In collaboration with National Geographic Expeditions. With PONANT, set off to discover the west coast of Spitsbergen during an 11-day expedition cruise into the heart of the Svalbard Archipelago. Aboard Le Boréal, fall under the spell of the magical Arctic Far North, with its ice floes, polar bears and breathtaking glaciers. Departing from Longyearbyen, Le Boréal will navigate towards the glaciers of the Kongsfjorden and you will maybe have the opportunity to discover Ny-Alesund. This international scientific station is a former mining town, which was the departure point for many expeditions towards the North Pole. Further north, in the Nordvest Sptisbergen National Park, follow in the footsteps of the former whalers who once settled there. Some sites that are home to the graves of many sailors and are still frequented by various species of cetaceans. You will then reach the southern tip of Spitsbergen and discover the Sor-Spitsbergen National Park, where you will be able to admire some of the island’s most beautiful fjords, like the Hornsund with its impressive glacier front. Your ship will navigate to bring you closer to Bjornoya (Bear Island), a refuge for many birds, in the western part of the Barents Sea, before reaching Tromsø, Norway, located north of the Arctic Circle.
