North Atlantic Whale Safari - M/V Ortelius, M/V Plancius
View Trip Notes
50 Degrees North offers unique, small-group expedition voyages to the Arctic that allow you to enjoy the natural wildlife and scenery of some of the world’s most spectacular and pristine shorelines.
Highlights for this trip include the Scottish waters offering excellent possibilities to spot Minke Whales, White-beaked Dolphins and Harbour Porpoises. Several other cetaceans, including Orcas (Killer Whales), are also native to these waters. Near the Shetlands, watch out for Grey Seals, Black Guillemots, Red-throated Divers, Arctic Skuas and a wonderful Spring Flora.
Jan Mayen is a volcanic island of breathtaking beauty and mystique, dominated by Mt Beerenberg. You will have two days to explore this area, a fabulous chance to see an area remote and captivating.
Deckplan
Click here to view deck plan for the Plancius
Aberdeen
Shetland Islands
Sail to Jan Mayen
Jan Mayen
Sail to Northwest Spitsbergen
Northwest Spitsbergen
Explore the northern tip of Prince Karls Forland
Longyearbyen
Countries visited
Places visited
- Longyearbyen 2000
- Aberdeen
- Jan Mayen
Transportation
M/v Plancius was built in 1976 as an oceanographic research vessel for the Royal Dutch Navy, and sailed for the Navy until 2004. She was completely rebuilt as a passenger vessel in 2009. M/v Plancius accommodates 114 passengers in 53 passenger cabins with private toilet and shower. All cabins offer comfortable lower berths (except for the 4 quadruple cabins). The vessel has a restaurant/lecture room, a spacious observation lounge (with bar), large open deck space (with full walk-around possibilities), and is equipped with 10 zodiacs for off ship and shore excursions. M/v Plancius was built for ice conditions, and has a strengthened bow and stern.M/V Ortelius has the highest ice-class notation (UL1 equivalent to 1A) and is therefore very suitable to navigate in solid one-year sea ice and loose multi-year pack ice. “Ortelius” is a great expedition vessel for 100 passengers with lots of open-deck spaces and a very large bridge which is accessible to the passengers. The vessel is manned by 34 highly experienced Russian nautical crew, 15 international catering staff, including stewardesses, 6 expedition staff (1 expedition leader and 5 guides/lecturers) and 1 doctor.
”Ortelius” offers a comfortable hotel standard, with two restaurants, a bar/lecture room and a sauna. Our voyages are primarily developed to offer our passengers a quality exploratory wildlife program, trying to spend as much time ashore as possible. As the number of passengers is limited to approximately 100 on the “Ortelius”, flexibility assures maximum wildlife opportunities.
Included In Price
Voyage aboard the indicated vessel as indicated in the itinerary.All meals throughout the voyage aboard the ship including snacks, coffee and tea.
All shore excursions and activities throughout the voyage by Zodiac.
Program of lectures by noted naturalists and leadership by experienced expedition staff.
Free use of rubber boots and snowshoes on Plancius and the Ortelius
All miscellaneous service taxes and port charges throughout the programme.
AECO fees and governmental taxes.
Comprehensive pre-departure material.
Meals Included
This tour includes 28 meals; 10 breakfasts 9 lunches 9 dinners
Not Included In Price
Any airfare, whether on scheduled or charter flights; pre- and post land arrangements; transfers to / from the vessel outside Spitsbergen; passport and visa expenses; Government arrival and departure taxes; meals ashore; baggage, cancellation and personal insurance (which is strongly recommended); excess baggage charges and all items of a personal nature such as laundry, bar, beverage charges and telecommunication charges; and the customary gratuity at the end of the voyages for stewards and other service personnel aboard (guidelines will be provided).It is agreed that if world fuel prices will reach or exceed US Dollar 120 per Barrel Brent 120 days prior to departure Oceanwide Expeditions reserves the right to levy a fuel surcharge of EURO 25 per passenger per night, to be paid by the contracting party of Oceanwide Expeditions.
Important Information
You can join this voyage two days earlier in Hansweert.Snowshoeing and Hiking are available on these voyages.
| Start | End | Quad pp | Twin Private Porthole | Twin Private Window | Superior | |
| 8 Jun 2013 | 17 Jun 2013 | AU$ 2150 | AU$ 2950 | AU$ 3100 | AU$ 3550 | |
| Price in US Dollars. M/V Ortelius. | ||||||
| 10 Jun 2013 | 19 Jun 2013 | AU$ 1900 | AU$ 2600 | AU$ 2750 | AU$ 3250 | |
| Price in US Dollars. M/V Plancius | ||||||
| 30 May 2014 | 8 Jun 2014 | AU$ 1900 | AU$ 2600 | AU$ 2750 | AU$ 3250 | |
| Price in US Dollars. M/V Ortelius | ||||||
| 8 Jun 2014 | 17 Jun 2014 | AU$ 1900 | AU$ 2600 | AU$ 2750 | AU$ 3250 | |
| Price in US Dollars. M/V Plancius | ||||||
Day 1: Aberdeen
Arrive in Aberdeen, famed as the Granite City and many times a winner of the Britain in Bloom competition, and embark on our trip. The lighthouse on Girdle Ness to the south as the North Sea is reached, was designed by the grandfather of Robert Louis Stevenson.
More passengers will board the ship in Aberdeen.
The Scottish waters offer excellent possibilities to spot Minke Whales, White-beaked Dolphins and Harbour Porpoises. Several other cetaceans, including Orcas (Killer Whales), are also native to these waters.
Accommodation
m/v Plancius or m/v OrteliusMeals Included
1 x Breakfasts1 x Lunches1 x DinnersDay 2 : Shetland Islands
At Fair Isle, in the Shetlands, we are welcomed by the 70 or so inhabitants (famed for their knitwear, examples of which we will see) to be followed by a walk to the bird observatory. Later, on Mousa, one of the sma 2000 ller Shetland Islands, we visit one of the best preserved brochs in Scotland. Brochs are circular stone towers probably built by the Picts. During a night excursion we will watch thousands of Storm Petrels return to their burrows or crevices.
By day we view Grey Seals, Black Guillemots, Red-throated Divers, Arctic Skuas and a wonderful Spring Flora.
Accommodation
m/v Plancius or m/v OrteliusMeals Included
1 x Breakfasts1 x Lunches1 x DinnersDay 3 & 4: Sail to Jan Mayen
We sail north to the Norwegian island of Jan Mayen, situated 300 nautical miles north-east of Iceland. During our two days at sea there will be plenty of time to watch for the blow of a Minke, Fin or Blue Whale, which could herald a rewarding encounter with these gentle giants. Perhaps we might run into a pod of Orcas, who can often be quite curious about boats such as ours.
Accommodation
m/v Plancius or m/v OrteliusMeals Included
2 x Breakfasts2 x Lunches2 x DinnersDay 5: Jan Mayen
Jan Mayen is a volcanic island of breathtaking beauty and mystique, dominated by Mt Beerenberg. From the slopes of the 2300m volcano, impressive glaciers spill into the sea. Until recently, the island was off-limits as it is a military base, and was rarely visited by tourists, but with permission from the Norwegian authorities we hope to visit the weather station. We will also walk across the island to Kvalrossbukta to look at the remains of a 17th century Dutch whaling station and a substantial colony of Fulmars. We also plan to sail by Koksletta where thousands of Little Auks and Brünnich's Guillemots breed close to a glacier, watched over by Glaucous Gulls.
Accommodation
m/v Plancius or m/v OrteliusMeals Included
1 x Breakfasts1 x Lunches1 x DinnersDay 6 & 7: Sail to Northwest Spitsbergen
In the midnight sun we sail north along the edge of the sea-ice, looking out for different species of whales, dolphins, seals and a variety of seabirds, until the sea-ice stops us, then we will sail to North Spitsbergen.
Accommodation
m/v Plancius or m/v OrteliusMeals Included
2 x Breakfasts2 x Lunches2 x DinnersDay 8: Northwest Spitsbergen
Depending on the position of the sea-ice, we sail into Raudfjord or one of the other fjords in Northwest Spitsbergen, where we have chances of seeing Polar Bears at the heads of the fjords, where seals are sunbathing on the fjord-ice. At Fuglesangen we have an opportunity to see thousands of Little Auks on their breeding grounds.
Accommodation
m/v Plancius or m/v OrteliusMeals Included
1 x Breakfasts1 x Lunches1 x DinnersDay 9: Explore the northern tip of Prince Karls Forland
Fuglehuken the northern tip of Prince Karls Forland is probably the place where Willem Barentsz made the first landing in Spitsbergen. It is an area with beautiful seabird-colonies and many remains of the Polar Bear hunting period of a century ago. Later we will look for Walruses at Sarstangen, Engelskmansbukta or Poole-Pynten. In the evening we could land at Alkhornet another seabird colony where at the slopes we can find Reindeer and Arctic Foxes.
Accommodation
m/v Plancius or m/v OrteliusMeals Included
1 x Breakfasts1 x Lunches1 x DinnersDay 10: Longyearbyen
We disembark in Longyearbyen, the administrative centre of Spitsbergen, for flights south to Oslo and onward home.