Let Wildlife Trails take you on an expedition style Arctic Cruise around Svalbard with the chance to see Polar Bears, Walrus, Seals, Whales and a wide variety of specialist birds. Our tours are aimed at the genuine wildlife enthusiast who is keen to maximise their encounters with Arctic species and will enjoy the expertise and company of guides who have a genuine love for this remarkable part of the world. Let Wildlife Trails organise a trip of a lifetime based on our first hand knowledge of travel to this region. Compared to other countries with Arctic land territory, Svalbard has protected its resident wildlife based on well thought out conservation principles, so an Arctic Cruise here (rather than Greenland or the Canadian Arctic) gives you a genuine chance of multiple Polar Bear encounters, as well as viewing unique animals such as Walrus, Minke Whales, Harp Seals and Ivory Gulls.

We at Wildlife Trails already had years of experience in the Arctic prior to taking an expedition cruise around Svalbard in June 2008. We have organised tours to Baffin Island and Igloolik in Nunavut, Canada since 2003 and landbased snowmobiling trips from Longyearbyen in Svalbard. Since all our trips have been tailor-made we were understandably nervous about large group tours on boats. However after thorough research we found a company with ice strengthened expedition vessels that carried between 40 and 80 passengers. This allows clients to take an Arctic cruise in relative comfort, but be on a tour with like minded people looking to fit in as many wildlife activities as possible.

Tours around Spitsbergen start in Longyearbyen which can be reached by relatively inexpensive flights from London Stanstead or Manchester. Most of our clients stay one night in this frontier town before departing on the boat the following evening. This gives you a chance to explore this very walkable capital, visit the small but fascinating museum and acclimatise to the cooler temperatures.

By the day of departure you will have already seen some typical Arctic bird life including Purple Sandpipers and Arctic Terns, but the excitment builds as you board the vessel, locate your cabin and attend the compulsory safety briefing. Once everyone has been accounted for and given instructions about the boat, you can relax and enjoy the first of many good meals aboard the boat; your Arctic cruise has begun.

You will soon settle in to an action packed schedule of 2/3 Zodiac (small boat) excursions per day. These will be a mixture of boat based wildlife viewing and escorted walks on land to take a closer look at bird colonies, resident wildlife such as Reindeer and Arctic Fox and some of the very interesting historical remains from Svalbard's past; mainly focused on whaling and mining. The Zodiacs take a maximum of 12 people and are a wonderful way of approaching shy animals such as Bearded Seal without startling them.

The guides spend a lot of time on deck and are always around to answer your questions, whether it be identification of birds or help with your digital camera. It is no surprise that such a trip attracts like minded individuals and it is a pleasure to spend time with them discussing the voyage and others trips they have taken in the past; I learnt a lot about the Antarctic on my particular expedition.

This is not a trip that requires high levels of fitness; flexibility is more important factor for the getting in and out of the Zodiacs. However several older clients on our tour were happy to pick and choose their small boat excursions and still were very happy with what they saw. In addition, the shore excursions were divided into 2 or 3 groups depending on fitness levels, each with their own set of guides.

We believe strongly in responsible eco-tourism with an emphasis on respect for wildlife, the environment, indigenous cultures, and the wilderness communities we visit. Our aim is to create a company that not only provides unforgettable wildlife tours, but also directly contributes to the effective conservation of wildlife and natural habitat, and rewards responsible ecotourism initiatives in small, often remote communities with much needed income. Recently we made a donation to Polar Bear International to support their conservation work throughout the Arctic region.

So please pick up the phone or drop us an email and let us pick the best Arctic Cruise for you.