by tour leader Paul Stanbury
Polar Bears by Paul Stanbury
There are occasional moments in life that will remain in the memory for ever; once in a lifetime experiences that you feel privileged to be a part of and are never likely to be matched. And so, there we were, wrapped in a dozen layers of clothing, tucking into a delicious on-deck barbecue, over 80 degrees north and surrounded by a crazy-paving of fjord ice on which roamed no less than 18 Polar Bears… up to four of which were themselves tucking in (to an unfortunate seal) beside our vessel. Nearby, two more adult Polar Bears were polishing off a second seal, whilst milling around were twelve Polar Bear onlookers, most of them mothers with small cubs ever hopeful of some scraps. Phrases have yet to be coined to fully describe the scene; it was truly breathtaking!
This was just one of innumerable highlights that filled Naturetrek's very first exclusive charter around the Arctic island of Spitsbergen. Organised to celebrate our 20th Anniversary, forty-eight faithful Naturetrekkers had chosen to join five Naturetrek staff tour leaders aboard the ice-strengthened MV Professor Molchanov in July 2006. Superbly led by expedition leader Rinie van Meurs, we spent ten nights exploring the Svalbard Archipelago, dipping in and out of spectacular glacier-lined fjords, visiting huge seabird colonies and enjoying some of the last wilderness left on Earth. Rinie had been guiding in Spitsbergen for over 20 years and even he was frequently amazed by what we were finding, given the singular sense of purpose of this dedicated wildlife voyage. Indeed, with a final Polar Bear tally of 57 individuals, we even beat his all-time record by 10!
Our journey began in the small town of Longyearbyen, the capital of Svalbard and 'one Reindeer town' as it is occasionally known! From here we headed north and then east to circumnavigate the northern-most island of Nordoustlandet before returning to Longyearbyen with enough bird and mammal experiences to fill a typical wildlife mini-series. Highlights are too numerous to mention in any detail, but as well as the aforementioned barbecue in Duvefjord, we enjoyed the sights of spinning Grey Phalaropes with tiny chicks (described by one client as ‘bumblebees on legs!’), the experience of being enveloped amongst the maniacal chittering of a huge Little Auk colony and cruising alongside the towering ice cliffs of the Monaco Glacier, one of the largest in Spitsbergen. At Phippsøya, whilst at the most northerly point attained during our voyage, we hopped into the zodiacs for an exciting ride to a faraway beach where a Sperm Whale carcass had been washed into shallow, beach-side waters. Here, a staggering 16 Polar Bears (another amazing gathering for such a solitary species) patrolled or rested on the beach; some gnawing on part of the backbone they had dragged ashore, others swimming out to dive for the blubber resting on the seabed beneath our zodiacs! Nearby, the island of Storøya gave us our best views of Walrus, plus Pomarine Skuas and Sabine's Gulls, whilst the several hundred thousand Brünnich's Guillemots crowded onto the basalt cliffs of 'Alkefielletuk Cliffs' made for another memorable stop. The Long-tailed Skuas at Bloomstrand performed wonderfully, as did an Arctic Fox family at Ny-Alesund (the starting point for many of the early 20th Century attempts at the North Pole) who were rearing their five cubs on a constant diet of goslings from an adjacent population of Barnacle Geese! Add to this several wonderful sightings of ghostly white Beluga Whales, Minke Whales, Svalbard Reindeer, King Eider, hundreds of Ivory Gulls and 24 hours of unbroken daylight and it is easy to see why our only problem was finding enough time to sleep.
Naturetrek group in Spitsbergen by Paul Stanbury
Our success was due in no small part to Rinie's wealth of Arctic experience and the Russian captain and crew who carefully and safely manoeuvred the Molchanov to give us the best possible views of the wildlife and scenery. A big thank you must also be extended, however, to the group and tour leaders, for their enthusiasm, good humour and selection of very bad jokes! The banter that developed during the trip made for a very enjoyable time for all. It was often noted that chartering the whole ship had given us a great advantage for, not only did we have 53 wildlife enthusiasts on board, but we could tailor the voyage, in conjunction with Rinie, to suit our wildlife viewing needs. There could surely have been no better way to have celebrated 20 years of Naturetrek holidays than on this Arctic voyage. Its success has fuelled a demand for – and fired our enthusiasm to arrange – more such exclusive Naturetrek charters in the future, and it has set a high benchmark that will be very hard to beat; though a challenge we are more than happy to accept!
To find out more information about travelling to this stunning destination with Naturetrek click here or phone Paul Stanbury on 01962 733051.