SVALBARD
Between northernmost Norway and the North Pole lies Svalbard, often also called Spitsbergen, an arctic wilderness that fascinates, with sea ice, glaciers, mountains and polar tundra. Despite its isolated location in the Arctic Ocean, 657 km north of Nordkap in Norway and over 1,000 km from the nearest airport in Norway, Svalbard is the most accessible high arctic area in the world, thanks to the infrastructure that Norway has built around, above all, Longyearbyen. The archipelago has both fantastic glaciers that glisten in the sunlight, midnight sun from mid-April to late August and exciting Arctic wildlife. Polar bears are perhaps best known for Svalbard, but here there are also walruses, seals, reindeer, arctic foxes and several species of whales and dolphins. In autumn, most of the snow on land and the land-based ice have melted away, so that the boat can often proceed without major problems with ice conditions. In this way, we can often reach further up towards the pack ice than during trips in early spring and summer. In addition, this is usually a very good time of year to see polar bears and walruses.

Svalbard is also home to the small-grown and hardy Svalbard reindeer, a subspecies of its own, adapted to the extreme winter climate. In the summer, the arctic fox hunts where there are birds, and in autumn and winter it follows the polar bears. Along the northern shores, walruses forage for clams, and baleen and toothed whales hunt in the rich sea areas along the continental shelf, where ocean currents swell.

In Svalbard, polar bears and walruses are often curious and can get very close. At the same time: with nature and wild animals you never know. You have to be aware of that.

This time we have extended the tour to 10 days to be able to travel a little bit further. Our ship, m/s Origo is a real veteran in Svalbard, with a high coziness factor and 12 passengers.

Arctic veteran Erland Haarberg acts as expedition leader and Floris Smeets will be your photographic leader.

THE SHIP M/S ORIGO
For this tour, we charter the entire ship M/S Origo with 24 berths, but we limit the number of participants to 12. Origo was built in 1955 at Finnboda shipyard in Sweden, on behalf of the Swedish Maritime Administration, as an ice-reinforced pilot ship and lighthouse keeper. The ship has two zodiacs, each with room for 12 people. Although this is strictly a photography trip, of course non-dedicated photographers can come along and have an absolutely amazing arctic experience. The fact that it is a photo trip means that we spend the time we need to get a chance for good photos. Often this means a little more time with the motifs. We postpone meals if necessary; that is, if we have good subjects and good light, it takes precedence. Polar bears and walruses naturally have the highest priority.

The travel route is never completely decided in advance. Our tentative plan is to head northeast. Since we rent the whole ship, we have the freedom to plan the expedition as we want, based on weather, wind, current ice conditions and reports of polar bears in particular. Nature and wildlife are at the center of this trip. The crew, the captain and our guides on the tour have extensive experience in both the Arctic and photography under the special conditions that prevail. The crew is Swedish and English speaking and the participants can be from several countries. The ship is perfect for photography. The chef on board usually offers exciting and very good food. No one has to go hungry.

Lectures will be given by the tour guides. We will look at the participants’ photos and come up with positive photo criticism. And we, as leaders, will of course assist the participants with the necessary help and camera technical and photographic advice.

Main deck

1 superior double cabin (2 lower beds) up on deck with private WC / shower. (FULLY BOOKED!)

5 cabins (with upper and lower bunkbeds) with private WC / shower. (FULLY BOOKED!)

1 cabin (with upper and lower bunkbeds) with private WC and shared shower. (FULLY BOOKED!)

2 cabins (with upper and lower bunkbeds) with shared shower / WC. (FULLY BOOKED!)