The Svalbard archipelago is only a few hours flight from the UK yet this extraordinary land of rugged mountains, sweeping tundra, ice caps and glaciers is a true High Arctic wilderness.

In 1596 the Dutch explorer Willem Barents named the largest island in the Svalbard archipelago - Spitsbergen - meaning 'jagged peaks'. A name befitting this remarkable land as you will find out whilst sailing through some of the most outstanding glacial scenery imaginable.

These ten-day expeditions aim to circumnavigate Spitsbergen and, with no oceans to cross, the seas are usually calm as you venture way beyond the Arctic Circle and up to 80 degrees north. If ice conditions allow, you may sail around some of the smaller islands too. Distances are relatively short in the archipelago so you will have plenty of time to soak up the magnificent scenery, hike ashore or cruise in the zodiacs.

The wildlife watching around Spitsbergen is exceptional: the impressive Monaco Glacier is a favourite feeding spot for thousands of Kittiwakes; opportunistic Arctic Foxes patrol for young birds falling from nesting ledges; Bearded Seals cruise the scenic fjords; 200,000 strong colonies of Little Auks surround spectacular bird cliffs; Walrus wallow in the shallows; Beluga Whale sightings are likely and there is always the possibility of the ultimate wildlife encounter - with the mighty Polar Bear.

Your voyage begins in Longyearbyen, the largest community in Svalbard with around 1800 inhabitants. Your first expedition stop is not far away; the following morning you will board the zodiacs for an exhilarating cruise along the sculpted front of the 4th of July Glacier. Surprisingly, the green slopes near the glacier are peppered with the most delicate wildflowers, whilst large numbers of Kittiwakes and Brunnich's Guillemots nest on the nearby cliffs.

Ice conditions allowing, the northern-most point of your voyage is likely to be Phippsoya in the Seven Islands, just 870 kilometres from the geographic North Pole. As you sail down through Hinlopen Strait, the waterway between Spitsbergen and Nordaustlandet, keep watch for Bearded, and Ringed Seals, Polar Bears and Ivory Gulls. Using the zodiacs to navigate the ice floes of Lomfjordshalvoya you will explore the bird cliffs at Alkefjellet with thousands of Brunnich's Guillemots. An old trapper's hut will be found at Sundneset on Barentsoya and, moving south to Diskobukta on the west side of Edgeoya, you will find a beach littered with whale bones and tree trunks that have drifted from Siberia. On Ahlstrandhalvoya piles of Beluga skeletons are evidence of the 19th Century slaughter. Fortunately Belugas were not hunted to the edge of extinction and the chances of coming across a pod are good.

If ice conditions are favourable you may sail around Nordaustlandet and visit Kvitoya, where the Swedish Explorer Andree perished, instead of sailing through the Hinlopen Strait.