Possible Excursions
When traveling in extremely remote regions, your Expedition Team must consider the sea, ice and weather to guide the route and itinerary details. The following sites are a sample of what you may experience on your expedition, whether by ship, Zodiac cruise, or shore landing. Spitsbergen ALKEFJELLET This cliff is a seabird colony, where Brünnich’s guillemots (thick-billed murres) raise their young. An estimated 60,000 breeding pairs reside on the basalt cliffs. The birds do not build nests; rather, they lay eggs on the bare ledges of the cliff. Witness the spectacle of thousands of birds flying to and from their cliff edge, speckling the sky and water, like a beehive on a much grander scale.
DISKOBUKTA This bay on the west shore of Edgeøya affords a landing site with a box canyon where black-legged kittiwakes raise their young. Arctic foxes have been seen combing the canyon floor to feed on scraps that have fallen from the nests above. Watch for the bones of ancient North Atlantic right whales—evidence that the land is rebounding since the last major glaciation. ISBUKTA On the eastern shore of the southern tip of Svalbard is Isbukta, which means ‘Ice Bay.’ Arctic terns, skuas and bearded seals inhabit the bay. Polar bears are known to patrol the area as well.
Call your Travel Professional or a Quark Polar Travel Adviser at 1.888.892.0073 | Visit QuarkExpeditions.com for additional details
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