Travel: The land of snow and ice
Walruses, polar bears and falling ice were among the Arctic spectacles witnessed by Jeannine Williamson
O ur Zodiac Cruises driver Joel cuts the boat’s engine and we drift noiselessly on what, to our untrained eyes, appears to be an empty stretch of glassy water off the remote island of Nordaustlandet. Suddenly, a glistening, dark-brown head breaks the surface and Joel’s gimlet vision rewards us with our first glimpse of a mighty walrus.
Seconds later, three more appear, this time much closer to our inflatable craft, providing an unforgettable close-up view of their huge, trademark tusks and whiskers.
We reach a sunny bay on the isle in Norway’s Svalbard archipelago to find hundreds more basking on the shore in a vast, blubbery mass. A huge male – probably weighing almost 300st – looks up, and his deep, gruff bark breaks the silence. It’s another extraordinary moment in a cruise deep into the Arctic wilderness, following in the wake of great explorers who set out to reach the North Pole.
This environment, once inaccessible to would-be adventurers, has been shaped by some of nature’s greatest spectacles, including
glaciers formed thousands of years ago and vast tracts of tundra, sprinkled with improbably resilient flora, such as the tiny pink ‘compass plant’ which blossoms towards the sun.
Wildlife odyssey
Our week-long journey began in the former whaling and coal-mining town of Longyearbyen, less than a three-hour flight from the Norwegian capital of Oslo, and perched on the western edge of Spitsbergen, Svalbard’s largest island. Here, we boarded G Expedition, an ice-strengthened former ferry that’s been comfortably converted to carry 134 passengers on exciting voyages in search of whales, seals, reindeer, Arctic foxes, bird colonies and, most notably, some of the 3,000-plus polar bears roaming the region’s ice floes and islands.
Sightings often come unexpectedly. Our second dinner was interrupted by an announcement that the sharp-eyed captain had spotted a polar bear on the starboard shoreline. Everyone
dashed out on to the decks, binoculars and cameras in hand, as the bear ambled along the spit.
Thrilling sights
Each day, a ‘scouting party’ went ashore to check for bears. If sighted, any planned landings and guided walks were called off, and we were instructed to view from the safety of the deck instead.
We kept nice and snug with insulated, waterproof boots provided by the ship, and heavy-duty parkas which we were allowed to keep.
By the end of our trip, we’d seen a total of eight bears, either snoozing halfway up steep slopes, paddling along the water’s edge or, most memorably, standing majestically on a rocky outcrop, surveying the horizon.
One morning, our sturdy, inflatable craft took us to the towering Monaco glacier, named after Duke Albert I of Monaco, who led expeditions that first mapped the ice field in 1906. Around three miles wide, here we witnessed the awe-inspiring phenomenon of ‘ice calving’, where giant shards of the ice wall crack with a thunderous roar and fall into the water. Alongside the boat, chunks of clear, floating ice made popping sounds as trapped air escaped. Aside from a couple of mornings when an ethereal mist shrouded the ship, these marvels were set against a backdrop of lapis-blue water and dazzling skies.
Our time aboard was filled with insightful lectures, relaxing in the lounge or library and hearty meals. Most nights, we enjoyed a nightcap in the cosy Polar Bear Pub at the back of the ship, where the long, summer nights meant it was still light by the time we headed back to our cabins.
All too soon, it was time for our last toast in the
Arctic Circle – an incredible destination for an experience of a lifetime.