Svalbard: The Journey

Throughout our journey, we will meet and engage with our contacts on the ground, such as Polar Bears International and the Hearts in the Ice Initiative, to gain insight into and understand the grassroots issues that this polar archipelago faces in the modern world.

Our Arctic trip begins in Longyearbyen, a small Norwegian town, and we will embark on a snowmobile journey to KappLine and Isfjord Radio. We will spend the day snowmobiling through the wide white terrain, stopping frequently to enjoy the breathtaking scenery and see Arctic species in the remote Svalbard wilderness. There’s an opportunity to head toward Fritjovsbreen and Van Mijenfjorden glaciers, driving through wide valleys, past vast mountain ranges, over glaciers, taking in the remote wilderness and experience true Arctic silence once everyone’s turned off their snowmobiles.

After heading back to Longyearbyen, where we will board our ship, Kinfish, late afternoon and head out into the fjords. We’ll spend the next three days exploring the Svalbard Archipelago, seeking out encounters with Arctic wildlife and experiencing the pristine icy wonderland with snow covering most of the land, and ice as far as the eye can see.

We’ll visit iceberg-filled fjords framed by breathtaking mountains; sail past gigantic glaciers crashing into the icy seas and witness the beautiful sunsets that streak across the skies, lighting up the ice with glowing pinks and purples. We’ll also seek out colonies of walrus lounging on ice floes, watch for a glimpse of the white Arctic foxes as they hunt along the shores, take to the zodiacs to explore the ice and we may even sight a Polar bear as they emerge from their dens as Svalbard begins to come to life after a long winter.

WILDLIFE & WILDERNESS / APRIL 3 rd - 11 th 2024

CLIMATE, SOCIAL SCIENCE & POLAR BEAR CONSERVATION

Funds and focus will be on supporting the costs of polar bear den monitoring and driving action and promoting engagement in the climate change conversation.

ALISTAIR TAYLOR-YOUNG

He is a British photographer and director whose career spans over 25 years. He has been fortunate to work with loyal clients from the Fashion and Perfume world to travel and everything in between. He is as happy to be in the middle of a desert, as he is in a studio creating his own world from nothing. In the underground garage of Vogue House in London, a solo show of his work was curated of his travels to celebrate Conde Nast's 20th Anniversary Party.

BEN HARDMAN

Benjamin Hardman is an Australian nature photographer, based in Iceland. Benjamin’s fineart works encapsulate the North’s most obscure landscapes – the barren, cold and volatile environments that are inhabited by glaciers, volcanic mountains and resilient wildlife. With a passion for teaching his minimalistic photography techniques and post-processing methods, Benjamin has been leading photographic workshops in Iceland and across the Arctic for over five years workshops in Iceland and across the Arctic for over five years.

CHRIS MICHEL

Chris is an accomplished photographer, who has documented humans working in extreme locations like the North & South Poles, Everest, Papua New Guinea, DR Congo and the edge of space (aboard a U-2 Spy Plane). He’s also had the opportunity to photograph many global leaders, including as the photographer for the 14th Dalai Lama. As the Artist-in-Residence at the National Academies, he’s photographed some of the nation’s most accomplished scientists, from Astronauts to Nobel laureates.

GRAEME PURDY

Wildlife photographer Graeme Purdy has honed his art by photographing some of the most iconic and beautiful animals from around the world over the last two decades. From the arctic to Siberian forests, from Africa's jungles to it's open savannah as well as the depths of world's oceans Graeme has amassed a wealth of photographic knowledge to help you advance your own photography skills and develop your portfolio.

KARIM ILIYA

Karim Iliya is a photographer, filmmaker, future space explorer, and whale swimming guide based in Iceland and Hawaii. He was recently selected as part of the dearMoon mission aboard the Starship rocket. Karim and the rest of the dear Moon crew will undertake the first civilian flight around the moon.

WILL BOLSOVER

At the front of NWS, our Founder & CEO Will Bolsover frequently heads out on recce trips. Some destinations he knows well from years of experience but regularly revisits to connect with specialists in the region; scientists, naturalists, and some of the best adventure guides in the world. In other destinations these trips pioneer the way, exploring to the very end of the road to untangle the complexity of travel in new, and often seldom visited regions.