Svalbard Polar Bear Explorer

The wildlife and the teamwork between the crew and guides were exceptional, the crew aboard M/V Kinfish were particularly helpful, jolly and friendly.

All my questions leading up to the trip were answered quickly with all of the information I needed. Everyone kept me up to date as the departure date approached. The trip leaders were excellent and very helpful. The food was wonderful and everyone went far beyond normal to make the entire trip so great.

Gemma and the rest of the office staff were very responsive and helpful. The application you sent us to download on our phones was great as well. The trip was terrific and exceeded all expectations. Our guides were fantastic, as were the Kinfish staff. I know we got lucky, but we saw 28 polar bears and all sorts of other wildlife. The Arctic environment was astounding. I want to especially call out Ben and Pernille, our Expedition Leaders, who were just great.

Excellent communication and very prompt responses. An amazing experience that exceeded my expectations above and beyond – would recommend to anyone I know who is planning in future!

The crew was incredible and guides were amazing. I enjoyed the expedition and overall was very pleased and happy. I like the approach NWS takes towards interacting with the wildlife and making sure we leave no footprint, as well as ensuring we do not stress the animals. Very respectful approach.

Excellent and prompt communication which made the whole process easy and informative. I couldn't have asked for a better experience. On top of the great service at NWS, the team aboard the mighty Kinfish worked extremely hard to ensure we had an amazing time and saw as much wildlife and scenery as possible. I would go as far as to say this was the best trip I've ever been on! If travelling with you in the future, I have confidence that NWS will be able to provide the best possible safari experience.

Great service and I love that the company really cares about the places where they conduct their tours. This is something that is really hard to find today!

I loved being on the Kinfish and hope to visit another destination on this ship. Our guides were very well acquainted with Svalbard and were very successful finding wildlife. This was my first ship excursion and I know I will always travel with a small group. Nathan at NWS was incredible to work with and quickly answered all my questions. Your attention to detail was incredible and the quality of the experience was remarkable.

I loved the M/V Kinfish, her crew, and our fantastic guides Alex and Lauren. Steve Winter was really helpful when you asked him and held photo critique sessions – it was great to see what others had done and to get feedback on my efforts. I love the camaraderie of a small ship; I love the big, empty, wild places, being able to access the small bays and jumping into zodiacs to get a closer look.

Nathan at NWS was very attentive to our needs, a good communicator who kept us informed of developments as they occurred. This was a magical trip with an excellent crew and lovely fellow travel companions. We liked the intimate experience of travelling on a small ship and the expert guides who got us good wildlife sightings.

The whole trip was very good with excellent guides. Steve, the photographer, was also very good and supported us in improving our photography. The crew on board were also excellent, especially the captain, first officer and stewardess, but all were brilliant. The overall experience with the quality of wildlife and scenery, and the brilliance of our leaders, made it a very good trip. We have now had two very good trips with you, with good destinations, very good routes around the area, and excellent people leading us. You clearly know how to put the right people together, and this has led to two brilliant experiences.

I thought everything was well organised. The expedition team of Nate, Mats and Johan were terrific and extremely knowledgeable. The crew of the M/S Freya were also great – very friendly and excellent spotters. David Yarrow was fantastic. We had wonderful wildlife interactions, particularly the first day with the three bears; a particular zodiac trip where we were able to get amazing photographs of a lone bear; and the penultimate day when we watched a mother and cub in incredible light.

It was well planned, professionally guided, the food was great, and I just had a great time!

The food was perfect, and the captain and crew made for an amazing cruise. The guides were very nice, interesting and fun: the perfect travel setup. It was a great to pleasure to meet all of them. Everyone did their best to make the perfect safari for us.

The service was excellent and highly organised. I had a fabulous time. The guides, crew and the other guests were all superb.

The guides (Nate, Mats and Johan) were incredible. The crew were absolutely fabulous. The group gelled really well and it was like a big family – crew and guides included. I feel blessed to have the group (again crew and guides included) we did and the wildlife encounters we did. I had a wonderful time – even better than anticipated.

Gemma was incredibly responsive and I could not have felt better taken care of. No matter how many questions I asked, I always got a quick and helpful response. This trip genuinely exceeded any expectations and hope that I had for it. I could not be happier with my experience. I would like to add that the guides, the crew on board and Steve Winter were absolutely fantastic!

We felt very well looked after. We liked the enthusiasm and expertise from NWS, and how individual the experience felt. Everything went very smoothly. All of the crew and guides worked hard to make this trip as memorable as possible. Thanks very much!

Words do no justice - a life-changing experience and trip. Our hearts and minds are still way up North in the High Arctic, where they shall remain until we return some day henceforth. Words do no justice to this experience...

The trip was well organised with the best team leaders in Annette and Ronnie that i could wish for. The boat was comfortable and well equipped with a friendly crew who couldn't do anymore for us. The food was fabulous and plentiful with a super atmosphere. David Yarrow was a brilliant bonus for me - I learnt a ton.

I would like to thank you for the most fabulous trip to Svalbard. The entire experience was absolutely amazing... far beyond my expectation. Everything was phenomenal. Mats and Nate, Chase, the M/S Malmö crew, and the entire group were beyond words. Simply fantastic. I can't thank you enough for arranging this trip.

What an extraordinary, once-in-a-lifetime experience. We felt like true explorers with this unique environment all to ourselves. The wildlife and nature sightings were breathtaking, while the guides and Kinfish team were professional and educative. Lorna and Alice were incredibly helpful with regards to packing recommendations, and all other details. The service on board was also outstanding, as was the dining. I particularly enjoyed the lectures from Ben and Pernille!

Very well organised from the booking process onwards. Excellent staff - efficient, courteous, friendly, helpful, knowledgeable, hard-working (this includes Natural World Safaris staff and the crew of the M/S Freya).

Fantastic sightings; great guides; lovely crew; characterful ship! Fulfilled more than I'd hoped. Thank you!

Excellent - great destination, smooth and stress-free, top guides and David Yarrow was fantastic.

Incredible – lived up to all expectations and more. The guides were fabulous, the crew also first-rate and the experience created for us was beyond all doubt spectacular.

Fantastic trip on the M/S Malmo. Great guides in Hadleigh Measham and Mats Forsberg, not to mention the ship's crew, with a special shout out to Paul the Chef!!! Also great to have Alice from NWS on board – she's written a great blog already. The team really worked hard to give us all a wonderful Arctic experience. Just awesome – way beyond my expectations and because we were only a small expedition it was very personal and we went places I imagine a bigger ship/group would not have been able to go.

The trip was amazing! It was incredible to be the only boat out in the waters. We were able to make changes based on the weather and the wildlife, which made the trip that much better. We were very lucky that Shannon sighted a polar bear swimming in the water. It was amazing being able to watch him come to shore on the zodiacs and wander around the ice and the glaciers. We were so lucky!

It was one of the best trips we’ve had in our life. Everything was great: the nature, the animals we saw, the crew, the guides, the chef and all the guests on board. We also liked the fact that we were a small group, giving us the feeling of an expedition (with a reasonable degree of comfort).

It was an amazing experience, great group and excellent crew made it unforgettable all-round.

It was a great trip. Svalbard is such a beautiful place - being able to travel among the icebergs and see polar bears walking around is really something special for me.

Our expedition ship, the M/S Freya, was perfect with regards to the newly refurbished cabins, viewing decks and bridge. The guides were amazing and very professional – their knowledge was excellent. Enjoyed their wealth of knowledge and would even launch the zodiacs at midnight. Excellent lectures.