PolarQuest's guides are blogging on board the ship M/S Quest. Below you will find an extract from the trip from 17-25 May 2016. Time to head out into the wilderness Svalbard Museum is a really good place to prepare for heading out into the Arctic wilderness. Now we were ready to board the M/S Quest! There in the harbour she was waiting and we made ourselves at home in our cosy cabins.
19 May - Magadalenefjorden, Virgohamna/Smeerenburg
The expedition cruise had started! During breakfast we enjoyed the magnificent Magdalenefjorden. Full of expectations we launched the Zodiacs for our first landing in Svalbard.
Walking towards the Gallybukta one of our guides, Nikita, spotted a group of walruses and we had a great encounter with Svalbard most charming mammals. We continued our walk, listening to the sound of breeding little auks on the cliffs above us. Snow buntings searching for a mate impressed us with their song and flight display.
After a delicious lunch a landing at Smeerenburg and Virgohamna was on the schedule. Both Smeerenburg and Virgohamna are historical sites from the early whaling era during the 17th century. Smeerenburg is especially important for the Dutch as this was the whaling capital of the Arctic in the beginning of the 17th century, while Virgohamna is a well known place for most Swedes thanks to the ill fated Andrée expedition that started off from here. While learning the history of this spectacular place an Arctic fox came for a short visit. Curiously the fox peaked over the hill before continued its stroll.
In the evening we approached Raudfjorden, searching for fast ice and hoping for more wildlife. When entering Raudfjorden, Hamiltonbukta impressed us with major breeding colonies of both Brünnich´s guillemots and kittiwakes high up on the vertical cliffs. When continuing into the fjord, Elke, our expedition leader, announced that the bridge had spotted a polar bear! We rushed after our camera gear, warmest jackets and gathered at the deck. The sight of the female polar bear and her young cub made us speechless. What a day!
20 May - Seven Islands and polar bears in the pack ice
In the morning we arrived to the small archipelago of Sjuøyane (the Seven Islands),, where we planned a landing at Phippsøya. At Phippsøya we split into different groups based on interests. One group had the opportunity to try snowshoes, which turned out to save them a lot of energy when moving in the deep snow! All of us truly enjoyed the Arctic landscape where tracks of Arctic foxes were crossing our path. Sweat and struggle was rewarded with beautiful views of the island stretching to the Arctic Ocean. Here we were only 1000 km from the North Pole!
After a delicious lunch we gathered in the panorama lounge to watch a movie about polar bears,filmed by our guide, Nikiita. Nikita is a well-known polar bear scientist who has studied the behavior and ecology of the polar bears for 25 years. To have him on board is a privilege! Not even had the movie ended before Elke was happy to announce that in the surrounding pack ice a female polar bear had been spotted walking along the shore with her two cubs! Shortly after another bear was spotted. Four polar bears in one day! Satisfied and pleased, the course was set towards Storøya. But the show was not over yet and we soon had to stop. A curious good looking polar bear male approached the ship. In silence we observed how he smelled and investigated us. With a smile on our faces we summerized the day and continued the 60 miles journey to Storøya.
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.
