Deep inside the Arctic Circle and only 500 miles from the North Pole at its most northerly point, the Svalbard archipelago offers a truly Arctic experience at the edge of the inhabitable world.
The Svalbard Archipelago sits halfway between the top of Norway and the North Pole, one of the world’s northernmost inhabited places. Spitsbergen is its largest island, and is home to the main town (and airport) of Longyearbyen.
Svalbard is a popular destination for polar bear spotting – one reason, perhaps that the author Philip Pullman chose it as home to the armoured bears in his fantasy trilogy His Dark Materials. The first book in that series, Northern Lights, alludes to the spectacular skies that can be seen here.
Climate & Geography
In spite of its northerly latitude and proximity to the North Pole, Svalbard has a mild climate due to the moderating influence of the Northern Atlantic gulf stream. In July, the height of the Arctic summer, average temperatures range between 3 – 7 °C, while in winter it’s not uncommon to have long periods where temperatures drop below -20.
Svalbard’s landscape is marked by its variety and the stark contrast between the different areas of the archipelago. Spitsbergen’s west coast has dramatic fjords and mountains rearing to over 1,000m/ 3,280 ft rising from sea level, while other parts of Svalbard tend to be more wide and open.
60% of the landmass is covered in ice, less than 10% has any vegetation, and trees are totally absent. Nearly two thirds of Svalbard is protected and consists of several nature reserves, national parks and bird sanctuaries. An advantage of it being so off the beaten track is that the majority of the land is still pristine and unsullied by either roads or other human activity.
Wildlife
Polar Bears
There are thought to be around 3,000 polar bears in Svalbard, considerably outnumbering the human population and meaning that the chance of a successful sighting of the King of the Arctic is good. Once heavily hunted, polar bears on Svalbard have been protected by law since 1973 and numbers remain healthy.
Numbering around 3000, Svalbard’s polar bears outnumber its resident human population.
Polar bears are seen throughout the archipelago, however in summer they’re more commonly sighted in the north and northwestern parts of Svalbard, and on the east coast where ice remains heaviest. A supreme apex predator, bear viewing from the safety of a ship or zodiac is the safest platform from which to observe these powerful animals.
Walrus
One of the few creatures to remain in the Svalbard area overwinter, the walrus is another iconic and instantly recognisable Arctic animal, courtesy of its impressively long and curved tusks. Svalbard’s walrus population is thriving with estimates of 3,900 animals in a 2012 survey – up from 2,500 in 2006.
Social by nature, walrus are often to be seen aggregated in groups resting on an ice-floe or on land in what’s commonly referred to as a ‘haul-out’. Walrus have a voracious appetite with molluscs being their main staple, which are swallowed whole. They can dive down to a depth of 260 ft/ 80m and stay underwater for up to half an hour. What they may lack in vision, particularly in murky water, they make up with their highly tuned whiskers.
Reindeer
It’s far from uncommon to find reindeer wandering through Longyearbyen and as such you are almost guaranteed to see one, even close up. Technically a sub-species of reindeer, Svalbard reindeer are found throughout the archipelago wherever there’s sufficient vegetation for them and have no natural predators. The population of Svalbard reindeer is estimated at 10,000.
Ringed Seal
The favourite food of polar bears, ringed seal are the most widespread and common seal at this latitude and play a very important role in the Arctic food chain. Svalbard’s population is estimated to be around 100,000.
It’s the ringed pattern in this seals fur which gave it its name. In spite of their small size they’re capable of diving to +1,600 ft/ 500m. Due to the ringed seals dependence of ice, particularly for their berthing lairs, there is serious concern for them in the face of warming temperatures across the Arctic region, and climate change.
Arctic Fox
Svalbard has a large and thriving population of these charismatic opportunistic scavengers, which means there are good chances of sightings, particularly around bird cliffs where food is plentiful for them during summer and where their denning sites are commonly found.
The Arctic fox is ideally adapted for these high latitudes – being one of the few to remain over winter – with its thick, well insulated coat, fur covered paws and small rounded ears. This animal is unusual in that it appears in two different guises: blue and white. The white is characterised by a brown/ yellowish coat during summer and white all over in winter. To blend in. The blue fox by contrast is a dark brown/ blue colour throughout the whole year.
Beluga Whale
While no accurate figures on the size of Svalbard’s beluga whale population exists, they are in good numbers and are quite commonly sighted by expedition ships and kayakers. These medium sized toothed whales – also referred to as ‘white whales’ – are social and gregarious, and typically spotted in groups around coastal areas.
As with polar bears, it’s common to find them near to glaciers where there’s a plentiful food supply.
Birdlife
Svalbard is a magnet for birds every summer when literally hundreds of different species fly north to nest on every cliff and ledge in the archipelago, making it a paradise for birders.
The Arctic Tern migrates 70,000 km, from the Antarctic to the Arctic and back again, every year.
The Svalbard rock ptarmigan is the only land-bound bird species that overwinters in the archipelago. Among the seabirds it is normally only the common eider, the long-tailed duck and the black guillemot that overwinter in Svalbard, and only in small numbers along the coast.
The lack of trees and bushes in Svalbard means that the birds nesting here place their nests on the ground, on scree slopes or cliff ledges. Larger birds usually place their nests quite openly, while smaller birds, like the snow bunting, usually choose more protected sites in cracks, under rocks or on scree slopes.
