In Search of Polar Bears in the Arctic

My first polar expedition was fascinating! In May, 2024, my adult daughter and I boarded Quark's beautiful Ultramarine in Longyearbyen, Norway, the northernmost inhabited town in the world, well above Iceland and the Arctic Circle.

With no pollution, distracting lights or crowds, the sense of untouched solitude and bleak tranquility was surreal (we did pass a handful of other vessels). We marveled at vast, pristine landscapes, snow-clad mountains, sparkling glaciers and fascinating sheets of ice that soon will be gone — faster each year.

Exploring Svalbard, Norway, aboard Quark's Ultramarine

Every day, we would don our many layers, and bop in and out of Zodiac rafts for cruising or shore landings or hikes (while enviously eying the 10 people who were chosen by lottery for sea kayaking). The anticipation of discovery was exhilarating, and exhausting.

Zodiac cruising to admire a huddle of walruses

Each night, we would learn about mammals, birds, geology, history, photography and more. Fabulous expedition leader Ryan McDevitt (from St. Petersburg, Florida) would give a debrief and the plans for the next day based on weather, winds and ice conditions. Then we would “pivot” as needed: On our second morning, we were eagerly waiting to walk on a glacier when called back to the ship: a polar bear had been sighted!

Polar bears are struggling as the ice melts more rapidly and frequently. It’s tiring for them to hunt seals on land and water instead of ice.

In all, we saw seven polar bears from a distance (two were really just specks). But we got to track two for more than four hours as they sauntered with purpose, climbed rocks, slipped on ice crags, swam doggy-style, eyed reindeer and waited patiently at ice holes for a seal to surface.

This polar bear had a reindeer snack then rolled like a puppy.

Over 12 days, we also saw four Arctic foxes, some seals, a large pod of beluga whales, herds of reindeer and seabirds galore. We walked on frozen sea ice (called “fast ice” because it is still “fastened” to shore) in front of an ancient glacier, and we sailed north until we hit the Arctic pack ice. Around midnight on May 15, under the bright midnight sun, our ship was the furthest north of any in the world, only 635 miles from the North Pole. It was bitterly cold at 17 degrees with 25 mph winds, but we were jubilant at being at the top of the world, imagining carving through the ice, going straight on till morning.

We were the northernmost ship in the world on May 15.

There were 128 crew and 178 guests (200 maximum) on our voyage. Quark’s talented, friendly expedition staff of 25 were clearly invested in this unique land and in the best experience for us. About a third of the passengers were lugging enormous fancy cameras, a third were repeat Quark guests and a third had been to Antarctica.

We became one of those double pole-adventurers when we went to Antarctica aboard Viking's Octantis in December! Connect with me to plan your polar expedition!

The Arctic is an ocean, encompassing everything north of the Arctic Circle (66.5° north), and includes parts of Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Russia and Scandinavia. The best way to explore this region is aboard a cruise ship. Expedition ships range in size from 8–500 passengers, from no-frills to ultra-luxury, with itineraries ranging from one to three weeks. Many of the top polar vessels travel to both the Arctic and Antarctica, with prices starting around $1,000 per person per day.

For more inspiration and insider recommendations, visit our Arctic Circle page.