Long, long, long summers.
Made up of the Old Norse words svalr meaning ‘cold’ and barð meaning ‘edge’, Svalbard lives up to its name in the winter. The residents – mainly miners, students, polar scientists and tourism workers – are a hardy lot, where four months of continual winter darkness is accepted as normal, the carrying of high-powered rifles (outside of settlements) is law, and school camps are survival lessons in dealing with polar bears.
Awe-Inspiring Fjords
Svalbard’s coastline also features some of the world’s most spectacular and dramatic fjords.
Spring (April and May) and Summer (June – August) are generally the most popular times to travel, and the Midnight Sun can be experienced between mid-April and the end of August. The new itinerary will include some of the Norwegian coast’s most popular destinations – including the Lofoten Islands, Vesterålen, and the North Cape – before heading north to Longyearbyen in Svalbard with the full roundtrip journey taking 16 days.
One of the world’s northernmost inhabited places, the archipelago was first mentioned in Icelandic texts in the 12th century. However, it wasn’t officially ‘discovered’ until 1596 by a Dutchman, Willem Barentsz, while searching for the Northeast Passage. The Arctic Frontier.
Home to around 2,000 people, Longyearbyen is the largest town in Svalbard, boasting coffee shops, bars and restaurants, a chocolate factory, a micro-brewery – and even a Thai Restaurant! Standard fares are for the full board, including drinks with meals, afternoon tea, and much more, while Suite fares start at AUD21,070 per person twin share for a mini-suite and also include à la carte dining, an exclusive drink package, turn-down service, and access to the Suite lounge. Come summertime, the west coast of Spitsbergen, the Archipelago’s largest island, is also a veritable twitcher’s paradise, attracting over 30 different species of migratory birds, including gulls and kittiwakes, Brünnich’s Guillemots, Pink-footed Geese, Little Auks, King Eider and Atlantic Puffins, who flock to some of the largest nesting sites in the North Atlantic.
Admire the reflection of snow-capped mountains mirrored on Magdalene fjord’s glassy surface, enjoy Isfjord’s immense U-shaped valleys rich in wildlife and flora and be astounded by the frosted mountains, glaciers, and striking geological features of Hornsund and Bellsund. Unsurprising when you consider that the archipelago, together with the Russian-controlled archipelagos of Franz Josef Land and Novaya Zemlya, is home to almost 3,000 polar bears – well and truly outnumbering the archipelago’s human population!
Set deep inside the High Arctic and only a few hundred miles from the North Pole, the Svalbard Archipelago is a silent wilderness of jaw-dropping beauty which offers a truly Arctic experience at the edge of the inhabitable world. Even better, sailing on an expedition cruise here in summer significantly increases your chances of spotting a polar bear prowling the shores on the hunt for bearded, harbour and ringed seals.
Launching in June 2023, the Svalbard Express will offer eight departures across summer aboard the soon-to-be upgraded MS Trollfjord. The sunshine season stretches from mid-February until the end of October, with days growing longer until they peak from mid-April through to late August, making Svalbard the ideal destination to experience the Midnight Sun.
Wildlife lovers rejoice! In summer, the Gulf Stream warms its shores, with average temperatures sitting at a relatively balmy 5 – 7°C.
Next year is the perfect time to plan your trip. Hurtigruten’s long experience sailing in the region means it knows these waters well. The Svalbard Express will mark the return of one of Norway’s most iconic sailing routes, which operated between 1968 and 1982.
Hurtigruten Norway, which has carried local passengers, goods, and tourists along Norway’s coast since 1893 aboard its Norwegian Coastal Express, will introduce the Svalbard Express, one of several new offerings commemorating the company’s 130th anniversary. With breathtaking landscapes and a wealth of wildlife, from must-see highlights to lesser-known gems, it’s worthy of inclusion on any travel bucket list.
When to visit. For wildlife lovers, summer is the peak time to maximise sightings.
Go with the experts.
Written by: Jill Walsh
.jpg){kind=tracking}
