Some highlights

• We will be on cruise for 9 days. Price from 74 900 SEK

• We travel on board the traditional m/s Origo, perhaps the most charming ship up here and at the same time rebuilt for the best comfort

• No more than 12 participants, means a lot of space in zodiacs and onboard

• We have photo focus throughout our cruise, where we have a great chance to see polar bears in magnificent landscapes and at the edge of the pack ice

• Visit to walrus beaches which at this time of the year are fully packed walruses

• Arctic foxes and Svalbard Reindeer

• Fantastic winter landscapes as Svalbard, perhaps is at its most beautiful time the year

• At this time of the year there is midnight sun at Svalbard. This gives us many 24 hours a day of good light to photograph in

• Good season to see the “Phantoms of the Pack ice” – the white, high arctic ivory gull

• Fulmars, skuas, auks and lots of other exciting bird species

• Close encounters with bearded seals and harbor seals

• Glaciers, drift ice and pack ice

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

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

SVALBARD
Between northernmost Norway and the North Pole lies Svalbard, often also called Spitsbergen, an arctic wilderness that fascinates, with sea ice, glaciers, mountains and polar tundra. Despite its isolated location in the Arctic Ocean, 657 km north of Nordkap in Norway and over 1,000 km from the nearest airport in Norway, Svalbard is the most accessible high arctic area in the world, thanks to the infrastructure that Norway has built around, above all, Longyearbyen. The archipelago has both fantastic glaciers that glisten in the sunlight, midnight sun from mid-April to late August, and pointy mountains – which have given Svalbard it’s other name – Spetsbergen. Further more we alos find exciting Arctic wildlife here. Polar bears are perhaps the best known animal of Svalbard, but here there are also walruses, seals, reindeer, arctic foxes and several species of whales and dolphins. In May, theres still lots of the snow, this gives us really nice winter conditions and in spring you don’t have to travel as far as in autumn. Most things are closer. And we may reach the pack ice in less than a day or two. Nature and wildlife are at the center of this tour, all those interested in nature can have an absolutely fantastic experience. The photo focus on the tour means that we spend the time we need to get good photos. We postpone meals when necessary; that is, if we have good subjects and light. Polar bears and walruses are of course top priority. The chances of seeing and photographing them are very high. At the same time: with nature and wild animals, you never know. You have to be aware of that.

Svalbard is also home to the small-grown and hardy Svalbard reindeer, a subspecies of its own, adapted to the extreme winter climate. In the summer, the arctic fox hunts where there are birds, and in autumn and winter it follows the polar bears. Along the northern shores, walruses forage for clams, and baleen and toothed whales hunt in the rich sea areas along the continental shelf, where ocean currents swell.

The bird life is very rich, with fulmars, Brünnich’s guillemot, little auk, Svalbard ptarmigan, long-tailed skua, pomarine skua, great skua, red phalarope, kittiwakes, pink-footed goose, barnacle goose, king eider, black guillemot and more. The exclusively high arctic ivory gull, the “Ghost of the Ice Pack”, is also often seen.

This time we have extended the tour to 9 days. Our ship, m/s Origo is a real veteran in Svalbard, with a high coziness factor and 12 passengers.

Arctic veteran Jan Gyllensten acts as expedition leader and Floris Smeets will be your photographic leader.

THE SHIP M/S ORIGO
For this tour, we charter the entire ship M/S Origo with 24 berths, but we limit the number of participants to 12. Origo was built in 1955 at Finnboda shipyard in Sweden, on behalf of the Swedish Maritime Administration, as an ice-reinforced pilot ship and lighthouse keeper. 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.

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. The chef on board usually offers exciting and very good food. No one has to go hungry.

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.

Main deck

1 superior double cabin (2 lower beds) up on deck with private WC / shower.

5 cabins (with upper and lower bunkbeds) with private WC / shower.

1 cabin (with upper and lower bunkbeds) with private WC and shared shower.

2 cabins (with upper and lower bunkbeds) with shared shower / WC.

NEW REGULATIONS ON SVALBARD
Wild Nature Photo Adventures have organized Svalbard photo expeditions since 2017, here 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.

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.

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.

Our company 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”.

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. Wild Nature Photo Adventures will continue its 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.

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.

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

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.