svalbard expedition with Arcitc world safari’s on ms virgo

At the end of April 2025 I finally made it back to Svalbard for what was set to be another epic expedition.  Having been captivated by the beauty of the Arctic on my trip back in 2019; this was now my 5th attempt at returning as a result of covid cancellations, maritime audits and then the last blow being a bankruptcy at the end of December 2024; it had been proving harder than I had anticipated.  I am however a firm believe that all things happen for a reason; and this worked out well for me in the end and travelling early season meant we got to see some of the beautiful pancake ice in the fjords as well as some magical light in the small hours of the night which by now meant we had 24 hours daylight.

My itinerary for my time in Svalbard was to get on a small expedition ship the MS Virgo chartered by Arctic World Safari’s.  This is a superb vessel carrying only 12 guests and photography being the primary purpose of the trip meant that we should be able to maximise the opportunity to make the most of the environment.  Equipped with 2 zodiacs or ribs for those in the UK we were able to quickly get on the water as we wanted and with plenty of space for camera great.  Something that was not so easy on my previous visit with a much bigger group to cater for.

Getting to the Arctic is not as tricky as you might think; most of the flights go via Oslo, so an overnight there and a short flight the following morning you can touch down in Longyearbyen the northern most airport in the world.  The flying conditions on the day I arrived were perfect; not a cloud in the sky and beautiful sunlight reflected by the good covering of snow everywhere.  Longyearbyen is quite a small town and once you have walked around the shops and out along the road to the polar bear sign (which is the furthest you are allowed to go without a rifle) there is little else to do unless you book onto one of the many activities like snow mobile rides or dog sledging. You are always advised to arrive a day early in case of delays caused by weather or baggage issues because the ship wont wait for you or your bags on departure day if you aren’t ready…!

I had heard that Arctic Fox can be found and photographed fairly near town and after a recommendation from one of the Polar Guides I follow on Instagram I had a morning booked with Laia a local guide who took me out to look for the foxes.  When I woke up that morning the weather couldn’t have been more different to the day before; it was almost a complete white out with wind and snow falling.  These can make for the most incredible photography conditions provided you can find something in it.

We started with some juvenile reindeer who posed nicely for me in the snow blizzard; with ice on their heads, the snow blowing through and the sea as a background this made for some beautiful moody and atmospheric images.

As we continued it was starting to feel doubtful that we would see any foxes but then in the distance we could hear calling.  We trekked over a frozen river and part way up the side of a mountain to find a beautiful white fox curled up asleep.  We crept up to it and was fortunate enough to get some wonderful images.  Then there was another fox barking in the distance - its partner; at this point the one we had been photographing got up, called a few times and then the pair scampered off up the mountain together.  An incredible spot and an unforgettable encounter.

That evening I got onto the ship and settled into my small but comfortable private cabin and off we went.  We were the only ship that opted to head south at the beginning of our voyage and after a little bit of a choppy night we woke to the most beautiful scenery and a distant Polar Bear asleep on the ice.  We waited 12 hours to see if the bear might get up and come closer; during this time we were entertained by a large group of Harbour seals and a pod of Beluga Whales hunting along the ice edge.  Eventually our patience was rewarded and the inquisitive bear briefly came to the edge of the ice.

The next few days were spent exploring the pack ice looking for bears and other wildlife.  These were all unbroken sunshine beautiful days and comparatively warm.  There are no words that can describe the feeling and beauty of being out on the water when all you can see in every direction is ice. 

We drew a blank on the ice and slowly started heading north with the intention of having a midnight zodiac cruise in a lagoon with glaciers shedding ice bergs.  Another truly incredible experience with some lovely light.  The air was calm and still and the mountains were reflecting in the water.

By the time we had headed back south and into Longyearbyen we had seen a couple more bears and some very obliging walrus on the ice.  The last night we spend in port and there was the option to go off the ship if we wanted – the first time setting foot on land in almost 9 days.  I opted to use the time to head out with Laia again and one of the other guests on the ship to look for the fox once more.  We found a different pair this time and watched them moving together scent marking along the ridge of a mountain.  Eventually we were treated to them both coming down to the level we were at and crossed the road in front of us.  In the time we had been away almost all the snow had melted but we were treated to some beautiful backlight images of the foxes who were now shedding their winter coat.  This was the perfect end to another amazing expedition.

If you are thinking about a trip to Svalbard I can highly recommend the small ship experience; having done a lot of homework on the various different vessels available I think the Virgo is probably one of the best if not best choice and the crew and especially chef were excellent.  We were also very lucky with our 2 local guides on the ship Vide and Timo who were incredibly knowledgable and did an amazing job of leading the expedition.

I know I will be back again…!