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TRIP NOTES VOYAGE INFORMATION Voyage Name High Arctic Adventure Voyage Code HAA001G Dates 02 July to 26 July 2020 Duration 25 days / 24 nights Embark Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen Disembark Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen Ship Greg Mortimer Forms Due 02 April 2020 IMPORTANT INFORMATION TERMS AND CONDITIONS Please read our terms and conditions carefully to ensure you understand what is included in the trip cost as well as any fees that may be applicable in case you are required to cancel your trip. Please remember that the enclosed itinerary is merely a guide. While every effort will be made to follow the itinerary provided, in the event of political problems or natural disturbances that are beyond our control, and which prevent travel to a particular area, Aurora Expeditions reserves the right to make necessary changes to the itinerary and affected activities for that section of the voyage. ITINERARY OVERVIEW Day 1 Longyearbyen. Embark the Greg Mortimer Days 2-3 North West coast of Spitsbergen Days 4-5 Northern flanks of Spitsbergen Days 6-8 East Coast of Spitsbergen Days 9-10 Northwest Fjords & Eastern islands of Svalbard Day 11 Longyearbyen Days 12-13 At Sea Days 14-21 Franz Josef Land Day 22-24 At Sea Day 25 Disembark Longyearbyen VOYAGE HIGHLIGHTS • Paddle kayaks near Svalbard’s magnificent glacier fronts Cruise past brilliantly blue glaciers and stunning fjords Zodiac beneath sea cliffs alive with nesting seabirds Encounter polar bears on land and ice Explore rarely-visited islands of Franz Josef Land Discover unique stone spheres in alien landscapes HAA001G 13Mar18 LAST UPDATED: 13 March 20188 TRIP NOTES EXPEDITION INCLUSIONS Group arrival transfer from airport to the Greg Mortimer on Day 1 Group sightseeing tour of Longyearbyen on arrival on Day 1 Group transfer from ship to airport in Longyearbyen on Day 25 On-board accommodation during voyage including daily cabin service All meals, snacks, tea and coffee during voyage Beer, house wine and soft drinks with dinner All shore excursions and Zodiac cruises Educational lectures and guiding services from expedition team Access to our onboard doctor and basic medical services A 3-in-1 waterproof polar expedition jacket Loan of gumboots during the voyage Comprehensive pre-departure information A printed photo book produced with photos from your voyage Port surcharges, permits, and landing fees EXPEDITION EXCLUSIONS International or domestic flights, unless specified Transfers not mentioned in the itinerary Airport arrival or departure taxes Passport, visa, reciprocity fees and vaccination charges Travel insurance or emergency evacuation charges Hotels and meals not included in itinerary Optional excursions not included in the itinerary Optional activity surcharges All items of a personal nature including but not limited to: alcoholic beverages and soft drinks (outside of dinner service), laundry services, personal clothing, medical expenses, gratuities, and email or phone charges. DETAILED ITINERARY Please refer to this itinerary as a guide only, as changes may occur due to unpredictable sea and weather conditions. Flexibility is key, when joining us on our expeditions. NOTE: High Arctic Adventure combines Svalbard Odyssey (SVAL51G) and Franz Josef Land Explorer (FJL001G). Day 11 is a turnaround day in Longyearbyen for disembarking and embarking expeditioners. Day 1 Embark Longyearbyen Arrive in Longyearbyen, where you will be met by a representative of Aurora Expeditions and taken on a sightseeing tour to explore the remote outskirts and ‘Capital’ of Spitsbergen, including a stop at the local museum. After your tour you will be transferred to the port in the late afternoon to board our ship, the Greg Mortimer. Our voyage commences, cruising out of the beautiful Isfjorden, escorted by gliding fulmars and perhaps the occasional puffin. A favourite pastime on board is to stand at the stern watching for seabirds, including graceful ivory gulls, kittiwakes and guillemots. They rise and fall skilfully, using the air currents created by the ship to gain momentum. HAA001G 13Mar18 LAST UPDATED: 13 March 20188 TRIP NOTES NOTE: Sometimes our ship is unable to dock in Longyearbyen port due to space and capacity. In these instances, we reach the ship by Zodiac. Please ensure that you keep your wet-weather gear in your hand luggage to use in the Zodiacs if the situation arises. Our crew will transport your luggage separately to your cabin. Please ensure all your luggage has your cabin tag/number attached. Days 2-3 Northwest Coast of Spitsbergen Cruise northwards along the west coast of Spitsbergen, perhaps stopping at intriguing places like Kongsfjorden or Magdalenefjorden. Kongsfjorden (Kings Bay) is incredibly scenic, the fjord is headed by two giant glaciers. We spend long periods ashore hiking on the lush tundra amongst the summer flowers and observing the remarkable bird cliffs near the 14th July Glacier, where even a few puffins nest between the cracks in the cliffs. We keep watch for polar bears and Arctic foxes. We feel a sense of history at the 350-year-old remains of a Dutch whaling settlement Smeerenberg on Amsterdamøya. The name Smeerenberg literally means blubber town in Dutch. It is a place of extraordinary legends, of thousands of men living there during the 1630s, a town complete with shops, gambling dens and the like. However, in reality, only 400 men and fifteen ships visited Smeerenberg during its peak in the 1630s for whaling purposes. Days 4-5 Northern flanks of Spitsbergen As we work our way along the north coast we explore rarely-visited places such as Woodfjorden and Leifdefjorden in search of the mighty polar bear. From Zodiacs we enjoy magnificent views of weeping glaciers winding their way into the sea. We may walk on smooth raised beach terraces to a superb viewpoint or hike in the mountains on the tundra where pretty coloured wildflowers and lichen grow and where reindeer graze. We may visit trapper huts of yesteryear where Russians and Pomors would hunt and survive the cold harsh winters, all while remaining alert for wandering polar bears and their cubs. We might come face-to-face with the formidable pack ice of the Arctic Ocean, keeping our eyes peeled for walrus feeding on clams or hauled out on the beach in wallows. We will listen to the cacophony of sea birds and see them feeding. Days 6-8 East Coast of Spitsbergen Along the northeast coast of Spitsbergen we enter a different world – a polar desert. If ice conditions allow we will pass south through the narrow Hinlopen Strait. The strait is flanked by creamy coloured slabs of rock that are rich in fossils, as we will discover for ourselves when we go ashore. We may visit Alkefjellet in the Strait, where a series of one-hundred-metre-high dolerite towers are home to millions of Brünnich’s guillemots – the penguins of the north – that occupy every available nook and cranny. Elsewhere we seek out eider ducks and geese, and hope to spot Arctic fox and the beautiful ivory gulls. As the Greg Mortimer passes between Spitsbergen and the smaller islands of Barentsøya and Edgeøya, we cross the main polar bear migration route and the beautiful fertile plains of Sundeneset. The spongy ground is richly covered with bright green mosses, a variety of delicate and colourful flowers, particularly the yellow marsh (bog) saxifrage, various mushrooms, fungi, clear bubbling streams and small tarns. Tiny (micro) flowers such as Mouse Ears grow in Spitsbergen creating faerie like mossy rock gardens. We explore this beautiful terrain on foot, marvelling at the contrast between the colourful soft ground and the barren, rocky terrain from further north. Reindeer antlers lie scattered along the ground. We round South Cape, Spitsbergen's most southerly point, before continuing northwards. Days 9-10 Southwest Fjords of Spitsbergen We enter the spectacular Hornsund Fjord where we may take an early morning Zodiac cruise to admire the beautiful ice walls of the Samarin Glacier or take a stroll beneath the towering seabird cliffs at Sofiebogen. In Bellsund Fjord we are always on the lookout for beluga whales. Bellsund Fjord is a fjord that splits into two branches. It was named Bellsund after a nearby bell-shaped mountain by William Barentsz in 1596. We may visit the remnants of a HAA001G 13Mar18 LAST UPDATED: 13 March 20188 TRIP NOTES Norwegian beluga whaling station from the 1930s. Across the fjord at Våraolbukta is lush and stunning landscape, where reindeer roam, Arctic flowers bloom in abundance and Arctic fox may be seen patrolling the little auk colony, where several thousand birds nest amongst the boulders, coming and going in huge flocks. Day 11 Longyearbyen In the early morning, arrive in Longyearbyen and after breakfast, enjoy the day at your leisure as the ship’s hotel staff prepare to welcome on board expeditioners joining us on the next leg of the voyage to Franz Josef Land. Day 12-13 At Sea Over the next two days at sea, enjoy informative and entertaining lectures from our expert expedition team including naturalists, historians and geologists. Franz Josef Land is a stark yet beautiful world of glaciers, mosses and lichens. Approximately five million sea birds nest on the archipelago every year, with the thick-billed guillemot accounting for approximately 20%. Other seabirds such as fulmar, kittiwake, Brünnich's guillemot, black guillemot and little auk are common throughout the archipelago. On the flat tundra, nest other species such as: common eider, purple sandpiper, Arctic skua, glaucous gull, ivory gull, Arctic tern and snow bunting. Franz Josef Land is home to two Arctic giants – the polar bear and the walrus. There is also a population of Arctic fox, which typically have their territories near seabird habitats. The waters of Franz Josef Land are visited by whales, including humpback, bowhead, narwhal, and the white beluga whale.