Meet the team: MS Nordstjernen

Expedition Leader and Cruise Guide

Raised on a farm just outside Bergen, Jonas has always loved nature and wildlife. After stints as a ranger in the Norwegian army, a cowboy in the Australian bush, and a camp instructor in northern Norway, he moved to Longyearbyen to study biology, where his passion for Svalbard grew.

“I love the frontier feeling one gets from living on this wild island. My favourite place is undoubtedly Magdalenefjord, with its impressive jagged mountains.”

Expedition Leader and Cruise Guide

Originally from a small village close to the French Alps, Amélie has always been fascinated by nature, from the tiniest flower to the mightiest glacier. She moved to Svalbard in 2016 to study glaciology at Longyearbyen University, and has been working on board the “Old Lady” MS Nordstjernen almost every summer since.

“Svalbard is such a wild destination that it is impossible to leave as the same human being as when you arrived. It really does change you.”

Expedition Leader and Cruise Guide

Tromsø-born Simen worked on a North Sea oilrig and in the Norwegian army before his passion for the outdoors led him to Svalbard. After hiking from Barentsburg to Longyearbyen in 2016, he took the plunge and enrolled at the local Folkehøgskole (expedition school) to train as an Arctic nature guide.

“I joined the MS Nordstjernen team because I wanted to see how Svalbard changes with the seasons. I love the archipelago’s nature and wildlife, and we get to experience so many interesting places while on board.”

Cruise Guide

Originally from Hamburg, Charlotte’s love of Norway and the outdoors came from family holidays exploring the country’s northern reaches. Post-Covid, she enrolled at the Folkehøgskole (expedition school) on Svalbard and has been guiding on ships and snowmobiles ever since.

“I love working on Nordstjernen because it’s like one big happy family. And as it’s a smaller vessel, we can listen to every guest’s wish and do our best to make them come true.”

Cruise Guide

After visiting Svalbard for the first time, Finnish-born Kanerva knew she had found her new home in the North and has been living there year-round since 2017. Passionate about the archipelago’s history, heritage, and nature, she loves to share that same enthusiasm with anyone visiting this unique and vulnerable destination.

“I love how raw Svalbard is. To be able to move around safely requires knowledge and experience. I enjoy the challenge of constantly learning new skills and how to survive in the wilderness.”

Cruise Guide

Swiss-born Stephane moved to Norway in 1998, and has worked as a trekking, kayaking, and cruise guide on MS Nordstjernen for almost 20 years. He spends five months of the year in Svalbard, and the rest in El Hierro, the smallest of the Canary Islands, where he’s usually found growing vegetables.

“I love sharing my wildlife knowledge with others. As guides on Nordstjernen, we know the summer season is short and so we give 100% of ourselves. Happy guests = happy guides!”

Cruise Guide

Born in a small village in northern Iceland, Linda is no stranger to remote places. Having moved to Svalbard to study plant ecology, today she splits her year into three: working as a snowmobile and cruise guide in Svalbard, a park ranger in the Icelandic Highlands, and an expedition guide in Antarctica.

“What I love about Svalbard is the variation between seasons. Migrating between Arctic and Antarctic summers, I get to experience never-ending days on both ends of the world.”

Cruise Guide

Bergen-born Jakob first visited Svalbard to learn more about global warming, and fell so in love with the landscape that he decided to stay. He spent his first year as a teacher at the Folkehøgskole (expedition school), working on a waste-tracing project in the Barents Sea, before joining Hurtigruten Svalbard.

“Svalbard is at the epicentre of climate change, so I always try to give my guests an authentic experience, painting an honest picture about the fragile nature we’re exploring together.”