One Ocean Expeditions (OOE) specialist in small ship adventure cruises has released its summer 2016 voyages to Spitsbergen. The popular 2016 voyages are almost sold out and OOE recommends travellers to book soon in order to secure their preferred departure date and cabin category.
OOE is offering a cabin upgrade or complementary single supplement to the first 20 passengers confirmed in twin or superior categories on each of the two remaining Spitsbergen Encounter trips, which depart on 13 June and 14 July 2016. The 13 June departure will also feature a photographic symposium, with a team of professional and highly acclaimed photographers on board to share their technical expertise in wildlife and landscape photography.
The two nine-night voyages begin and end in Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen, the largest and only island in Norway’s Svalbard archipelago to be inhabited all year round. Once a whaling base, the islands are now a significant breeding ground for numerous sea birds, as well as home to many mammals and polar bear.
Travelling on board the renowned, ice-strengthened Akademik Sergey Vavilov, the expeditions will head north to the edge of the ice pack in order to maximise the chances of seeing polar bears on ice floes as they hunt for seals and other protein to sustain them through the Arctic summer.
En route passengers will be sure to see the distinctive white beluga whales with their prominent foreheads, which are said to number between five to 10,000 in the area. In fact, the opportunities for wildlife viewing and photography on this trip are prolific. They include reindeer near Bourbonhamna, bearded and ringed seals in Krossfjorden, more than 100,000 breeding Brunnich’s guillemots at Alkefjellet in the Hinlopen Strait, a large dovekie colony at Fuglesangen and walrus on Prince Charles Island. What’s more there will be almost 24 hours of daylight in which to look out for and enjoy the different species of birds and mammals during the voyage.
A comprehensive series of presentations by polar experts, together with guided shore excursions and expeditions by zodiac to explore the coastline, inlets and fjords will take place every day.
Optional sea kayaking trips are at an additional cost and must be booked prior the cruise.
Prices for this voyage start from US $4995pp triple share and from US $6495 based on twin share. This includes accommodation, all meals, use of wet weather gear, shore excursions, presentations and guided walks. Airport transfers are included, flights to Tromso or Oslo are not.
For more information on this and other polar cruises, please visit http://www.oneoceanexpeditions.com/arctic/itineraries.php.
SOURCE One Ocean Expeditions