On the first morning of our expedition around Svalbard, during breakfast and morning briefings we had spectacular views of Smeerenburgbreen. After environmental and safety briefings, everyone was looking forward to the first expedition outing. Following lunch, we spent the afternoon around Fuglesongen Island. Some guests navigated the challenging conditions on the beach to explore the island. We climbed the boulder beach and trekked around the island to a colony of little auks (Alle alle). All were amazed when thousands of the small birds took flight. Returning to the ship, the hikers exchanged hiking poles for paddles and went to the water to experience the bird colony from kayak level. Our afternoon outings were a great introduction to this wild and scenic landscape.
6/15/2025
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National Geographic Resolution
Spitsbergen Island, Svalbard
This morning, National Geographic Resolution explored the northeast coast of Spitsbergen Island. On approach to our landing, the ever-watchful spotters on the Bridge found a mother and cub polar bear on fast ice at a comfortable distance from our landing site. On shore, we divided into casual, moderate, and long walkers and set off into the high arctic tundra to explore the barren beauty of this high latitude. The long walkers made it to a high point with an amazing view of the ship and fjord, while the casual and moderate walkers explored the fjord-indented coastline. After lunch, we hopped into Zodiacs for an amazing cruise along the bird cliffs at Alkefjellet. The highlight was the thousands of Brunich’s guillemots nesting on dolerite ledges and covering every available space. Birds, birds everywhere! It was truly a sight to see and hear. We found an arctic fox cruising along the rocky shoreline and incredibly steep terrain, looking for anything (eggs, chicks) falling from the sky. Most of these bird cliffs have a resident fox den beneath them, as the abundance of birds helps sustain them. It was another incredible day at Latitude 79 North!
