Arrive in Longyearbyen, the administrative capital of the Spitsbergen archipelago of which West Spitsbergen is the largest island. Before embarking there is an opportunity to stroll around this former mining town, whose parish church and Polar Museum are well worth visiting, while in the surrounding area of Longyearbyen. In the early evening, the ship will sail out of Isfjorden.

Start the day by quietly cruising the side fjords of the spectacular Hornsund area in southern Spitsbergen, enjoying the scenery of towering mountain peaks. The mountain of Hornsundtind rises to 1,431 meters (4,695 feet), while the peak of Bautaen testifies to why early Dutch explorers gave this island the name Spitsbergen, meaning “pointed mountains.”

There are 14 magnificent glaciers in the area, and you have a fair chance of encountering seals and polar bears.

The nearby cliffs of Sofiakammen are also home to thousands of pairs of nesting kittiwakes and little auks, and in the evening, travelers might see thousands of harp seals rutting on ice floes at Sørkapp.

After navigating the drift ice of Storfjorden, where travelers sometimes see harp seals, you land in northwest Edgeøya at the northern bank of Rosenberdalriver. Here on the raised beach, you have the opportunity to walk to Rosenbergdalen, which is teeming with grazing reindeer.

Afterward, you plan to walk by a cliff with nesting black guillemots on your way to Stretehamna, where you often find a herd of walruses on the beach near an octagonal trapper’s cabin built in 1905.

Travelers can also see the remains of a 19th-century Pomor house as well as the bones of walruses hunted in previous centuries.

Sailing into the waterway of Freemansundet, travelers plan to land at the tundra lowland of Sundneset, on the island of Barentsøya.

Here you will visit the hut of a German scientific expedition (Würzbugerhütte) from sixty years ago, then take a brisk walk across the tundra in search of Spitsbergen reindeer and barnacle geese. After that, travelers plan to go on a Zodiac cruise near Freeman Glacier and visit a kittiwake colony in a canyon close by.

In case of heavy ice in Freemandundet, however, travelers will instead sail to Negribreen, one of the most extensive glacier fronts on the east side of Spitsbergen. Here you can take a Zodiac cruise and land on Walrus Island, which became ice-free at the end of last century.

Today, sail to the east side of West Spitsbergen (west side of Storfjorden).

Plan to walk to breeding places for ivory gulls in Agardhfjellet, which stands about 300 meters (980 feet) high.

The valley leading to the outcrops that house the nests is littered with fossils of belemnites and ammonites.

Today, aim to land at the mountain of Stellingfjellet, near the largest colony of Brünnich’s guillemots in Spitsbergen. Later in the day, make landings at the rarely visited coast of south Spitsbergen, at the bay of Isbukta.

Continue the voyage in Bell Sund, one of the largest fjord systems in Svalbard. The ocean currents make this area slightly warmer than other areas in the archipelago, which shows in the relatively lush vegetation.

Here, there are excellent opportunities to enjoy both history and wildlife.

A possibility is Ahlstrandhalvøya, at the mouth of Van Keulenfjorden, where piles of beluga skeletons can be found. These remains of 19th-century whale slaughter are a haunting reminder of the consequences of rampant exploitation. Fortunately, belugas were not hunted into extinction, and you have a good chance of coming across a pod.

Alternately, while cruising the side fjords of Bellsund, travelers can explore tundra where reindeer like to feed as well as rock slopes where little auks are breeding.

Return to Longyearbyen and disembark for the transfer to the airport and the flight home.