Svalbard Photo Tours & Expeditions

Every month offers something different for a photographer in Svalbard and often our guests return to experience the place at different times of the year.

We offer photo tours in Svalbard throughout the season which runs from March until early October.

In March & April Svalbard is emerging from the winter and conditions are more extreme with temperatures well below freezing. Expect frozen landscapes, plenty of ice and some amazing winter colours in the sky. Wildlife sightings are less frequent early in the season and it is suited to photographers looking to capture the magical winter light and frozen landscapes. Passages are shorter due to the sea ice restricting the north of Spitsbergen.

In early May the shores of Svalbard are still covered in snow making it a scenic paradise and ideal for photography. There is now 24 hours of sunlight. Wildlife begins to return and it is possible to sea polar bears on the edge of the fjord ice. Walruses can be seen resting on ice flows. Early in the month it is hard to land on the shores due to the ice and most of expedition will take place from the Zodiacs which we will use to explore the coastline. During these months cruises are shorter as access to the north coast can still be restricted due to the sea ice. 

By the end of May and into June the coast to the north of Svalbard opens up making longer expeditions possible. Birds begin to arrive back in Svalbard and June offers a great month for wildlife photography. As the fjord ice disappears it makes it possible to get up close to mighty glaciers that have been locked in by ice for the winter. 

In July and August the summer is here. The sea ice has retreated further north and it is usually possible to reach further less visited parts of Svalbard. These months offer the ideal opportunity for wildlife viewing. By the end of August the birds start to migrate south.

September is a good month for photography as the light becomes lower in the sky. Whilst the birds have mostly migrated south, Polar bears and walruses are still frequently sighted. It is also possible to witness the first snow of the coming winter.  

All our Svalbard photo tours depart and return to the town of Longyearbyen.  Longyearbyen is easily reached by daily flights from Oslo in Norway making it one of the easiest destinations to reach in the High Arctic. To find out more about how to get to Longyearbyen please visit our guide. 

All our Svalbard photography tours take place on purpose built, ice-strengthened expedition vessels that are capable of entering the sea ice. 

What makes our tours really unique is that we take just 12 photographers per voyage. This helps us create an intimate experience for our guests and gives you lots of flexibility to get the photography that you came for. 

Our trips are led by an experienced expedition leader, an assistant expedition leader and a professional photographer with lots of previous experience shooting in Svalbard. This team are there to help you get the shots you came for and provide you with any assistance as necessary. 

During the days we will launch the Zodiac landing craft and use them to explore. This are ideal to shoot photography from and help us get close to wildlife without causing any disturbances. 

At Secret Atlas our philosophy is the smaller the group size the richer the expedition experience for our guests.

Large cruise ships taking over 100 guests offer a completely different type of experience. 

A small ship with 12 guests offers a great deal of flexibility. We can reach areas large ships cannot reach, deploy our zodiacs rapidly if we see a photography opportunity, and have a much lower impact. 

Our Svalbard photo tours offer you a chance to experience Svalbard in a personal way without the crowds of larger vessels. Our goal is to make you part of the adventure.

Svalbard is an untamed Arctic wilderness and on every photo tour we encounter different wildlife. We can never guarantee specific wildlife sightings, although we do work with expedition teams that are excellent wildlife spotters to maximise chances.  

Svalbard in our opinion is the best place in the High Arctic to see wildlife including polar bears as there are high concentrations surrounding the islands. Whilst a sighting is never guaranteed we do frequently get a chance to photograph polar bears in their natural environment. 

The chances of encountering wildlife are very high and on all previous trips, we have seen walruses, whales, Svalbard Reindeer and a variety of birdlife. Whilst we can’t make any guarantees, we have encountered polar bears on the majority of our trips and we cruise areas where they are known to hunt.

You can find out more about the wildlife in Svalbard in this blog article here.

Our Svalbard photo tours offer a chance to explore and don’t follow set itineraries or routes. This gives us a great deal of flexibility to maximise photographic opportunities based on the sea ice and weather conditions. 

On a typical photo tour we will launch the Zodiacs on a daily basis to go exploring and carry out shore landings. 

Our expedition team will ensure you see the most that Svalbard has to offer.

Due to the influence of the gulf stream on Svalbard’s climate, it is warmer during the summer than most people would imagine. A summer’s day rarely feels colder than the temperatures experienced in Northern Europe during the winter. It is not uncommon to be out hiking with only a base layer on when the sun is shining.

The temperature varies depending on the month you travel with the months of July and August offering the warmest temperatures.

Average High:

April -9°C,

May -3 °C

June +3°C

July +7°C

August +6°C

September +1°C

Our cruises are suitable for the vast majority of people and we aim to make them as accessible as possible. We ask that our guests have a good level of mobility as it is a requirement that you can safely step down from the vessel into the landing craft and then exit the landing craft on the beach. Due to the remote areas we visit and the distance from medical assistance, we advise that you have a reasonable level of fitness and are in good health. During the shore landings, we have 2 guides which enable us to split the group if we have some keen hikers and some other guests with more limited range.

Our Svalbard photo tours attract guests from all walks of life and onboard we have a diverse group of like minded travellers. Photographers vary from professionals looking to build their portfolios to semi-pro’s and amateurs looking to experience a unique location. 

In the past we have had young professionals, middle-aged solo travellers, looking for their next adventure, through to retirees looking to see Svalbard in a more in-depth way. Our trips are friendly and inclusive for all our guests.

Yes, you can and every year we welcome solo travellers onboard where you will find a warm and welcoming atmosphere.

We offer accommodation options for single cabins or sharing a cabin with travellers of the same gender.

Our photo tours are designed for guests that are looking to spend time out in the field taking photos. 

We allow non-photographers or partners of photographers to join our trips that are happy to spend extended time out on the zodiacs enjoying the nature and wildlife watching.

We also have an expedition leader and guide onboard as we do with our standard expeditions so there will be lots of opuurutunity to learn about Svalbard.