Voyage 5 Log

The Final Days
29 June 2019 – Alkhornet & Ymerbukta
Page 20
From the Voyage Log
Although the midnight sun and the evening activities
kept us up much too late the preceding night, it’s only
fitting that we to got up early to make the most of our
last full day in Svalbard. After some early morning
pastries and a hearty breakfast, we got our cold
weather gear back on to head out for a final landing at
Alkhornet.
High winds and cold temperatures provided us with a
true arctic experience, as we bundled up for the
bumpy zodiac ride to the landing site. As soon as we
completed the steep, but thankfully short, climb up to
the tundra-covered plateau, however, we were
treated to some stunning views of a staggeringly tall
bird cliff and the surrounding mountain landscape.
© Renato Granieri Photography
Lunch came and went, and soon enough, it was time
for the afternoon zodiac cruise at Ymerbukta. Our
trusty zodiacs glided through the water, treating us to
stunning views of the surrounding mountains, glaciers,
and tundra-filled landscape.
All in all, Alkhornet and Ymerbukta proved to be a
glorious ending to a fantastic set of excursions during
our voyage around Svalbard. Although we’d love to
stay longer, life has other plans in store for many of us,
so we waved a fond farewell to Svalbard and all of the
adventures its wonderful landscape holds as we
zoomed back to the ship for the final time.
© Gaby Pilson
As we head out on our final guided walk of the trip, we
were treated to excellent views of the Svalbard
reindeer (Spitsbergen’s charismatic ungulate), while a
few of us even managed to enjoy a quick sighting of
the ever-elusive arctic fox.
Whether you were on the lookout for foxes, or were
mesmerised by the abundant wildflowers sprawled
across the tundra, it was hard, however, to miss the
tens of thousands of nesting seabirds high up on the
cliffs of Alkhornet. The cacophony of sounds of each of
these birds as they try to find their nest is one that
we’d be hard-pressed to forget.
Once back on the ship, we enjoyed our last afternoon
tea, a celebratory evening of cocktails and fine dining,
which was capped off by a decadent spread of
chocolate-based deserts to wrap up an amazing
culinary experience, thanks to the talents our head
chef, Indra.
Finally, we packed our bags, organized our belongings,
and prepared for disembarkation the next day and our
journeys home - a bittersweet adieu to the Ocean
Atlantic after a fantastic voyage in Svalbard.
Like all good things, however, our final landing came
to an end. After an equally exciting zodiac ride, we
were finally back on the ship for a well deserved lunch
and break before the afternoon’s activities.
© Renato Granieri Photography
23-30 June, 2019
Volume 1, Issue 5