Meet your local expedition team!
The local Expedition Team will be by your side throughout your voyage on the Svalbard Adventure Mini-Cruise, sharing stories and insights about Svalbard’s culture, nature, and history. Their enthusiasm, knowledge, and love for the Svalbard archipelago will ensure your Spitsbergen voyage is a truly memorable one.
Each member of the team has a range of specialised topics in their repertoire, ready to share with you on board, on deck, and ashore.
Meet Guri
Languages: Norwegian and English
Guri hails from Stavanger in Norway. She was fortunate enough to grow up with a family cabin on Svalbard, where she spent many vacations during her childhood. Naturally, this led her to move to Svalbard in August 2021 to study Arctic Nature Guiding at the University Centre in Svalbard. Prior to this, she completed a bachelor’s degree in biology but realised that guiding allows her to spend more time in nature and less time crunching statistics.
Guri has worked as a snowmobile guide both in Svalbard and Alta, northern Norway, during the winter, and aboard the Svalbard Adventure Mini-Cruise in the summer. You might spot her on the aft deck, knitting or birdwatching, as she loves observing all kinds of wildlife
Meet Sigrid
Languages: Norwegian and English
Sigrid is from Svalbard and has spent her whole life in Longyearbyen. Like a true Svalbardian, she grew up with a life full of snowmobiling, skiing, hunting, and spending long days in the Arctic. Her fascination for the history of Svalbard, the flora, and fauna led her naturally to the profession of guide, following in both her parents' footsteps. She first worked as a guide for Hurtigruten Svalbard in the summer of 2023, on the boat MS Nordstjernen. Since then she spent a year in the Norwegian army, serving at the Norwegian-Russian border. Her strong love for Svalbard pulled her back north and now she is excited for a new and adventurous season in the wilderness!
Meet Hedda
Languages: Norwegian and English
Hedda grew up by the sea in a small village in Norway and spent much of her childhood on the sea with her parents. She moved to Svalbard in 2018 to study Arctic geology and became a glaciologist specialising in Svalbard’s glaciers. She loves the frozen parts of the world so much that when she is not on Svalbard, she works in the Antarctic, Greenland, and Canada.
She is passionate about understanding the consequences of climate change and it's impact on the Arctic's frozen environment. She is a climate change impacts communicator and has established more than one citizen science project related to the topic.
Meet Martin
Languages: English and French
Martin first set foot on Svalbard in 2018 after spending his entire life in the heart of the Swiss Alps. His passion for nature, and the challenges it can present, made Longyearbyen the perfect place to conclude his studies in environmental engineering. There, he discovered a unique environment while writing his Master’s thesis on snow studies.
Once back home, Martin found office work unfulfilling and left his engineering job after two years. He became a ski patroller and joined the Arctic Nature Guide program in Longyearbyen in 2022. Since then, he has explored Svalbard on skis, snowmobiles, on foot, or aboard the Svalbard Adventure Mini-Cruise, immersing himself in the magic of the Arctic. You'll likely spot him on deck with his camera, capturing the beauty around him.
MS Serenissima
Explore the MS Serenissima, a vessel that seamlessly blends the charm of a classic ocean liner with modern amenities. Originally built as the Harald Jarl in 1960 for Hurtigruten at Trondhjems mekaniske Værksted (TMV), the ship has been renovated several times over the years, preserving its history while offering a comfortable and intimate Arctic cruise experience.
Read moreMeet Mike
Languages: German and English
Mike grew up in Germany but has been connected to Scandinavia throughout his life. He remains fascinated by the wilderness, the people, and their way of life. After completing his engineering studies in Munich, he was drawn to the University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS), where he specialised in Arctic technology. Since 2020, his connection to Spitsbergen has only deepened.
In recent years, his geophysics knowledge has expanded through conducting surveys on glaciers and in fjords. He has also been working as a guide since 2022. When he is not guiding, Mike spends his time travelling around Innsbruck and is currently finishing his Master's degree in Materials and Nanoscience.
Meet Simen
Languages: Norwegian and English
Simen is from Tromsø in Northern Norway and has always had a deep love for the outdoors, enjoying activities like hiking, skiing, camping, hunting, and fishing. He began working on an oil rig in the North Sea at 18 years old, spending a total of three years offshore. After that, he served one year as a squad leader in the Norwegian army as a forward observer/recce soldier.
Simen first visited Svalbard in 2016 to hike from Barentsburg to Longyearbyen. In 2019, he moved to Svalbard to attend a one-year expedition course at Svalbard Folkehøyskole. He returned in the spring of 2022 as a sailor on a small expedition boat before joining Hurtigruten Svalbard.
In the summer of 2022, Simen started guiding on the Svalbard Adventure Mini-Cruise and in Longyearbyen for Hurtigruten Svalbard. In the autumn and early winter, he works as a snowmobile mechanic before becoming a winter guide in February. Simen loves being outdoors, the longer the better! He believes in harvesting food from nature sustainably and is always eager to learn new things, so if you have any knowledge to share, he’d love to hear it.
Meet Stéphane
Languages: French, English, and Norwegian
Stéphane is from Geneva, Switzerland, and moved to Norway in 1998. His first job as a field assistant for the Norwegian Polar Institute took him to Sassendalen (Sassen Valley) on Svalbard, where he spent a summer working with Arctic foxes. He also spent four years studying, hunting, fishing, and dogsledding in various places across Norway, including Lofthus in Hardanger and Tromsø. In 2003, Stéphane returned to Svalbard as a kayak guide for a French company. Since 2004, he has been working for Hurtigruten Svalbard as a trekking, kayak, and cruise guide on the Svalbard Adventure Mini-Cruise.
Stéphane spends five months a year on Svalbard and the rest of his time in El Hierro, Canary Islands, where he grows vegetables. He is patient and loves sharing his knowledge of fauna and flora with others. Stéphane enjoys walking and kayaking, immersing himself in nature.
Svalbard Adventure Mini Cruises
Wednesday to Monday | Longyearbyen – Liefdefjorden - Longyearbyen
Includes 4 nights onboard MS Serenissima, and a pre-voyage stay in Longyearbyen at either Funken Lodge or Radisson Blu Polar Hotel Spitsbergen.
Sunday to Fridays | Longyearbyen – Moffen – Longyearbyen
Includes 3 nights onboard MS Serenissima and a pre-and post-voyage stay in Longyearbyen at either Funken Lodge or Radisson Blu Polar Hotel Spitsbergen.