Private yacht expeditions, Svalbard
One yacht, one destination, and everything Svalbard can offer. Planned trips to the last detail, and led on board by the people who have run journeys to Svalbard for over a decade.
A premium brand by Svalbard Experts
Since January 2025, Svalbard belongs to the small vessel. The Governor limited landings in the protected areas to 43 mapped sites and capped ships in the national parks at 200 passengers. Heavy fuel oil has been banned in these waters since 2022.
A yacht with up to fourteen guests moves along with the ice, sea and land. The trip in Svalbard by yacht isn't only about luxury, it's about having the trip with the right tool.
Photo: Francesco Ungaro, Pexels
Photo: Hugo Sykes, PexelsFour examples of yachts we can place in Svalbard, each with her own crew, and central agent.
Photo: courtesy of ATLASI · Motor yacht
A Lürssen of 74 metres, refitted in 2024, with a glass elevator to every guest deck, a cinema lounge and a spa in the beach club. Twelve guests in six cabins, a crew of 24.
Photo: courtesy of BOLDII · Explorer style
85.3 metres by SilverYachts, styled by Espen Øino, built 2019. A winter garden, glass windbreaks and shaded decks for any climate. Twelve guests in eight cabins, a crew of 20, 23 knots when she needs them.
Photo: courtesy of ARCTICIII · Explorer yacht
Built in 1994 as an ocean-going salvage tug and rebuilt as an explorer yacht, most recently in 2025. 87.6 metres, seven tenders, a crew of 28 for twelve guests in seven cabins. The one in the portfolio that was made for ice.
Photo: courtesy of STARFIREIV · Motor yacht
73 metres by Lürssen, built 2007 and refitted from bow to stern in 2025. An interior across five decks with unusually high ceilings, a pool that converts to a hot tub, and a full-beam owner's suite with its own observation lounge. Twelve guests in seven cabins, a crew of 20.
The ice sets the route. The crew sets the table. The nature sets the rest.
Photo: Francesco Ungaro, PexelsAustfonnaCalving is heard before it is seen.
A sample route, July
Every route is one of many. This one is drawn for a July charter on the expedition yacht and redrawn every morning from the ice chart.
Embarkation in the afternoon. First glacier front at Esmarkbreen before dinner.
Kongsbreen and the research settlement. Kittiwakes on the ice, Arctic foxes on the shore.
The north-west corner, remains of the 17th-century whaling station, walrus on the beach.
Where the ice begins, the bears are. A day at the edge, engines off.
Basalt cliffs with tens of thousands of Brünnich's guillemots. Zodiacs below the colony.
One of the longest glacier fronts of the northern hemisphere, ice permitting.
Return west along the north coast. Kayaks in front of the glacier, a last night at anchor.
Disembarkation in the morning. Optional land days with Svalbard Experts.
What the ice allows you to see
Photo: Francesco Ungaro, Pexels
Photo: Raul Ling, Pexels
Photo: Francesco Ungaro, Pexels
Photo: Lorenzo Castellino, Pexels
Photo: Jędrzej Koralewski, Pexels
Photo: Francesco Ungaro, PexelsTwelve prints
Photo: Lorenzo Castellino, Pexels
Photo: Frans van Heerden, Pexels
Photo: Kostas Exarhos, Pexels
Photo: Miriam Espacio, Pexels
Photo: Hugo Sykes, Pexels
Photo: Radu’s Page Capture, Pexels
Photo: Krister P, Pexels
Photo: Putulik Jaaka, Pexels
Photo: Francesco Ungaro, Pexels
Photo: Cup of Couple, Pexels
Photo: Francesco Ungaro, Pexels
Photo: Francesco Ungaro, PexelsQuestions
There is no guarantee, and anyone who promises one is not being straight with you. What a yacht changes is the odds: we go where the ice is, we wait, we move when the expedition leader reads a chance. Sightings are from the yacht or the Zodiac, never closer than 300 metres in summer and 500 in spring.
Most days are spent in fjords, which are sheltered. The passages along the north coast and to the ice edge can be rough. The leader plans around the forecast, and the route changes before the guests notice a swell. A private charter has that freedom, a scheduled cruise does not.
Yes. A private yacht is one of the few ways a family can travel Svalbard together at its own pace. Zodiac landings carry minimum ages that depend on the vessel and the site, and a polar bear guard accompanies every landing. We confirm the details per yacht.
Included: the yacht, crew, expedition leader and polar bear guard, all meals and drinks on board, Zodiacs and kayaks, landing permits and fees. Not included: flights to Longyearbyen, hotel nights before and after, insurance. We arrange all of it on request.
Yes. Travel insurance with search, rescue and medical evacuation cover is required for expedition travel in Svalbard. We tell you what the policy must contain before you sign anything.
June to September, typically 3 to 7 degrees Celsius at sea level, colder in wind and on the ice. Layers matter more than thickness. A packing list comes with the confirmation, and the yacht carries insulated suits for the Zodiac.
Most yachts in this class now carry satellite internet. We confirm it per vessel, and we tell you honestly if a yacht does not have it.
Charters for the summer of 2027 are being placed now, in autumn 2026. The best windows in July and early August go first. A conversation costs nothing and holds a window for a few days.
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Or speak to the team that has answered Svalbard questions for ten years.
