RFI: Svalbard
Hi, Everyone!
My wife and I are thinking of taking a small-ship wildlife cruise to Svalbard next year. We are not, first and foremost, photographers but prefer above all to observe natural behaviour, taking pictures is secondary. My questions for the Community are:
- What, in your opinion, is the best time of year to see polar bears?
- What is the best time to see cetaceans?
- What is the best time all round – e.g. in terms of weather, visibility, accessibility etc. but still able to experience some snow and ice?
- Which tour companies, if any, would you recommend?
Thanks in anticipation of all your helpful suggestions!
Miles
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4 Comments
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Krista Hanni
June to early July is an excellent time to visit Svalbard. There are never guarantees with wildlife, of course, but it’s not unusual for our trips to see up to a dozen polar bears over the course of the expedition. Most of our sightings are along the island shorelines, this allows us to not only seek out wildlife, including polar bears, but also go for periodic hikes, something you can’t do when you park your ship up at the pack ice.
I also think the size of the ship makes a real difference, as you were asking about. A smaller expedition ship can be nimbler, allowing it to explore narrower fjords, spend more time where wildlife is active, and provide a more intimate experience whether onboard, on zodiac cruises, and during shore landings. It also means fewer people sharing each wildlife encounter.
We gauge whether it’s worth heading north to the pack ice given it can cut into the time exploring the islands when the ice edge has retreated farther north. The islands have a greater diversity of wildlife, and cruising up to the pack ice will limit some of that experience. Along with polar bears, we regularly see seals, walruses, Arctic foxes, reindeer, and spectacular seabird colonies. Belugas and other whale species, like humpback whales and minkes, are present, and sightings in June are not uncommon.
If you’re looking for a balance of wildlife, scenery, and accessibility, I think June is a wonderful time to visit. There’s still plenty of snow and ice in the landscape, the days are endless, and wildlife is very active.
Full disclosure: I’m one of the owners of Cheesemans’ Ecology Safaris, so I wanted to mention that connection since you asked about tour companies. We’ve run our Svalbard voyages for over 20 years with a small ship that has only 12 guests. Whether you travel with us or another operator, I’d recommend looking for a small-ship expedition that emphasizes time exploring the islands and fjords rather than simply trying to reach the far northern pack ice. In our experience, that approach provides the richest overall Svalbard experience.
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Ian
Subsequent to Krista’s comment I thought I should clarify a few points. Firstly we did not spend all our time at the pack ice and enjoyed some excellent walks on Svalbard. MS Stockholm is a small ship (12 passengers) and having many years ago travelled with Quark to Svalbard I agree that small ships are best (although our trip with Quark was excellent and we had great views of many mammals). As Krista mentions a small ship has much more flexibility and can react and change the programme according to any sightings or weather. You should also be aware the Svalbard limits for approaching polar bears (more than 500m up to July and then 300m) so a good set of binoculars are needed. Like all wildlife adventures making choices may or may not work out. Going to the pack ice was a gamble however it did pay off. This is where a small ship works best. A judgement can be made as to how close the ice pack is and what the weather conditions are as to whether it is worth a try. We were able to spot the polar bear way off and simply wait to see if it approached us. The trip I was on was not a dedicated “spot a polar bear “trip hence the variety of mammals seen. I do not have any vested interest in any travel company and am simply a very happy paying guest.
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Gary Dean
I agree with the above comments. This year we had a very successful small ship expedition in May on the MS Freya with The Motherbear.com run by Fredrik Granath and Melisa Schafer. They both have many years experience of Arctic exploration and understanding of the environment and its wildlife. Invaluable if you are going to find anything in this vast wonderful wilderness. There was no itinary . Fredrik and the Captain decided where we would explore based on their knowledge and prevailing conditions. We saw 13 polar bears, walrus, bearded seal, ringed seal, reindeer, arctic fox, minke whale plus breeding seabirds and migrant geese. We were early for the main whale watching season but primarily went for polar bears on the sea ice and snow covered scenery. I would recommend a few days in Longyearbyen where we had great encounters with rock ptarmigan, reindeer and arctic fox as well as experiencing husky mushing.
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Ian
I travelled with On Track Safaris (small company run by Will and Carol Fox) in June this year. We were on a small ship called Stockholme. It was a fantastic trip with good sightings of polar bear (7 ) arctic foxes, walrus and plenty more. We sailed up to the pack ice where we had a polar bear walk right past the ship. The trip was not about photography (although I did get some great photographs) but about the wildlife and scenery. The guides were very experienced however hadn’t lost their enthusiasm for the area.