The new Hapag-Lloyd Cruises expedition class is once again leaving familiar waters. Instead of the classic circumnavigation of Svalbard, the HANSEATIC nature is choosing the “outer route” via the archipelago’s easternmost island for the very first time. Massive glaciers, deep fjords, unspoilt wilderness – from the deck, in the Zodiac and on hikes, you will see every day why Svalbard is legend and adventure in equal measure. Spot reindeer, Arctic foxes and also walruses. Further and further you advance. Will the ice clear the way? If the endeavour succeeds, then it’s clear: you will be part of the history of exploration, just like the Swedish polar explorer Salomon August Andrée in 1897, when you reach the “white island”: Kvitoya. Remoteness in its most beautiful form, covered in ice and with a rocky peninsula to the east – an Arctic dream. People rarely come here, but polar bears do. With a bit of luck, you can spot them at a respectful distance from the deck. Your sense of discovery will be as majestic as the panoramas of mountain ranges and icebergs once you have completed the circumnavigation.

---- The ice conditions determine the course here (see map).

The itinerary depends on official approval, weather and ice conditions. The natural experiences and wildlife sightings described are possibilities on this expedition and are not guaranteed. The crew will endeavour to complete the circumnavigation of Svalbard. Circumnavigation is not guaranteed.