy-tale land.