This remote island with incredible landscapes made up of abundant nature is one of the most unusual places on Earth, and it floats in the Arctic Ocean. This island is part of the vast polar archipelago, Svalbard, located at the northernmost part of Norway. Spitsbergen waits for you to explore it and discover all the beauty it hides.
Each summer, just for a few months during this season, the Gulf Stream releases the island’s western shore from the clutches of polar ice, transforming it in “Galápagos of the North”. You can see birds and mammals like polar bears, reindeer, arctic foxes, and whales, filling the landscape of this place with life, a landscape made up of a stunning backdrop of icebergs, fjords, and snowy peaks.
At the beginning you will be surprised by the fact that there are no trees on the island, there are only bushes and a diversity of wildflowers, mosses, and lichen. Also, this island is rich in minerals; you can even find coal. But what will definitely catch your attention is the capital, Longyearbyen, which metamorphosed into a modern outpost with art galleries, cyber cafés, and indoor heated pools.
If you want to experience Spitsbergen’s wild side, you will need a boat. Some people prefer sailing on their own across the hazardous Barents Sea, but others prefer taking a small expedition cruise ship that goes over the whole archipelago during the summer. Additionally, there are some landmarks that you have to see, like the astonishing Monaco Glacier, the ruins of a 17th-century whaling station at Gravneset, and the rust-colored Bock Fjord.
When to go?
As it’s being remarked, summer is the most pleasant season for visiting this island. July and August are the months where you will be able to see those beautiful blue skies that go along with long days while the temperature ranges around 45°F (7°C). June and September are quite pleasant too, but they are a little bit cooler than the months previously mentioned. Also, it’s important for you to know that during the night, temperatures can easily sink below freezing.
How to find it?
The domestic branch of Scandinavian Airlines, SAS Braathens, flies several times daily between Oslo, Norway’s capital, and Longyearbyen, via Tromsø in Northern Norway.
Planning
One of the places where you can stay in is at the capital’s Spitsbergen Hotel, which is located in a sprawling wooden building that used to be the house of many coal mine managers and their families. If you like simpler and folksy things, then you should definitely stay at Mary-Ann’s Polarring, a modern Bed and Breakfast (B&B) with shared showers and toilets.
Spitsbergen Travel arranges a variety of guided activities around Longyearbyen that include dog sledding, snowmobiling, hiking, ice caving, camping, and kayaking. Also, Norway’s Hurtigruten line offers some voyages around Spitsbergen on the MS Nordstjernen and MV Polarstar.
Websites
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