Svalbard Landing Sites

The whole of Svalbard is a lesson in glaciology, however the Monaco Glacier is arguably one of the archipelago’s most beautiful. Approached by sailing up Liefdefjorden, you are confronted by a vast curtain of vertiginous blue-tinged ice over 7km (4.3 miles) wide, the last glacier before achieving 80° north.

It’s a majestic place and provides a fabulous backdrop for both zodiac cruising and walking the tundra. Black-legged kittiwakes frequent the glacier in their thousands and whales are commonly sighted in this area; it’s also a popular polar bear hangout, so keep your eyes peeled.

The northernmost island of the Svalbard archipelago at a latitude of 81° degrees north of the equatorial plane; Phippsoya is only 540 nautical miles from the North Pole. Due to its proximity to the permanent pack ice, Phippsoya offers the potential for great polar bear sightings and has certainly lived up to expectation over the years.

Whether you’re fortunate with bear sightings or not, navigating through heavy ice is a thrilling experience and you really do get a sense of being off the map. Being so northerly it’s worth noting that access to Phippsoya can’t be guaranteed, even during the summer months, particularly earlier in the season (May - early July).

The name of Alkefjellet, or ‘Mountain of the Guillemots’, perfectly matches Spitsbergen’s most famous bird cliffs which plays host each summer to 60,000 pairs of breeding Brünnich’s Guillemot, as well as thousands of kittiwakes and black guillemots. It’s a spectacular sight and never fails to impress. With its sheer basaltic rock faces rising up to 100 metres high looking out over Hinlopen Strait, Alkefjellet’s a magnificent spot and a perfect place to spend a few hours zodiac cruising watching the birds. 

Hinlopen Strait itself is a narrow, frequently ice-choked channel dividing the islands Spitsbergen and Nordaustlandet. The significance of this 150 km (93 miles) long stretch of water is that it holds the key to a successful summer circumnavigation of Spitsbergen by ship. Traditionally it’s not been until mid-July that Hinlopen Strait becomes ice free enough to allow ships to successfully navigate through.

Since the Second World War it's Russians who have been the largely dominant nationality on Svalbard. While the mining which originally attracted them has steadily declined, the Russian built settlements of Barentsburg and Pyramiden (abandoned) are fascinating time capsules and hint at more prosperous times.

Barentsburg is a curious Soviet relic which like a ghost feels trapped in the past, in spite of its population of approx. 500 Russian and Ukrainian working miners. It’s an odd place for sure with brutally austere Soviet architecture, the obligatory Lenin statue and buildings at the point of collapse.