Svalbard Archipelago

We visited Svalbard (Spitsbergen) end of March 2019, i.e. during the winter period, since in our opinion the archipelago looks much nicer when everything is covered in snow and ice.

Of course, the consequence is that temperatures are a lot lower than during the summer period (-15 / -20 C°). Also, since there are no roads between the villages, travel is by way of snowscooters while in summer it is also possible to visit e.g. Barentsburg and Pyramiden by boat (although end of March Barentsburg could also be reached by boat).

As mentioned in a previous review, there are daily flights from Oslo to the ‘capital’ Longyearbyen by SAS and Norwegian (SAS stopping in Tromsø) – both arrive around noon.    

We booked a 4-day snowscooter trip which has the advantage that both the (magnificent) nature and the ‘human presence’ on Svalbard can be experienced. During these four days we visited a.o. Russian coal mining town Barentsburg (with a visit to the mine, apparently the only working mine in the world which can be visited), ghost town Pyramiden, Tempelfjorden, Sassendalen, Sassen-Bünsow Land National Park and much more.

Highlights were the Nordenskiöld glacier with its blue ice (since the Bille fjord where the glacier ends was frozen, we could drive right up to the glacier) and Pyramiden, but during the whole trip there were stunning views. We also encountered numerous reindeer, a number of polar foxes and a polar bear a couple of hundred meters away (but unfortunately …

Prices and practical info as of August 2015. Completely different from any other places I have visited so far. Gateway to the Arctic area. If you want to start visiting Far North probably it is the best place to start.

Some basic hints - maybe will be helpful.

Flight - there are 2 lines flying to Longyearbyen - SAS (normal airline so you can take normal luggage with you - there are no free meals on board - and Norwegian, cheap airline - apart from the ticket itself you have to pay for the luggage as well.

Accommodation - the cheapest option is a camping site close to the airport (120 NOK if you have your own tent). More expensive are hostels - Coal Miners' Cabins (Nybyen) and Russian House (Russkij Dom) located more convenient in central Longyearbyen. The cheapest option start with 300 NOK per dormitory. In high season it is better to book well in advance.

Travel options - one day boat cruises - the cheapest (in fact the most convenient) are those organised by Polar Charter (Polargirl) - two main options are very interesting and covers quite a huge area around Longyearbyen.

Pyramiden trip goes to abandon Russian mining settlement going throught 2 National Parks on its way: Nordre Isfjorden National Park and Sassen–Bünsow Land National Park - full day trip.

Barentsburg trip goes through Isfjorden (Nordre Isfjorden National Park) to Barentsburg (active Russian mining settlement). Both trips are spectacular (especially with excellent weather) and highly recommended.

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For anyone wanting to experience the “high Arctic”, Svalbard is the place to go. With the right sort of trip and a bit of luck you will get above 80 degrees north (only a few Russian islands and the furthest parts of Ellesmere Island and Greenland extend that far) and gain excellent views of the mammalian, avian and plant life of the Arctic.

In common with most visitors, we went to Svalbard on a ship-based cruise (2004). I personally wouldn’t want to go on a vessel of bigger than 50 passengers. This permits all to be offloaded on no more than 5 zodiac craft which is more than enough when following wild-life by water or when disgorging people ashore. Economic realities and new environmental regulations for ships in both Svalbard and Antarctic waters (most ships operate in both at the appropriate time of year) are tending to push their size up to those carrying c100 passengers unfortunately – far better than the 500+ boats but too many people in my view for a good experience. July is perhaps the optimum month (and 24 hr sunlight of course!) but voyages which promise a circumnavigation of Spitzbergen and access to the remoter east coast are likely to meet too much sea ice in the Hinlopen passage until late August.

We saw 14 polar bears on our 1week trip with excellent and extended views in natural circumstances (photo). We haven’t been to Churchill, Canada which would appear to offer a better …