Menu
  • Workshops
  • Instructors
  • Company
  • Testimonials
  • Questions
  • My Account

Svalbard

with Frans Lanting, Chris Eckstrom, Justin Black,
August 6 - 23, 2021 Expedition
Limited to 12 Spaces. From $14,995  
Join the Waitlist
  • Overview
  • Itinerary
  • Instructors
  • Gallery
  • Pricing
  • Highlights
  • Accommodations
  • Travel

Overview

If there is one place on Earth that represents the high Arctic in microcosm, it’s the Svalbard Archipelago. Wildlife is abundant here, featuring a large population of polar bears, as well as arctic foxes, walrus colonies, reindeer, blue whales, dolphins, seals, and numerous bird species. The landscape is characterized by rugged snow-capped mountain ranges, stunning fjords, vast glaciers, and icebergs, and towering cliffs that host busy seabird colonies. The beautiful serenity of the Arctic pack ice begins at the Archipelago’s northern end, where polar bears roam the ocean in search of seals. In the ice with the sun arcing low along the horizon, it becomes abundantly clear that you are truly on top of the world.

Designed for photographers by photographers, this extra-long itinerary provides quality time to photograph unrushed in the best locations, while most other Svalbard trips follow week-long tick-list itineraries with much less time in the prime spots. We will take you to the places we have fallen in love with on several prior voyages, making the most of this great spectacle of Arctic wildlife, ice, landscape, and light. Over the course of numerous expeditions and workshops together over the last 16 years, leaders Frans Lanting, Christine Eckstrom, and Justin Black have established a superb collaborative chemistry and will provide generous and effective expert photographic instruction to the small group of just twelve guests throughout the voyage.

Our private-charter expedition vessel, S/V Noorderlicht, is an ice-strengthened Svalbard specialist. She makes a superb platform for photography, with her spacious main deck low over the water, creating excellent vantage points, particularly if we are approached by polar bears on the ice, or walruses in the water. She also happens to be, in our opinion, the most visually striking vessel operating in Svalbard, making her a great model to incorporate into landscape scenes for scale and color accent (Noorderlicht is the red vessel in background of at least one of the trip gallery images). Well-suited to expedition cruising among small islands, she can get into locations that larger ships cannot access. Her two Zodiacs facilitate landings and wildlife photography opportunities in otherwise inaccessible areas.

As masters of the vessel, your leaders will coordinate with the highly qualified captain and crew to do everything possible to maximize photographic opportunities and to ensure the best possible journey. We will enjoy extra elbow room onboard Noorderlicht, in the Zodiacs, and ashore as our group will be limited to 12 guests plus the three leaders though the ship has accommodation for up to 20 passengers. Our small group and this vessel maximize our enjoyment and appreciation of the high Arctic’s immense serenity and vastness, a far more pleasant experience compared to waiting in line to go ashore or visit the buffet on a vessel with over one hundred other passengers.  Noorderlicht’s cabins are small, but they all have comfortable upper and lower berths, a cupboard, a washbasin with hot and cold water, and excellent ventilation. Shared showers (4) and toilet facilities (5) are conveniently located near cabins. Meals aboard Noorderlicht are served family-style, with fresh ingredients and healthy options available (catering well for vegetarians). We are assembling an excellent wine list for the trip as well!

Our itinerary begins in Oslo, Norway, with pick-up at the airport and transfer to The Thief, a modern, waterfront Scandinavian boutique hotel that is one of Oslo’s very best. In the afternoon, we will hold an introductory reception and orientation meeting, followed by dinner at one of Oslo’s fine restaurants. The next morning, we fly as a group to the small harbor of Longyearbyen on the island of Spitsbergen, where our ship awaits us. That afternoon, we embark and set off for our adventure together!

We hope you will join us for this intimate 15-night private-charter expedition (within a 17-night all-inclusive itinerary) aboard the two-masted schooner S/V Noorderlicht, photographing the wildlife, landscape, and pack ice of this gem of the High Arctic.

Itinerary

Day 1, Friday, August 6, 2021: Arrival day in Norway

Arrive at Oslo Airport Gardermoen (OSL) by early afternoon. After clearing customs, a driver will transport you to The Thief, a superb modern hotel on the waterfront of Tjuvholmen, Oslo. You will check in to your Superior Room with private balcony and king size bed. We will first meet as a group in the afternoon for an introduction and orientation session at the hotel. Refreshments will be served as the leaders host an orientation session. Following time allotted for Q&As, we will share a festive dinner at one of Oslo’s fine restaurants just a short distance away.

Overnight at The Thief (D)

Day 2, Saturday, August 7, 2021: Transfer to Svalbard And Embark

In the morning we will transferred as a group to the airport for our flight to Svalbard’s airport (LYR) in the town of Longyearbyen on Spitsbergen, the largest island of the Svalbard archipelago. Upon arrival we will have some time to explore the town of Longyearbyen before being transferred to the port to board the Noordelicht.

Overnight on the Noorderlicht. (B, L, D)

Days 3 – 16, Sunday, August 8 to Saturday, August 21, 2021: Exploring Svalbard aboard Noorderlicht

Sail through the islands and fjords of the Svalbard archipelago north toward the pack ice, with regular shore excursions and Zodiac cruises along the way, making the most of the stunning landscape and abundant arctic wildlife.

Overnight on the Noorderlicht. (B, L, D)

Day 17, Sunday, August 22, 2021: Disembark the Noorderlicht

After a final breakfast aboard Noorderlicht, we disembark at Longyearbyen at 9:00am. While the ship’s ground staff transfers our checked luggage to the airport, we will transfer into the town center to spend a few hours exploring, shopping, visiting the museum or a café, etc. as you like, prior to boarding our flight back to Oslo. Our hotel for the night is the Radisson Blu, conveniently located just across the street from the airport. There we will gather in the evening for our celebratory group dinner.

Overnight at Radisson Blu, Gardermoen (B, L, D)

Day 18, Monday, August 23, 2021: Departure day from Norway

Enjoy breakfast together at Radisson Blu and check-out by noon to walk across the street to the airport for flights home. (B)

Instructors

Expand
  • Within (mi) of
    • Frans Lanting

    • FRANS LANTING has been hailed as one of the great nature photographers of our time.  His influential work appears in books, magazines, and exhibitions around the world.  Born in ...
    • Chris Eckstrom

    • Christine Eckstrom is a writer, editor, and videographer whose ...
    • Justin Black

    • JUSTIN BLACK is a photographer, writer, editor, expedition leader, photo workshops instructor, a Fellow of the International League of Conservation Writers (ILCW), and a former executive director of the ...
    • ...

Gallery

Pricing

Standard

Double Occupancy $14,995 (Waitlist)

Single Occupancy $21,995 (Waitlist)

Proceed

All costs are per person.

Please note that rooms at The Thief hotel only have one bed. If you are traveling with a companion and require two beds, please book at the individual registering as double occupancy rate (see below).

Individual Registering as Double Occupancy

Individuals traveling alone are welcome to book at the double occupancy rate and we will match you with a cabin mate on Noordelicht. We will attempt to match cabin mates of the same sex, but due to the small group size, this cannot be guaranteed. Hotel rooms in Oslo will be single occupancy for individuals booking double occupancy. There is a $750 supplement for this registration option. The supplement will be applied to the final payment.

Payment Schedule

  • 30% deposit to confirm registration
  • 30% payment due November 9, 2020
  • 40% final payment due April 8, 2021

Please note that due to the significant commitments involved in chartering the vessel for this expedition, deposits and all payments are non-refundable. Trip cancellation insurance is strongly recommended to enable recovery of deposits in the event of a need to cancel participation for medical or personal reasons covered by the policy. Other terms and conditions apply.

Included

  • Generous and attentive photographic instruction throughout by Frans Lanting and Justin Black, with support by Christine Eckstrom
  • Accommodations for 17 nights
  • R/T flights between Oslo and Longyearbyen, as outlined in the itinerary
  • Meals, except as specifically noted, including group gratuity for wait staff
  • Wine/beer with dinner, and all non-alcoholic drinks with included meals
  • Private transfer to our hotel in Oslo upon arrival and group transportation for the entire trip
  • Landings and zodiac excursions as determined by leaders and crew
  • Services of English-speaking naturalist guide and ship’s crew
  • All applicable government taxes

Excluded

  • Travel insurance (travel medical and evacuation coverage required)
  • International air fare in and out of Oslo, Norway (before and after itinerary)
  • Additional hotel nights, meals or other costs for arrivals prior to the start date or departures after the end date
  • Cost of passports, any necessary entry visas or reciprocity fees, vaccinations, or other personal travel expenses
  • Telephone calls, email and internet, and other communications that incur extra cost
  • Items of personal nature such as laundry, sundries, etc.
  • Alcoholic beverages other than those offered with dinners
  • Any optional activities / excursions or extras other than those specified in inclusions
  • Tips to hotel staff etc. for personal services, and gratuities for our ship’s guide and crew

Highlights

  • A unique opportunity to travel with and learn from preeminent photographers with diverse styles, 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, arctic terns, and more
  • Follow in Amundsen’s footsteps, learning the history of Arctic exploration.
  • The Noorderlicht, a brilliant small expedition ship for serious photographers, perfect for small-group exploration in the polar regions. With her crew’s many years’ experience in Arctic waters, Noorderlicht has the capability and flexibility to make the most of our exploration of the Svalbard archipelago and the Arctic pack ice, using the weather and conditions to our best advantage.
  • First-rate logistics
  • Excellent crew and expedition staff
  • Easy travel: No visa required for passport holders from most of the developed world.

Accommodations

  • In Oslo, Norway, night of August 6: The Thief – A modern luxury boutique hotel on the waterfront
  • Svalbard, nights of August 7-August 21:  S/V Noorderlicht – our expedition vessel
  • Oslo Gardermoen Airport, night of August 22: Radisson Blu Airport Gardermoen – A nice business-class hotel just steps from the Oslo airport terminal

Travel

airplane icon
No advance visa is required for tourist entry into Norway or Svalbard for citizens of the USA, Canada, EU nations, and most other developed countries. Fly into Oslo, Norway by afternoon of August 6, 2021 (international flights NOT included). R/T flights from Oslo to Longyearbyen in Spitsbergen are included.
car icon
Ground transfers are included from pickup at Oslo Airport through return to Oslo.
boat icon
We will be aboard our private charter vessel, S/V Noorderlicht, for 15-nights as we explore the Svalbard archipelago and the Arctic pack ice.
foot icon
Shore excursions will include short walks in the easy to moderate range, though terrain can be rugged.
weather icon
Weather in Svalbard at this time of year tends to be surprisingly calm and comfortable for the High Arctic. Typical temperatures for this time of year range from the low 30s to mid 40s F, with a small chance of precipitation every day.

Svalbard

with Frans Lanting, Chris Eckstrom, Justin Black,
August 6 - 23, 2021 Expedition
Limited to 12 Spaces. From $14,995  
Join the Waitlist

SIGNUP FOR EMAIL UPDATES

OUR SPONSORS AND THE GEAR WE USE

Expand
  • Within (mi) of

© 2021 VisionaryWild, LLC, All Rights Reserved
2200 19th St. NW, Ste 806, Washington, DC 20009
E-mail: info@visionarywild.com | Tel: 1-202-558-9596 (9am to 5pm, EST)
Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Non-necessary

This website includes some performance cookies, which gather data on how visitors use the website, which pages of the website are visited most often, or error messages on web pages. These cookies monitor only the performance of the site as the user interacts with it to improve the functionality of the site; they do not collect identifiable information.

Cancel