Picture of Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Caption: Arctic Svalbard THE KING in the NORTH to find An adventure in
Picture of Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Caption: Close to 80Β° north, Svalbard rises out of the Arctic Ocean. It is home to approximately 3,000 polar bears.
In May 2019 I ventured there with my husband and 20 other guests on a small ship named MS FREYA.
Svalbard consists of hundreds of small islands of which Spitsbergen is the largest.
Here we are only 1,120km (700 miles) south from of the North Pole and the rugged mountains, glaciers and magical landscapes are a wonder to behold.
Welcome to one of the most unique and one of the harshest places on planet earth π
Picture of Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Caption: The excitement of our trip began within hours of boarding our ship.
A sighting of a mother bear and her 18mth old cub. The mother was wearing a tracking collar for scientific studies
Picture of Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Caption: Both were very healthy and enjoying life. We watched them play, swim and interact for several hours
Picture of Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Picture of Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Caption: Onwards we cruised
Picture of Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Caption: An adult Bearded Seal
Picture of Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Caption: As much as we love encountering the seals in this beautiful landscape we are reminded that seals are the main staple food for polar bears π
Picture of Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Caption: We slowly cruised closer We visited Nordfjorden and soon spotted another polar bear. This time a young 3-4 yo female bear.
Picture of Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Picture of Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Caption: She had a previous seal kill and soon after spotting her she headed back to her meal, which was all but finished.
Picture of Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Caption: The key to observing wildlife is not to interfere in their natural habits. With polar bears this means staying at a respectful distance. But bears are very curious and she came closer to investigate us π₯°
Picture of Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Caption: Like this close! This is me on the deck of the ship π
Picture of Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Picture of Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Picture of Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Caption: Bears have an incredibly keen sense of smell. They can smell a seal on the ice up to 20km away. We provided plenty of strange scents to check out!
Picture of Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Picture of Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Caption: Bears stick out their tongues - a lot!! This aids their keen sense of smell π
Video of Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Caption: She came really close, walked around the ship and then strolled off into the next bay.
Picture of Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Caption: To grasp the beauty of this fjord, here is a drone shot of our ship amongst the drift ice π
Picture of Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Caption: We cruised to the fjord next to this but with no luck in spotting another bear we decided to return to the same spot. Bears often come back to finish their food. Little did we know what a treat was in store for us! This is her walking away
Picture of Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Caption: We soon spotted our female again. But she sensed someone else!
Picture of Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Caption: Another bear! We werenβt exactly sure what to expect - a fight? But it was a beautiful reunion π. Most likely brother and sister!
Picture of Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Caption: For an hour they played on the ice, in the water and wrestled and cuddled each other. It was a glorious sight to witness.
Picture of Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Picture of Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Picture of Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Caption: BUT NOT THIS DAY Life on the ice can be lonely
Picture of Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Caption: We journeyed as far NORTH AS POSSIBLE Further north than any land on our planet until we hit the pack ice! 80Β° North
Picture of Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Picture of Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Caption: The most beautiful colour Glaciel Ice
Picture of Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Caption: Drifting through huge chunks of sea ice as we headed South again
Picture of Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Caption: into spectacular Van Mijen fjord. Our cruise south
Picture of Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Caption: We spotted a bear far into the ice. We watched for a while but he/she was resting. Conserving energy is important for bears so they can hunt when necessary.
Picture of Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Caption: The landscape here, more beautiful than words can express, deserves itβs own Steller Story
Picture of Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Picture of Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Caption: We visited Hornsund π. The conditions couldnβt have been better!
Picture of Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Video of Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Picture of Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Caption: We soon spotted another bear in this absolutely spectacular fjord.
Picture of Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Caption: The bear (not visible in this shot) was in amongst the drift ice right up close to this glacier A wide view of this stunning fjord
Picture of Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Picture of Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Caption: This bear was also quite curious and came relatively close to us Even so, all my photos of this bear are at 600mm zoom
Picture of Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Caption: Walking off into the sunset π
Picture of Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Caption: Bear footprints πΎ
Picture of Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Caption: Itβs important to note that a drone is NEVER flown whilst there is wildlife around πΎ
Picture of Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Caption: Arctic foxes are constant companions to polar bears. Primarily, they are scavengers and often clean up remains of seal (and other food) kills.
Picture of Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Caption: How beautiful is this glacier!
Picture of Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Caption: A rare photo of an Arctic Fox sitting still π. They are very active little guys!
Picture of Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Caption: THE KING IN THE NORTH A final and spectacular encounter π
Picture of Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Caption: On our second last day we returned to Isfjorden. Polar bears are wanderers and can travel hundreds of miles in any season. But in winter when conditions are good they often stay in the same area.
Picture of Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Caption: We parked the ship close to where we had encountered the two bears on our second day in the hope that we would have another sighting.
And WOW! Were we in for a special treat!
Picture of Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Caption: This beautiful male walked from the face of the glacier down to the ice edge..... and closer and closer to us!
Picture of Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Picture of Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Caption: and closer......
Picture of Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Picture of Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Picture of Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Caption: Until he was THIS CLOSE π
Picture of Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Caption: Looking a polar bear in the eye leaves you speechless
Picture of Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Caption: One of our guides from the expedition was in a zodiac and got this close up
πππ
Video of Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Caption: You might notice a tag in his ears?
All bears on Svalbard are tagged for research
Picture of Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Picture of Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Caption: But also for serious concern for the future of these beautiful bears π’ The most incredible feeling Iβve ever felt with a wildlife encounter was looking into the eyes of this beautiful bear. We all cried tears of joy.
Picture of Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Caption: The Arctic, the ice, so spectacular and magnificent in its vast beauty is so incredibly important to these bears. Without the ice, bears, seals and other wildlife that depend on it, cannot survive.
Picture of Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Caption: The world has lost 1.93 million square kilometers of arctic sea ice since the year 2000!
Picture of Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Caption: Human induced climate change is a major factor.
We still have time to act. But we must ACT NOW!
Picture of Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Caption: The King in the North Is depending on us. Theyβre depending on YOU!
Picture of Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Caption: The Arctic melt affects us all π Because all things in nature are connected. As glaciers melt, the sea levels rise. New maps are drawn. Currents change. Weather patterns alter. The melting of the poles affects
us all.
Picture of Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Caption: Thank you for reading & watching to the end ππΌ I sincerely want to thank
@fredgranath
&
@melissa_schaefer
&
@expeditionsresor
(their instagram handles)
For a truly spectacular experience!
My Instagram: raejmartens
