Arctic

Choosing an Arctic cruise to Svalbard means comparing operators whose actual ice access, passenger capacity, and wildlife programming vary more than their brochures suggest. Polar bear sightings, walrus colonies, and ice-edge cruising depend directly on hull capability and itinerary design — not just cabin category.

What separates a genuinely strong Svalbard operator from an average one:

• Ice-class hull rating enabling pack ice approaches where bears concentrate in summer
• Passenger capacity under 200 for efficient, low-impact Zodiac landings
• Naturalist teams experienced specifically in Svalbard wildlife behavior
• All-inclusive coverage of kayaking, parka, and boot loans

7 Best Operators for Svalbard in 2026

Swan Hellenic

Travelers booking an Arctic cruise to Svalbard with Swan Hellenic choose a boutique operator purpose-built for ice-edge access. SH Diana and SH Vega carry approximately 152 guests each with PC5 Polar Class hulls, reaching the northern pack ice where polar bear sightings concentrate during summer months.

What’s included on every voyage:

• Daily Zodiac landings and ice-edge cruising
• Kayaking where conditions allow
• Expedition parka to keep, boot loans, and heated mud room
• All meals, premium beverages, and gratuities

Onboard scientists from the SETI Institute partnership frame the voyage through a scientific lens rarely found on Arctic itineraries, while glaciologists explain retreating ice fronts firsthand. At 152 guests, bear sightings rarely turn into crowded viewing scrums the way they can on larger ships.

Hurtigruten Expeditions

Lindblad Expeditions–National Geographic

Quark Expeditions

Oceanwide Expeditions

Ponant

Aurora Expeditions

What to Check Before Booking a Svalbard Voyage

Book Your Svalbard Arctic Cruise with Swan Hellenic

WASHINGTON — Seeking to reassure U.S. allies, a bipartisan group of senators is departing for a tour of Arctic nations. And this time they’re leaving the men behind.

From the eight senators to their staff and military liaison officers, the all-female group will pay diplomatic visits to government officials in four Arctic nations, witness the challenges for militaries in the region and visit a Norwegian archipelago so remote they will need escorts to avoid run-ins with polar bears.

“I want them to experience, first of all, the awesomeness of the Arctic,” said Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who is leading the trip alongside Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

The trip was born out of both senators’ work to stabilize relations with U.S. allies in North America and northern Europe at a time when President Trump has taken an aggressive, go-it-alone stance in the region. Just this week, the Pentagon announced that the U.S. would pause participation on a joint board with Canada for continental defense that dates back to World War II.

Murkowski and Shaheen said that is the wrong approach in an Arctic region that has increasing strategic value and unique challenges.

“We will reassure our allies that we recognize and appreciate the importance of our allies and partners in the Arctic as in so many other areas,” Shaheen told the Associated Press, adding that she expected the group to discuss “what more we can do as members of Congress to support those relationships.”

The group is split evenly between Democrats and Republicans, with Sens. Cindy Hyde Smith, Katie Britt and Cynthia Lummis making up the Republican side, and Sens. Maggie Hassan, Kirsten Gillibrand and Catherine Cortez Masto from the Democrats. Departing Friday, they will visit Arctic or sub-Arctic regions in Canada; Greenland, which is an autonomous territory of Denmark; Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago that is one of the northernmost inhabited areas on Earth; and Iceland.

Understanding the Arctic

Murkowski and Shaheen said they want the group to come away with a deeper understanding and appreciation for Arctic communities that are experiencing the effects of climate change, as well as the unique challenges of conducting military operations in the region.

“It’s to understand what it means to go into a remote, isolated community that has no access by road,” Murkowski said, adding that the group would see how military sites need airplane hangars because aircraft cannot be kept outside overnight in the Arctic cold.

NATO has recently tried to foster cooperation in the High North through a series of joint military exercises, especially as nations like China and Russia increase their activities there.

As climate change thins the Arctic ice, it could potentially create a northwest passage for international trade as well as reignite competition with Russia, China and other countries over access to the region’s mineral resources. The region is also host to a number of undersea cable projects that hold strategic value.

The group will also visit Indigenous communities that have lived in the region for generations and understand the environment. Murkowski said she hopes the senators come away from the trip “excited and intrigued and hopefully inspired.”

As Trump threatened to take Greenland earlier this year, Shaheen and Murkowski also teamed up to push for legislation that would prevent the U.S. from attacking any fellow NATO member. They are among the lawmakers pushing to include language in this year’s defense legislation that would prevent the Trump administration from withdrawing military commitments to NATO allies.

Shaheen said, “I also want to know if there are policy directives that we should be thinking about. And it will be great to have a strong bipartisan group there to discuss what we might want to do when we get back.”

How an all-female trip will be different

For some of the nations the group will be visiting, a high representation of women is nothing new. Iceland’s parliamentary body is comprised of roughly 46% women, one of the top ranking countries globally for female political representation.

Shaheen said that research suggests that “when women are the negotiating table, that agreements that are made have a much better chance of lasting for a longer period of time.”

She added that data show that representation of women in government leads to more stable societies, as well as investments back into their communities.

“There are very real reasons why we need to make sure that women are at the table,” she added.

Groves writes for the Associated Press.