Springtime in Svalbard is magical, characterized by its white, fairytale-like landscape. Yoga teacher Isabel Holmquist experienced this charm when she joined our expedition ship M/S Quest as an inspirer for the second time. In this blog post, she describes two days of the expedition filled with breathtaking views and exciting animal encounters.
We woke up to beautiful weather and time for our first excursion! We went on a 3 hour Zodiac cruise and managed to see lots of walruses on the ice and in the water. Also a polar fox and lots of birds like king eiders and at the bird cliff kittiwakes and Brünnich's guillimonts.
We had a great lunch on board M/S Quest with soup to warm our cold bodies, then grilled chicken or cod with tomato topping. Ice cream or cheese for dessert.
After lunch, we had our first yoga session in the Panorama Lounge with about 15 participants. We ended the session with a foot massage to improve circulation and prevent cold feet.
Back and now more experience of what to wear for the next outing. Our afternoon landing was delayed by two polar bears we saw walking on the ice. A mother and a baby. The female was sitting at a blowhole waiting for a seal to come along. Talk about a jackpot day!
After the polar bear encounter, we went out with the Zodiacs to do a landing and get a bit closer to the Midterhuken Glacier.
We split into three different groups, moving at various speeds, but the ice was too weak to approach the glacier closely. As we were leaving, we had to break through ice that was drifting in and blocking our way out. Our guides had no problem clearing a path through the ice.
Back at the boat, we spotted two reindeer on land so lots of animals this day for sure.
At dinner, the boat started rocking and when we went to bed the waves were pretty high. But most of us slept well after a great first day.
The next morning, we started with a Zodiac trip to the Ossian Sars Nature Reserve. We landed on the ice and walked to a part of the glacier to practice ice walking. Afterward, we spotted a bearded seal and its pup. We also observed numerous birds and some glacier snow that shimmered with the color of opal.
Then we went back to the ship for some lunch and yoga.
After yoga, we split into three groups and walked at three different speeds. In New London, we climbed to the top of the mountain. Along the way, we spotted some Svalbard reindeer, which are much smaller and cuter than the mainland reindeer. We also observed tracks from a polar fox. Reaching the summit provided us with a spectacular 360-degree view, though the hike up was quite challenging.
During the recap, Sven shared the story of the bank robbery in 2018, which was well-received by everyone. It was also Ali's birthday today—the other guide—so the restaurant staff celebrated by playing the guitar and singing for her!
Text: Isabel Holmquist
Please note: Depending on the lens used for a photo or video shot an animal may appear to be closer than it is. We always follow strict wildlife guidelines to ensure that we do not cause any disturbance.