The Spitsbergen Adventurer

• Embark on the ideal one-week Spitsbergen experience that combines life in Longyearbyen, the last town before the North Pole, with the remote landscapes and Arctic wildlife of northern Svalbard.

• Embrace your sense of adventure as we sail to Moffen island above 80°N. Pick between two itineraries: one which sails Liefdefjord, or one which gives you more time in Longyearbyen.

• Sail on a classic ship from 1956 which features nostalgic wood and brass furnishings. The small ship size and informal atmosphere help to create a sense of camaraderie with all those on board.

• Discover Svalbard with an experienced and friendly Expedition Team who enjoy organising shore landings and RIB cruises, spotting wildlife, and giving talks on glaciology and Arctic history.

Before your voyage, you'll spend the night in Longyearbyen, Svalbard's largest settlement. This frontier town of 2,000 inhabitants was originally a coal mining hub, but today attracts adventure travellers and scientists and engineers from across the world.

You'll enjoy a three-hour bus tour of the town, learning about its rich history and the area's fantastic wildlife. You might even encounter the Svalbard reindeer that are often seen walking the streets, minding their own business. 

The Spitsbergen Adventurer sails into a land of fjords and glaciers, with few remaining buildings. There are no ports for us to dock at.

Instead, weather and sea ice willing, you’ll go ashore for escorted nature landings aboard tender boats that launch from your ship. If the elements allow, you’ll reach the roof of the world at 80°N and then return to Longyearbyen to tell the tale.

Along the way, you’ll bear witness to bronze mountains, the cone-shaped remnants of volcanoes, and shores scattered with relics of the island’s mining, hunting, and whaling history. 

The northwest corner of Spitsbergen is a nature reserve, home to polar bears that prowl the shores and sea ice for seals.

Reindeer and Arctic foxes roam the tundras, walrus lounge along the coast, and minke and beluga whales frequent the waters.

Guillemots and Kittiwakes nest on the sheer cliffs of Alkhornet. Look for Little Auks, Arctic Terns, Skuas and Barnacle Geese in Magdalenefjord, and Atlantic puffins in Kongsfjord.

Your ship for this short odyssey is the much-beloved MS Nordstjernen, aptly named after the North Star. Built in 1956, it is our longest-serving vessel. Even with modernisation in 2013, we wanted to retain the ship’s vintage charm, and have preserved its wood and brass furnishings.

The décor and ambience make you feel you have turned back time and are sailing on a traditional adventure cruise from a bygone era.

MS Nordstjernen is also one of the smallest ships in the Hurtigruten fleet, which fosters a friendly, close community on board. There’s no snobbery. Just the simplicity of an old-fashioned journey of discovery by sea.

You’ll find the onboard Expedition Team are explorers and outdoor lovers, as happy organising shore landings and RIB cruises for you as they are regaling you with insights of Svalbard’s history, geology, and wildlife.