Small-Ship Expedition Cruise

Svalbard: North to the Midnight Sun

Cascadia Bow Jonny Bierman

Trip Summary

Sail through one of the planet’s most stirring regions on a journey linking the coasts of Baffin Island and Greenland. Under the unsetting light of Arctic summer, this voyage traces the edges of Inuit Nunangat, travelling alongside Inuit who share their homeland through art, language, and lived experience. Every moment invites connection: a conversation on deck beneath the glow of midnight sun, a walk across tundra alive with colour, the quiet of a Zodiac among drifting ice. You may even find your sleep schedule politely protesting the endless daylight—a small price for witnessing the world bathed in perpetual gold.

From the rolling tundra of Baffin’s southeast to the immense fjords of West Greenland, the landscapes reveal both grandeur and intimacy. Polar bears and belugas, glaciers and wildflowers, all coexist in a delicate balance of endurance and renewal. In communities such as Panniqtuuq and Ilulissat, creativity and culture are inseparable from place—woven through every tapestry, carving, and song.

This is a voyage of relationships: between people and place, light and ice, sea and sky. It is an opportunity to witness how ancient knowledge and modern life meet in the North, and how travel—done with respect and curiosity—can deepen our understanding of both. The experience endures long after the journey ends, carried in memory like the lingering glow of the midnight sun. 

Map

2027 Svalbard - North to the Midnight Sun Map

Highlights

Highlight 1 At the edge of the High Arctic

© Andrew Stewart

At the edge of the High Arctic

Svalbard sits where sea ice, ocean, and sky meet in constant motion. Travel through an archipelago shaped by glaciers and drifting pack ice, where weather and wildlife guide each day’s experience. This is the High Arctic in its rawest form—dynamic, demanding, and deeply alive. 

Highlight 2 Wildlife shaped by ice and season

© Andrew Stewart

Wildlife shaped by ice and season

Spring brings renewal to Svalbard’s coasts and ice edges as light returns and life re-emerges. Look for walrus resting along the ice, seabird cliffs stirring back to life, reindeer moving across the tundra, and Arctic foxes tracking the shoreline. With patience and care, we may see polar bears travelling and hunting across the pack ice during this critical time of year. 

Highlight 3 Into the Arctic pack ice

© Liz Carlson

Into the Arctic pack ice

North of Svalbard, the frozen ocean becomes a shifting world of leads and floes stretching toward the North Pole. Navigate deep into the pack ice aboard the ice-class Ocean Albatros, observing a complex ecosystem that supports seals, seabirds, whales, and the Arctic’s apex predator. 

Highlight 4 Traces of Arctic history

© Courtesy of Polar Latitudes

Traces of Arctic history

Explore places where human ambition once pressed hard against Arctic limits. At historic whaling sites such as Smeerenburg, blubber ovens and graves remain as quiet reminders of early European industry and exploration—stories now set within a protected landscape reclaimed by nature. 

Highlight 5 Science at the top of the world

© Courtesy of Polar Latitudes

Science at the top of the world

Visit Ny-Ålesund, the world’s northernmost settlement and an international centre for Arctic research. Learn how scientists study climate, atmosphere, and ecosystems here, connecting Svalbard’s glaciers and fjords to global environmental systems. 

Highlight 6 a journey shaped by conditions

© Courtesy of Polar Latitudes

A journey shaped by conditions

Every landing and route is guided by sea ice, weather, and wildlife behaviour. Flexibility is essential—and rewarding—allowing the expedition to respond thoughtfully to Arctic conditions as they unfold. This adaptive approach lies at the heart of responsible polar travel.Â