06 Jun 2026 - 16 Jun 2026 (11 days)
USD8,695 SPACES AVAILABLE
Tour Leader: Rockjumper Tour Leader TBC
Tour Price (Per person): USD8,695 (GBP6,629 * EUR7,586 * AUD12,543)
Pricing notes : *prices are estimated and dates may change*
Join us in June for the Spitsbergen - Explorer, a once-in-a-lifetime 9-night birding and wildlife cruise through the breathtaking Svalbard archipelago. Starting in Longyearbyen, we set sail on the Akademik Sergey Vavilov, venturing into a land of Polar Bears, Belugas, Walruses, and Reindeer. Marvel at the stunning Arctic scenery, from snow-capped mountains and towering glaciers to flower-studded tundra and vast skies filled with Ivory Gulls and Snow Buntings. This high Arctic journey promises unforgettable wildlife encounters and spectacular views in one of the most pristine parts of our planet.
Ivory Gull, chances for Ross’ Gull, King Eider, numerous alcids, Snow Bunting.
Polar Bear, Walrus, Arctic Fox, Bearded & Ringed Seal, Humpback, Narwhal, Beluga, Bowhead (Greenland), Northern Minke & Fin Whale, Svalbard Reindeer.
Explore diverse habitats including coastal and pelagic waters, towering glaciers, polar tundra, pack ice, and nesting cliffs.
Experience a cold, Arctic climate with temperatures often below freezing, complemented by the pristine, clear air of the high Arctic.
Dependent on ship capacity with expedition leaders.
This expedition maintains a moderate pace, with a mix of leisurely cruising, informative onboard lectures, and active shore excursions for wildlife viewing and photography.
Stay in comfortable cabins aboard the Akademik Sergey Vavilov, providing modern amenities and cozy quarters.
Historical town of Longyearbyen, spectacular Arctic scenery, glaciers, nesting cliffs, whale graveyard, fjords
Capture stunning images of Polar Bears, Belugas, Walruses, and Reindeer amidst spectacular Arctic landscapes, including glaciers, fjords, and nesting cliffs.
Our trip to Madagascar was wonderful! Rockjumper did a great job with tour logistics, lodging, etc. Best of all was our guide! Lev Frid is an amazing birding/nature guide. He is incredibly good at not only hearing, identifying and finding the birds, but Lev is also able to quickly (and patiently) help all the tour participants get on the birds. In addition, he is just a really fun guy to be with. His sense of humor kept us laughing and his wealth of birding stories kept everyone interested and engaged during the trip. It was amazing to see the wildlife of Madagascar and having Lev as a guide made our experience that much better.
This was a great tour and exceeded all my very high expectations. Having both Glen and Dušan as leaders was like having two olympians on your high school basketball team. As usual, the vehicles were too small for me, but Glen kindly allowed me to ride in the seat with the most legroom when possible. I have subsequently found out that I am definitely an outlier as far as client size is concerned. The tour was well planned, the schedule and guides flexible enough to work around complications, and the logistics aside from a glitch picking us up at the airport well executed.
I was very pleased with the birding. I saw all 29 endemics and a total of 42 life birds. The leaders are great at finding, luring in and identifying birds. I appreciated that the focus was very much on the birding. The food and accommodations were excellent and appropriate. I wonder if we should have spent our last night near the coast but am not sure how that would have affected our birding success.
Note that some of the comments I made regarding the Thailand extension apply to the main Thailand tour. I liked the sequence of sites visited; it ensured the Spoonbill Sandpiper was seen early on and then designed to minimize travel. Staying multiple nights at one site is always appreciated and seemed to be done as much as possible. The guides made special efforts to see bird species sought by the group; we saw more bird species than I expected. The drivers were excellent and also one of them, Jaime, was a good birder who helped the guides track down some species; it was an asset to have internet while in the vehicles. The drivers also produced an excellent video of the trip - a nice touch; they also did an excellent job with mid-morning breaks. I especially enjoyed visiting a hide all morning early on in the trip - it gave us a chance to see some elusive species but also several species very well. One morning was spent looking for a rare duck; I would have rather spent the time looking for a variety of Thai species. Quite a bit of birding was done along roads - it might have been better to bird trails etc. if they are available and afford good views of birds pointed out. Food was excellent (Uthai selected great dishes for the group) and accomodations were good. It was an enjoyable trip with rewarding looks at many of the bird species seen.
The Buru extension following the RWPI Cruise was fantastic. I feel sorry for those on the main tour that did not take this extension. The birds were fabulous, Glen was a superb guide, and the scenery great. Glen did a great job trying to get us on all the birds, even the most rare and elusive. Again, flexibility was a key element in the success of the trip. I can't think of anything about the trip that could be done to improve it.