SVALBAD in SUMMER - ARCTIC TUNDRA, WHALES & WILDLIFE

Join us as we board the Ocean Explorer with Quark Expeditions to navigate the waters in and  around Svalbad.

Fly to Helsinki for an overnight stay before the Quark Expeditions charter flight to Longyearbyen where you will board the Ocean Explorer.

All meals on board are included.

Discover the abundant wildlife  - baleen whales, polar bears, walrus, arctic fox, and seals are just some of the wildlife you can expect to see.

Svalbard is a true Arctic environment, where many iconic species spend their entire lives, entwined with the winter and spring sea ice. But with the arrival of summer—brief as it is—the archipelago bursts to life as countless migratory species settle in to take advantage of the season’s endless daylight and abundant food. 

Throughout the summer, sea ice fractures, melts and disperses. Many species that depend on it shift north and east where ice lingers, or remain ashore until it returns in late fall. While ice may be less frequent, the open water offers greater access to the archipelago’s northern and eastern reaches. If we do encounter ice, we’ll pause to explore it.
At this time of year, wildlife is more often spotted in the water, along shorelines, or gathered in bustling bird colonies clinging to the cliffs. 

Summer offers the chance to step ashore and walk on bare ground, though patches of snow can linger. We may hike into foothills, valleys, and Arctic beaches— land shared with polar bears. While sightings are farther inshore, their paw prints in sand or mud tell their story. Take time to look around and underfoot, where hardy vascular plants and wildflowers bloom. 

You might also spot driftwood—not from ancient Svalbard forests, but carried here by Arctic currents from Siberia, where tree trunks and branches are swept up in the Arctic currents, ultimately coming to rest here. 

Additionally, we may see reindeer, as they busily forage on the bountiful summer plant life. 

Although the weather in midsummer is often cool—even crisp—in midsummer, it’s possible to enjoy reasonably warm days in Svalbard. 

It’s a surreal experience—feeling the warmth of the summer sun knowing you’re less than 700 nautical miles from the North Pole. 

As summer warms and sea ice recedes, glaciers come alive—meltwater hastening erosion, tidewater glaciers calving ice with thunderous force. From a Zodiac amid icebergs and brash ice, listen for the crackle of melting ice, the lap of currents, and Arctic terns calling overhead. 

During summer, if conditions align, it might also be possible to visit some of Svalbard’s residents, be they trappers or researchers. There are a number of trappers’ cabins dotted across the archipelago, and the stories their occupants tell bring forth a life wrapped in resourcefulness, grit, humour, and hints of something approaching the magic of nature.