An exciting photo expedition to Svalbard, the home of the polar bears. Two guides lead you through this breathtaking ice landscape in search for polar bears, arctic fox, walrus, reindeer and stunning landscapes. With zodiac boats you will be able to get close and personal with the local wildlife.   

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Some highlights of the tour

• A great chance to see Polar Bears in a magnificent landscape.

• Walrusses

• Arctic foxes and Svalbard Reindeer.

• Ivory Gulls and other exciting birds. 

• The use of Zodiacs for going ashore and for getting better angles of photography.

• Glaciers and pack-ice.

• Midnight sun.

• The tour leader will show you their best sites and provide photographic advice to a small like-minded group.

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Svalbard

Geographically, Svalbard belongs to Europe, but hardly resembles any other part of the continent. An arctic area, between 74 and 80 degrees north and only 600 km from the North Pole. Svalbard has fantastic environments with glaciers, icebergs and pointy mountains – which have given Svalbard it’s other name – Spitzbergen.

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Apart from ice, glaciers and mountains, Svalbard also has arctic tundra, where arctic flowers bloom just during the short summer. Despite it’s isolated location, Svalbard is one of the most accessible arctic regions in the World. This is thanks to the infrastructure developed by Norway around Longyearbyen.

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The archipelago has fantastic glaciers, glittering in the sunlight, midnight sun from mid April until the end of the summer, and an interesting wildlife. Svalbard is mostly known for it’s Polar Bears, but also has Walruses, seals, reindeer, arctic foxes and Whales. Arriving in May, when the landscape is still white is a great experience. Most of the snow and ice melts in the summer.

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The Svalbard Reindeer roams here. It is a subspecies, adapted to the harsh winter environments. Walruses search for mussels along the beaches, whilst baleen and toothed whales feed in the rich sea currents.

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Polar Bears and Walruses can be quite curious and come close. You can never be sure with wild animals, which is important to be aware of. The chance of coming across Polar Bears is good, and the backgrounds for Polar Bear photography are unique.

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Our route is not set from start. As we have the use of the whole boat, we also have the freedom to plan depending on weather, ice and animal reports. The boat has Zodiacs for landing, but also for photography from low angles. We will use the Zodiacs to access areas that M/S Stockholm cannot get to.

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Nature and wildlife are the focus of this tour.

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Crew, captain and guides all have extensive experience of the arctic, and photography in these special conditions. The crew speak Swedish and English.

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THE SHIP M/S STOCKHOLM
For this tour, we charter the entire ship M/S Stockholm. The ship is a classic vessel, originally built in 1953 for the Swedish National Maritime Administration. In 1998, she underwent a complete refit and embarked on her new journey as a comfortable polar expedition ship. The M/S Stockholm accommodates up to 12 passengers in cozy twin cabins equipped with bunk beds, private facilities, and small windows (portholes). With her beautiful brass details and wooden decks, M/S Stockholm stands as a stunning piece of maritime history, cherished by many for her charm and elegance.

Boasting over 20 years of navigating Svalbard’s challenging waters, the M/S Stockholm has proven her capability to reach remote sites that are inaccessible to larger ships. On board, you’ll enjoy delicious meals in the company of like-minded travelers who share a fascination for the Arctic’s captivating nature, wildlife, and history. The food on board is of high standard and all beverages are included in the price. The intimate setting, akin to a private yacht, ensures a personalized and unforgettable experience.

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The ship has two zodiacs, each with room for 12 people. Although this is strictly a photography tour, of course non-dedicated photographers can come along and have an absolutely amazing arctic experience. The fact that it is a photo tour means that we spend the time we need to get a chance for good photos. Often this means a little more time with the motifs. We postpone meals if necessary; that is, if we have good subjects and good light, it takes precedence. Polar bears and walruses naturally have the highest priority.

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The travel route is never completely decided in advance. Our tentative plan is to head northeast. Since we rent the whole ship, we have the freedom to plan the expedition as we want, based on weather, wind, current ice conditions and reports of polar bears in particular. Nature and wildlife are at the center of this trip. The crew, the captain and our guides on the tour have extensive experience in both the Arctic and photography under the special conditions that prevail. The crew is Swedish and English speaking and the participants can be from several countries. The ship is perfect for photography.

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Lectures will be given by the tour guides. We will look at the participants’ photos and come up with positive photo criticism. And we, as leaders, will of course assist the participants with the necessary help and camera technical and photographic advice.

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Main deck has 6 cabins (with comfortable upper and lower bunkbeds) with private WC / shower.​

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Itinerary

• Day 0. Arrival in Longyearbyen and transport to hotel on your own. NOTE: This is one day before the travel arrangement begins, to be sure not to miss the ship’s departure. We will organize and offer a guided tour in Longyearbyen’s surroundings in the evening or early in the morning the next day, for those who want, for an additional price.

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• Day 1. Pick-up at the respective hotel in time for check-out, transport of the luggage to the ship and then free time in Longyearbyen until it is time for the ship’s departure, after 4 p.m. Then we sail out of Adventfjorden, and via Isfjorden we head north to the pack ice to search for our first polar bears of the trip. Welcome dinner on board.

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• Day 2-10. Cruising, with a schedule updated daily if necessary. We fully adapt to current and upcoming weather, ice conditions and wildlife sighting reports. We will most likely cruise north of Svalbard and the northeast. In addition to polar bears, we also hope to meet walruses, whales and seals. So this year the walrus colonies are bigger. Photography as long as there is good light, both late evenings and early mornings. During the summer the sun doesn't set. This means that wildlife sightings might occur at any time of the day or night.  

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• Day 11. Arrival back in Longyearbyen. The tour ends after breakfast.

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We offer the possibility to extend the tour with a day or two. During these extra days we will photograph arctic fox, rock ptarmigan and reindeer in the surroundings of Longyearbyen. Details on this will be given when the booking is made.

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Fill in the booking form.

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Or contact us for inquiries for other dates and other questions.

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NEW REGULATIONS ON SVALBARD

All our Svalbard photography expeditions are run in cooperation with our Swedish partner company Wild Nature Photo Adventures. They have organized Svalbard photo expeditions since 2017, focusing on Arctic wildlife and landscape photography. We have photographed polar bears, seals, walrus, reindeer, arctic fox and many other animals and birds on our expeditions here, without ever disturbing the wildlife. Our strategy has always been to spend time in the pack ice to find Polar bears in that spectacular environment. To do nature photography without disturbing nature has been at the core of our philosophy and it will certainly continue to be so.

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In May 2024, the Norwegian parliament, after year-long debates, decided on a set of new environment laws for Svalbard, including new rules regarding how to behave when encountering wildlife. Detailing even the specific distances to be kept to certain species.

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The new laws have jurisdiction on the Svalbard territory, which reaches out 12 nautical miles (≈22 km) from its coastline, applicable from 1st January 2025. Within this area, it will then no longer be allowed to approach polar bears at a closer distance than 500 meters during the period 1st March – 30th June, and 300 meters during the rest of the year.

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Our companies and our expedition leaders of course set great pride in following the rules of all territories in which we work, while at the same time doing all we can “to be on the best spots possible, at the best time, for the best possible photo opportunities”.

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Since the drift/pack ice edge is a great wildlife habitat, being a natural hunting ground for fish and therefore also for whales, seals, walrus and not least, for polar bears. We will continue with the strategy to spend time along the drift/pack ice edge, working to find wildlife in their natural habitat, on or along the ice, also far out from Svalbard shorelines (sometimes even as far north as 82°N), weather and ice conditions permitting.

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The new laws will have some impact for all Svalbard expeditions on how to use zodiac rubber boat dinghies, not allowing them to stay closer than certain distances, if we spot a polar bear on Svalbard territory.

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Regarding walrus, the new law has very little impact on the ways we already work when photographing these majestic creatures.

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Please trust our experienced team leaders to do all they can within the law, to provide the best opportunities for the photos you dream of.