St. Kilda - Jan Mayen - Spitsbergen 2010
11 days / 10 nights, Oban - St. Kilda - Faroer Islands - Skuvoy - Streymoy - Mykines - Jan Mayen - Spitsbergen - Hornsund - Longyearbyen | The Arctic coastlines offer some of the finest scenery and wildlife experiences in the world. Visitors to the region can witness enormous colonies of seabirds thronging the cliffs and shores, and enjoy the thrilling antics of whales and dolphins at sea and seals and Walrus hauled out on the rocks and ice floes. The lucky may even encounter the very symbol of the Arctic - the Polar Bear. Though remote and sparsely populated today, many of the places we explore have been inhabited in the last 5000 years, and thousands of unique prehistoric and historic sites are a testimony to the thriving cultures of the past. Our itineraries include St. Kilda, Faroe Islands, Jan Mayen and South Spitsbergen.
| Triple private | Twin private | Superior |
|---|---|---|
| $3,500 | $4,450 | $4,950 |
M/V Plancius
| Departure | PLA04, June 4th - 14th, 2010 |
| Price | Prices in USD, per person in cabin of choice From $3,500 per person |
| Included | Voyage aboard the indicated vessel as per itinerary All meals throughout the voyage aboard the ship incl. snacks, coffee and tea All shore excursions and activities throughout the voyage by Zodiac Program of lectures by noted naturalists and leadership by experienced expedition staff Transfers and baggage handling between hotels, airports and ship only for those passengers on the group flights in Spitsbergen and in Greenland All miscellaneous services Taxes and port charges throughout the program Comprehensive pre-departure material |
| Not Included | Any airfare, whether on scheduled or charter flights Pre- and post land arrangements Transfers to / from the vessel outside Spitsbergen and Greenland Passport and Visa expenses Government arrival and departure taxes Meals ashore Baggage, cancellation and personal insurance (strongly recommended) Excess baggage charges and all items of a personal nature such as laundry, bar, beverage charges and telecommunication charges The customary gratuity at the end of the voyages for stewards and other service personnel aboard (guidelines will be provided) $25 Service fee |
| Please Note | All dates & rates are subject to change. All voyages will operate subject to a minimum of 25 participants (motor vessels) & 12 participants for the 'Noorderlicht'. All rates are quoted per person in US Dollar, based on twin occupancy. US Dollar rates apply for all sales outside Europe. 5% Discount will be granted for bookings for one or more consecutive voyages. Please note that all dates & rates are subject to change. All voyages will operate subject to a minimum of 50 participants on the Antarctic Dream, 70 participants on the Plancius and 14 participants on the Noorderlicht. Twin non private and Twin private cabins are available for single occupancy at 1.7 times the share price. It is agreed that if world fuel prices will reach or exceed US Dollar 80 per Barrel Brent 90 days prior to departure Oceanwide Expeditions reserves the right to levy a fuel surcharge of US Dollar 25 per passenger per night, to be paid by the contracting party of Oceanwide Expeditions. |
St. Kilda Jan Mayen Spitsbergen Map
World Travel Award 2009
Day 1 DEPARTURE OBAN
We embark at Oban, a small and cozy harbor town in west Scotland. From Glasgow it is a good option to take the train, a marvelous journey through one of the most scenic parts of Scotland. The channels between the Scottish islands offer excellent possibilities to spot Minke Whales (a small baleen whale), White-beaked Dolphins and Harbor Porpoises. Several other cetaceans, including Orcas (Killer Whales), are also native to these waters.
Day 2 ST. KILDA
To the west of North Uist lie the St Kilda group of islands, built of volcanic rock and with cliffs rising to over 400m, the highest in Britain and home to the largest seabird colony in the country. St Kilda has its own sub-species of birds and mice, and of sheep, the Soay, probably brought here by Stone Age man over 5,000 years ago. Until 1930 St. Kilda was inhabited, but then the last of the islanders left leaving a handful of windswept ruins, though there is also a military base which may be visited.
Day 3 FAROE ISLANDS
Today we arrive at Torshavn, the capital and cultural centre of the Faroes. Here we are free to shop, to visit the museum or just wander at will. In the harbor the small Faroese boats are a reminder of the Viking origins of the islanders. The walkers among us can make an exciting two hours walk across the hills to Kirkjubøer where they will find a medieval cathedral. In the early evening we will try to land at Saksun, tucked away at the head of a fjord which was once a superb natural harbor. Today the bay is full of sand and we can only enter by zodiac at high tide. At Saksun is a Natural Heritage Museum. Continuing along the north side of Streymoy we pass huge seabird colonies.
Day 4 - 5 AT SEA - JAN MAYEN
We sail north to the Norwegian island of Jan Mayen, situated 300 nautical miles north-east of Iceland. During our two days at sea there will be plenty of time to watch for the blow of a Minke, Fin or Blue Whale, which could herald a rewarding encounter with these gentle giants. Perhaps we might run into a pod of Orcas, who can often be quite curious about boats such as ours.
Day 6 JAN MAYEN
Jan Mayen is a volcanic island of breathtaking beauty and mystique, dominated by Mt Beerenberg. From the slopes of the 2300m volcano, impressive glaciers spill into the sea. Until recently, the island was off-limits as it is a military base, and was rarely visited by tourists, but with permission from the Norwegian authorities we hope to visit the weather station. We will also walk across the island to Kvalrossbukta to look at the remains of a 17th century Dutch whaling station and a substantial colony of Fulmars. We also plan to sail by Koksletta where thousands of Little Auks and Brünnich's Guillemots breed close to a glacier, watched over by piratical Glaucous Gulls.
Day 7 - 8 AT SEA
In the midnight sun we sail north along the edge of the sea-ice, looking out for different species of whales, dolphins, seals and a variety of seabirds, until the sea-ice will stop us and we will sail to North Spitsbergen.
Day 9 SPITSBERGEN - HORNSUND
Depending on the position of the sea-ice, we sail into Raudfjord or one of the other fjords in Northwest Spitsbergen, where we have chances of seeing Polar Bears at the heads of the fjords, where seals are sunbathing on the fjord-ice. At Fuglesangen we have an opportunity to see thousands of Little Auks on their breeding places.
Day 10 PRINCE KARLS FORLAND
Fuglehuken the northern tip of Prince Karls Forland is probably the place where Willem Barentsz made the first landing in Spitsbergen. It is an area with beautiful sabird-colonies and many remains of the Polar Bear hunting period of a century ago. Later we will look for Walrusses at Sarstangen, Engelskmansbukta or Poole-pynten. In the evening we could land at Alkhornet another seabird colony with at the slopes Reindeer and Arctic Foxes.
Day 11 LONGYEARBYEN
We disembark at Longyearbyen, the administrative centre of Spitsbergen, for flights south to Norway and onward to home.