By Ted Scull.
Svalbard is a semi-autonomous region in Norway, a territory that the Nordic country acquired in the Treaty of Versailles following World War I. Located halfway between the North Pole and the North Cape, the archipelago is known for its wildlife — polar bears, walrus, seals, whales and sea birds — all living in a dramatic landscape that includes heaps of snow, pack ice, massive glaciers, jagged mountains and numerous fjords. Spitsbergen, perhaps a more familiar name, is Svalbard’s main island.
Gorgeous Svalbard from above. * Photo: Ted Scull
Traveling with Lindblad Expeditions aboard the NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC EXPLORER, I opted for the second trip of the season in mid-June when there would still be lots of ice and snow and 24 hours of not just daylight but direct sun as the yellow disk would drop no lower than about 5pm on a summer day where I live in New York. Hence, there would be no dusk nor dawn. How cold? We’ll get to that, but don’t worry.
As the flight from Tromso, northern Norway, approached the island and its capital, Longyearbyen, I looked down on a vast whitened winter wonderland with rough bare edges to the coastline and sharp peaks (spitsbergens) poking skyward. Some fjords retained pack ice, others had hundreds of bergy bits slowly floating seaward.
The main town, population about 2,000, sat in a shallow valley facing Isfjord and fringed by slopes dotted with picturesque industrial relics from the coal mining era. A formerly dreary collection of buildings has given way to colorful modern housing for families, schools, recreation facilities, and attractive shops, vastly different from Arctic Canada’s bleak-remote towns and more like those found at Nuuk, Greenland’s capital.
I spent part of the afternoon in the newly reestablished Svalbard Museum with its exhibits relating to the whaling and coal mining days, the expedition trips by air and sea to the North Pole that often began here, geology, the wildlife and its protection. A bit later during a short walk up the main street, a couple of reindeer wandered into town to graze on exposed patches of tundra. One does not venture beyond the edge of town as polar bears may be lurking.
While this particular trip was not advertised for families, about a dozen children under 18 were aboard, and they enjoyed group lunches, Zodiac operating lessons, films and family excursions ashore. They seemed ever-so content and bonded as the adults did. Their enthusiasm was a major plus for all of us adults.
Without any wind, the daytime temperatures were just about at the freezing mark and ranged up to about 45F, so going shore was not an ordeal by any means.
Photographing and hiking ashore. * Photo: Ted Scull
Svalbard Wildlife
While aboard ship, trained eyes on the bridge spotted the wildlife, and the navigation center became another viewing platform. Polar bears like ice and when one was spotted, the captain edged his ship as far into the flows as he felt comfortable. These bears are curious creatures, and on two occasions they slowly ambled toward the ship, and with everyone on deck in the silent mode, they stopped beneath the bow to sniff and stare at us, and close enough to photograph with little magnification. The rapid clicks of shutter releases sounded like a presidential press conference.
Playtime for mother and cub polar bear. * Photo: Lindblad Expeditions
On another occasion, a large male had killed a ringed seal, and after he was satiated, he moved off to take a nap while his off-spring moved in and vied with sibling growls for what remained. Birds strutted impatiently at a safe distance. The largest number seen at one time totaled nine bears, taking turns at pulling apart the remains of a whale. One mother entered the fray by swimming across the inlet with her club clinging to her back.
Excursions on land took place where no bears had been spotted, and even then, the naturalist staff took precautions, and every party ashore was accompanied by a staffer with a rifle, and rarely, if ever, used. Hikes across the tundra or snowfields were offered as challenging, moderate and easy, with a fourth category for photographers. Two-person kayaks were available on three of the seven days, often in addition to Zodiac excursions. It was fun circling the ship and inspecting ice that had calved off nearby glaciers.
Adult male walruses in the Svalbard Archipelago. * Photo: Lindblad Expeditions
Svalbard Excursions
Ashore we came upon herds of reindeer, walrus sprawled together, others frolicking just off the beach, whale bones, tiny delicate tundra flowers and the stone foundations of trapper’s huts and whaling camps. Early 17th-century whaling was at first close to shore and then as the herds were decimated, the whalers had to sail further afield until the practice was banned by most countries, but not Norway nor Japan.
There were nesting spots for thousands of little auks on one island’s rocky cliffs while hundreds of others flew around the ship, bobbed on the water and fished, a raucous yet highly organized and fascinating scene.
Near the end of the week, we headed to locations where whales are often found and came close to both fin whales and blue whales, the largest mammals on earth. None breached, but their slow arcing movements through the water at close range revealed their immense size and we were mesmerized by their power and grace.
We spy something! * Photo: Ted Scull
We came upon only one other expedition ship during our week cruising Svalbard, though we heard others were about, while two large cruise ships sailed past at some distance. They cannot land passengers except at Svalbard’s three inhabited communities — the capital at Longyearbyen, the Russian mining camp at Barentsburg and the research station at Ny-Alesund — so these passengers must be content with a drive-by of Svalbard’s dramatic scenery as the ship hurries on to the next destination. On a small ship, it’s a very different and wonderful experience; Svalbard deserves more time.
Before I embarked on my Svalbard adventure, I had not quite known what to expect, but I was more than delighted with my week in the High Arctic. The whole experience, on board and off, was exceedingly memorable, from the variety of close-up wildlife sightings to the incredibly beautiful scenery, expert naturalist interpretation and a captain who made every effort to get his ship in the best position. The ship was comfortable and well-run and our fellow passengers were amiable group, we couldn’t have asked for more.
Inspecting the ice and looking for wildlife aboard a Zodiac. * Photo: Ted Scull
Svalbard ABC’s
Season: June through September.
Itineraries: Expedition cruises vary in length depending whether the itinerary is all Svalbard (such as an island circumnavigation, then about one week), and longer if mostly Svalbard and perhaps the north of Norway (flight to or from Tromso) or includes other Arctic destinations such as Iceland and/or Greenland.
Getting there: Other than charter flights, most flights originate in Tromso in northern Norway to Longyearbyen, the capital of Svalbard.
Temperature: The range during the day varies from highs of 30s to the 40s Fahrenheit. Direct sun and little wind can make it feel warmer.
Expedition Lines That Go There
© This article is protected by copyright, no part may be reproduced by any process without written permission from the author. All Rights Reserved. QuirkyCruise.com.
HEIDI SARNA
