Vantage World Travel

St. Kilda - Jan Mayen - 10D/9N

The North Atlantic islands and coastlines offer some of the finest scenery and wildlife experiences in the world. From the Scottish Isles to the High Arctic, visitors to the region can witness enormous colonies of seabirds thronging the cliffs and shores, and enjoy the thrilling antics of whales and dolphins and seals at sea.
Though remote and sparsely populated today, many of the places we explore have been inhabited in the last 5000 years, and thousands of unique prehistoric and historic sites are a testimony to the thriving cultures of the past.

Ship: Professor Multanovskiy.

Embarkation: 11 Jun 2009 Oban. Debarkation: 20 Jun 2009 Longyearbyen.

Rates from: $5,976.00 USD per person based on double occupancy.

Single occupancy: All cabin types 1.8 times the share price.

Included: Voyage aboard the indicated vessel as indicated in the itinerary. All meals throughout the voyage aboard the ship including snacks, coffee and tea. All shore excursions and activities throughout the voyage by Zodiac. Program of lectures by noted naturalists and leadership by experienced expedition staff. Transfers and baggage handling between the hotels, airports and ship only for those passengers on the group flights in Longyearbyen - Spitsbergen. Transfers and baggage handling between ship and airport after arrival of the ship in the morning in Keflavik – Iceland (not v.v. between airport and ship). Transfers and baggage handling between ship and hotels in Reykjavik after arrival of the ship in the morning in Keflavik - Iceland (not v.v. between Reykjavik and ship). All miscellaneous service taxes and port charges throughout the programme. Comprehensive pre-departure material.

Not included: Any airfare, whether on scheduled or charter flights. Pre- and post land arrangements. Transfers to / from the vessel outside Spitsbergen. Passport and visa expenses. Government arrival and departure taxes. Meals ashore. Baggage, cancellation and personal insurance ( which is strongly recommended). Excess baggage charges and all items of a personal nature such as laundry, bar, beverage charges and telecommunication charges. And the customary gratuity at the end of the voyages for stewards and other service personnel aboard ( guidelines will be provided). A net fuel surcharge of EURO 32 per person per night will apply on all reservations, except for Noorderlicht voyages.

Note: All voyages will operate subject to a minimum of 30 participants on the Prof. Molchanov and Prof.
Multanovskiy and the Grigriy Mikheev and Aleksey Maryshev, 50 participants on the Antarctic Dream, 70 participants on the
Plancius and 14 participants on the Noorderlicht.

Note: All itineraries are for guidance only. Programs may vary depending on local ice and weather conditions and in order to take advantage of opportunities to see wildlife. Flexibility is paramount for expedition cruises.

Itinerary:

• Day 1 - We embark at Oban, a small and cosy harbour town in west Scotland. From Glasgow it is a good option to take the train, a marvellous journey through one of the most scenic parts of Scotland. The channels between the Scottish islands offer excellent possibilities to spot Minke Whales (a small baleen whale), White-beaked Dolphins and Harbour Porpoises. Several other cetaceans, including Orcas (Killer Whales), are also native to these waters.
• Day 2 - To the west of North Uist lie the St Kilda group of islands, built of volcanic rock and with cliffs rising to over 400m, the highest in Britain and home to the largest seabird colony in the country. St Kilda has its own sub-species of birds and mice, and of sheep, the Soay, probably brought here by Stone Age man over 5,000 years ago. Until 1930 St. Kilda was inhabited, but then the last of the islanders left leaving a handful of windswept ruins, though there is also a military base which may be visited.
• Day 3 - In the afternoon we reach the Faroes, where we will sail through the maze of channels between the islands and where we pass Skuvoy and the north side of Streymoy with huge seabird colonies.
• Day 4 & 5 - We sail north to the Norwegian island of Jan Mayen, situated 300 nautical miles north-east of Iceland. During our two days at sea there will be plenty of time to watch for the blow of a Minke, Fin or Blue Whale, which could herald a rewarding encounter with these gentle giants. Perhaps we might run into a pod of Orcas, who can often be quite curious about boats such as ours.
• Day 6 - Jan Mayen is a volcanic island of breathtaking beauty and mystique, dominated by Mt Beerenberg. From the slopes of the 2300m volcano, impressive glaciers spill into the sea. Until recently, the island was off-limits as it is a military base, and was rarely visited by tourists, but with permission from the Norwegian authorities we hope to visit the weather station. We will also walk across the island to Kvalrossbukta to look at the remains of a 17th century Dutch whaling station and a substantial colony of Fulmars. We also plan to sail by Koksletta where thousands of Little Auks and Brünnich´s Guillemots breed close to a glacier, watched over by piratical Glaucous Gulls.
• Day 7 & 8 - We spend two days at sea, looking out for Whales, Dolphins and Seals and a variety of seabirds.
• Day 9 - Depending on the position of the sea-ice, we cruise the maze of fjords in the spectacular
  Hornsund area of southern Spitsbergen, which is ringed by towering mountain peaks. Hornsundtind rises to 1,431m while Bautaen shows why early Dutch explorers gave the name ‘Spitsbergen’ - pointed mountains - to the island. There are also 14 magnificent glaciers in the area but as well as spectacular scenery, the area is renowned for its abundant and varied arctic wildlife. We have very good chances of seeing Seals and with a little luck, the very symbol of the Arctic - Polar Bears. We may visit the Polish research station where the friendly staff will give us an insight into their research projects. Behind the station, the mountains are home to thousands of pairs of nesting Little Auks. Bearded Seals often cruise the inner fjords, whose cliffs are lined with colonies of Brünnich’s Guillemots and Kittiwakes. On the tundra we will have good opportunities to observe foraging Barnacle Geese.
  - Alternative - Day 9 We land at Kapp Toscana on Ahlstrandhalvøya at the mouth of Van Keulenfjord, where piles of Beluga skeletons are a reminder of the 20th century exploitation of these small white whales. Numbers are now recovering and there is a good chance of spotting small groups in the area. We then move to Recherchefjord, where a walk on the fragile tundra which backs the fjord may yield sightings of Reindeer and where we visit the remains of a 17th century Dutch whaling station at Lagerneset. Alternatively we may land at Midterhuken to explore the remains of 17th century English whaling sites. The weather will determine which good options will be chosen in this area.
• Day 10 - We disembark at Longyearbyen, the administrative centre of Spitsbergen, for flights south to Norway and onward to home. Alternatively we may stay on the ship and continue our voyage to North Spitsbergen (MLT06).

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