Early season means a bewitching pastel light in sub-zero temperatures – a call to adventure for any landscape photographer. Answer the call on this compact spring photo tour.
All-action photographer Piet van den Bemd is the perfect guide to have with you on this specially shortened tour. His boundless enthusiasm and endless energy will make sure you get the maximum from your Svalbard photography adventure in just over a week.
There is no place on Earth like Svalbard in the spring.
It’s a rite of passage for landscape photographers, and your dynamic photo guide, Piet van den Bemd, will help you capture it in photos that will last forever.
Picture-perfect snow-capped mountains. Fjords littered with crystalline sea ice. Wildlife taking their first tentative steps after the long winter. The soft light of the rising sun and pastel-coloured sunsets.
The frozen springtime landscape of ice-strewn fjords and undisturbed snow is the perfect canvas on which to elevate your photography skills. The light at this time of year has a studio-like softness – sunrise and sunset are sublime.
Patience is a virtue when photographing Arctic animals in their snowy element. But take your time and you’ll capture some of the best wildlife shots of your life.
Depart Longyearbyen at 4pm.
Sail past striking Fuglefjella (Bird Mountain), a fine example of plateau mountainous landscape, as we leave Longyearbyen.
Alkhornet, at the opening of Isfjorden, showcases the change in geology from plateau to edge-dominated, alpine mountainous landscape.
Explore Poolepynten, a headland on Prins Karls Forland, home to a walrus colony and burial site.
Search the ice edge, a dynamic setting of texture and light, home to seals, seabirds, and polar bears.
Land at Sallyhamna, a hut built in 1937, rich in history and cultural remains from the 1600s whaling period.
Continue south to explore Gravnesodden in Magdalenefjorden, with interesting cultural remains.
Land at Camp Zoe, an old trappers’ hut; take a Zodiac cruise of Lilliehöökbreen, in search of calving ice, before continuing south back to Isfjorden and Longyearbyen.
Disembark in Longyearbyen at 9am.
Itineraries are subject to change.
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Vessel Type: Ice-Strengthened Expedition Vessel
Length: 41.8 m
Passenger Capacity: 12
Vikingfjord is a purpose-built micro-expedition vessel designed for only 12 guests, combining ice-strengthened capability with modern Scandinavian comfort. Its 1B-rated hull allows access deep into pack ice and remote terrain that larger ships cannot approach, while its energy-efficient engine and advanced NOx filtration system deliver a 95% emissions reduction. Multiple viewing points — including an L-shaped observation lounge, bridge lounge, and extensive open-deck platforms — give uninterrupted sightlines across the Arctic environment from every angle.
Interiors are contemporary and restful, with eight ensuite cabins arranged in single, twin, and suite layouts. Social spaces include a light-filled lounge with a bar and library, a cosy dining room lined with windows, and open access to the bridge. On-deck amenities such as the sauna and outdoor hot tub extend the experience outdoors, providing rare vantage points in warmth and comfort. Vikingfjord operates as a true small-ship expedition platform: quiet, compact, environmentally progressive, and designed to maximise immersion in the polar landscape.








