Svalbard
Overview
Join us for this all-inclusive expedition to the crown jewel of the High Arctic!
Note: Traveling alone? Feel free to book at the lower double-occupancy rates, so long as you are content to be paired with another guest of the same sex.
Designed for photographers by photographers, this expedition to the Svalbard archipelago will take you to the places we love, to make the most of the great spectacle of Arctic light, ice, landscape, and wildlife. Led by a dream team – Michael Melford, Daisy Gilardini, and Justin Black – generous expert photographic instruction will feature prominently throughout the voyage. Here are some highlights:
- An excellent photography experience aboard the ideal expedition vessel
- World-class photo instructor team, and an excellent participant-to-instructor ratio (group size limit of 19 guests)
- The natural beauty of Svalbard itself, a superb destination for both landscape and wildlife photography, timed to coincide with seemingly endless sunsets, first snows of autumn on the mountains, and excellent wildlife opportunities.
- All-inclusive from airport pickup in Oslo, Norway, featuring a high standard of accommodations and dining, and including R/T flights from Oslo to Svalbard, and all ground transfers.
Our expedition vessel, M/V Plancius, optimizes the photographic potential and overall quality of experience on this trip. She is a very comfortable and capable 296-foot ice-rated expedition ship with accommodation in comfortable en suite cabins and staterooms. We have chosen to do this voyage on this ship because she offers the capabilities, amenities, comfort, dining, and photographic support that will enable us to deliver a thoroughly enjoyable and creatively productive experience, both aboard and on shore. If you wish to travel with a world-class team of photographic instructors to the best locations, and you appreciate the advantages of an adventure designed specifically to optimize both the photography and overall experience, this is an exceptional opportunity.
Our expedition begins in Oslo, Norway, with an introductory reception dinner at one of the capital’s finest restaurants. After a restful night at The Thief – a modern Scandinavian boutique hotel that is one of Oslo’s very best – we fly as a group to the small harbor of Longyearbyen on the island of Spitsbergen, where our ship awaits us. We set sail that afternoon through the sheltered waters of Adventfjord on our way to the west coast where we will work our way northward with views of the stunning mountain landscape.
The wild landscape of Svalbard and the pack ice are characterized by a mesmerizing serenity… I felt like I was floating through a dream. –Justin Black
The High Arctic is one of Earth’s most serene, sublime, and evocative places, and in our opinion the mountainous, glacier-covered islands of the Svalbard archipelago are the crown jewels, in part because a visitor here experiences the best features of the Arctic in microcosm. We have deliberately timed this expedition for Arctic autumn – late August and early September – to take advantage of special seasonal phenomena. The quality of light at this time of year is beautiful. The sun sets for several hours at this time of year, but gorgeous post-sunset light lingers all night long. Also, by this time the mountains typically have had their first fresh snow for the season, making the landscape look its best. Polar bears are to be found on both the islands and the pack ice, and Arctic fox patrol the shorelines. Blue whales – the largest animal that has ever lived on Earth – ply the coastal waters. Large walrus colonies can be photographed both ashore and at sea, and seals – bearded, ringed, harp, and harbor – are commonly sighted. Migratory birds linger on for a while, including Ivory Gulls, Kittywakes, Fulmars, Eider ducks, and more, while native Rock Ptarmigans transition to their winter plumage. Temperatures are still relatively comfortable by Arctic standards, but the summer’s mosquitoes will have been killed off by the frost. Weather and seas tend to be calm, and free of fog that can limit visibility in summer.
We have conceived this Svalbard expedition with considerable advantages for the passionate photographer. The first-rate photo leader team comprises three outstanding professionals, all known as generous and engaging teachers, who have a superb collaborative chemistry. Their photographic specialties cover a cross-section of the opportunities we will be presented with during the expedition: wildlife, landscape, natural abstract, travel, fine art, and conservation.
M/V Plancius: Our ice-rated expedition vessel provides an excellent platform for this voyage, in part due to her strength, maneuverability, and ability to navigate the ice pack and waters that can be impassable to larger ships. Those who appreciate small-group travel will enjoy our group’s participant limit of nineteen guests, with our own private Zodiacs for landings and cruises to approach wildlife and explore the ice. The ship typically carries a complement of around 108 passengers, supported by a fleet of ten zodiacs, a highly experienced expedition staff of eight, and a top-notch crew who welcome guests on the ship’s spacious bridge. With our relatively small group, everyone will have excellent access to our photo leaders and expedition staff, landing operations will be efficient, and we’ll be able to get to know one another well. Plancius offers an impressive range of vantage points for photography, from close to waterline to up high, and her three diesel-electric engines are surprisingly quiet and produce little vibration.
Dining aboard Plancius is of a high standard, with menus prepared by an accomplished German chef, sous chefs, and baker, with ample fresh ingredients and healthy options available. We are assembling an excellent wine list for the trip as well! She’s just a great ship.
Itinerary
We have an array of excellent options at our disposal that we can use to modify our itinerary in response to actual conditions during our voyage. The following itinerary is meant to be representative of what we plan to undertake on this trip, though it is subject to change. Due to the variability of weather and other seasonal conditions, we cannot guarantee any particular landings or locations. We can guarantee that we will do our best to make the most of the opportunities available to us and deliver a first-rate experience. During down time when the ship is underway, we will schedule lectures by your photo instructors and expeditions staff, on topics such as photographic technique, natural history, Svalbard history, the Arctic ice, and more.
Aboard Plancius (B,L,D)
Instructors
Daisy Gilardini
- Daisy Gilardini is originally from Switzerland but now lives in British Columbia, Canada. She started taking photography seriously during her first trip to India in 1989, and since then has ...
Michael Melford
- National Geographic Photographer Michael Melford has worked with the Society for over 30 years. He has produced 19 feature stories for National Geographic magazine, and over 30 stories for National Geographic Traveler ...
Justin Black
- JUSTIN BLACK is a photographer (www.justinblackphoto.com), writer, editor, expedition leader, photo workshops instructor, a Fellow ...
Gallery
Pricing
Superior
Deluxe
Standard
CLASSES AND PRICING
Prices provided below are for the all-inclusive package, based on cabin class and either single or double occupancy. Cabin class and occupancy type may be selected via our online registration form, or contact us directly and we will assist you with registration. A 50% deposit is required upon registration, with the remaining 50% balance due by May 30th, 2018.
Up to 15 cabins are available to our guests on our expedition vessel, to host a maximum of 19 guests (up to two per cabin). All cabins have windows or portholes for views and additional light, and all have private en suite showers and toilets. Cabins are cleaned daily.
Superior (5 staterooms): Sold Out $10,496 per person double-occupancy; $14,696 single-occupancy
- 2 windows
- 1 double bed
- 1 sofa bed
- Private shower & toilet
- Desk & chair
- Flatscreen TV
- Telephone and Internet connection
- Refrigerator
- Coffee & tea maker
- Hair dryer
- Ample storage space
Twin Deluxe (2 cabins): Sold Out $9,746 per person double-occupancy; $13,646 single-occupancy
- 2 windows
- 2 lower berths
- Private shower & toilet
- Desk & chair
- Flatscreen TV
- Telephone and Internet connection
- Hair dryer
- Ample storage space
- These cabins are corner cabins and are slightly more spacious than the normal twin porthole/window cabins
Twin Window (6 cabins): One space remaining (male) $9,371 per person double-occupancy; $13,121 single-occupancy
- 1 window
- 2 lower berths
- Private shower & toilet
- Desk & chair
- Flatscreen TV
- Telephone and Internet connection
- Hair dryer
- Ample storage space
Highlights
- A unique opportunity to travel with and learn from three preeminent photographers with diverse styles, all renowned for being engaging teachers and excellent traveling companions, in a dream-like setting that is the quintessence of the High Arctic.
- A world-class destination for both landscape and wildlife photography, at a very photogenic time of year.
- Vistas including glacier-covered mountains, maritime glaciers calving into the ocean, deep blue fjords, soaring sea cliffs, islands rising dramatically from the sea, and expansive pack ice as far as the eye can see, fractured into graphic patterns.
- Polar bears, arctic foxes, large walrus colonies, blue whales, and several species of seal are frequently sighted
- Ivory gulls, kittywakes, fulmars, barnacle geese, thick-billed murres, little auks, and more
- Follow in Amundsen’s footsteps, learning the history of Arctic exploration.
- The Plancius, a brilliant expedition ship for serious photographers, perfect for small-group exploration in the polar regions. With her crew’s many years’ experience in Arctic waters, Plancius has the capability and flexibility to make the most of our exploration of the Svalbard archipelago and the Arctic ice, using the weather and conditions to our best advantage.
- First-rate logistics
- Top expedition staff: Denise Landau, plus an additional seven carefully selected expedition staff.
- Easy travel: No visa required for passport holders from most of the developed world.
Accommodations
- In Oslo, Norway, night of August 28: The Thief – A modern luxury boutique hotel on the waterfront
- Svalbard, nights of August 29-Sept 4: Plancius – our expedition vessel
- Oslo Gardermoen Airport, night of Sept 5: Radisson Blu Airport Gardermoen – A nice business-class hotel just steps from the Oslo airport terminal
Travel
Expectations
- Photographic instruction throughout by Michael Melford, Daisy Gilardini, and Justin Black.
- 8-day/7-night cruise aboard Plancius, in west and north Svalbard and the pack ice zone around 81ºN.
- R/T flights from Oslo, to Longyearbyen on the island of Spitsbergen
- Meals from dinner on the night of August 28 to breakfast on September 6 (with the exception of two lunches on your own during free time in Longyearbyen), and all non-alcoholic beverages plus fine wine and/or local beer with dinners.
- All ground transfers from airport pickup in Oslo on Aug 28th to our return to our hotel in Oslo on Sept 5th.
- First-rate support and hospitality, including eight hand-picked ship’s expedition staff, Ship’s Doctor, Hotel Manager, Bartender, Head Chef, Sous Chef, Baker, and restaurant waitstaff.
- Daily group landings and excursions in the pack ice by Zodiac.
- All accommodations, including the excellent The Thief hotel in Oslo on the night of August 28th, and cabin aboard Plancius for seven nights, August 29-Sept 5.
- All group permits and landing fees
- Some group gratuities, such as for servers at included group meals at restaurants before and after our cruise, and for drivers and baggage handlers during group transfers.
Not Included:
- Cost of travel to our starting point: Oslo, Norway’s Gardermoen Airport.
- On September 6, ground transfer from Radisson Blu Hotel to Gardermoen Airport terminal is available by hotel shuttle or an easy short walk, but any transportation on this day is to be arranged by guests with the hotel according to their personal travel schedule.
- Cost of passports, any necessary entry visas or reciprocity fees, or other personal travel expenses
- Travel insurance and traveler’s medical insurance including evacuation insurance (required)
- Alcoholic beverages other than wine and beer offered at dinners
- Telephone or internet charges
- Any private excursions or services not included in the itinerary
- Gratuities for ship’s expedition staff, crew, and hotel staff, at your discretion
- Personal purchases, souvenirs, and anything else not listed as included
Cancellation Policy Amendment:
Please note that due to the significant commitments involved in reserving a block of cabins aboard our expedition vessel, this expedition is subject to the following special cancellation schedule policy.
Refund eligibility based on date of cancellation notification
- 121 or more days prior to expedition start date: Full refund (less any non-recoverable credit card processing fees)
- 120 to 91 days prior to start date: 25% of package cost non-refundable
- 90-61 days prior to start date: 50% of package cost non-refundable
- 60 days or less before start date: No refund
For other cancellation information, please see our standard cancellation policy on the Questions page of this website for further details. We strongly recommend that participants arrange travel insurance within two weeks of booking to cover costs in the event that they need to cancel their participation for any reason.
