Svalbard is famous for its large population of polar bears. It is also famous for its wild arctic landscape and its beautiful scenery with many sea birds, seals, walruses and other marine mammals. For good reasons, several impressive photo books have been published about Svalbard, but only a few tourists ever come to Svalbard.

How to go to Svalbard?

Tourists to Svalbard go by boat (cruise) or by plane. I only have experience traveling by plane, which is a convenient flight from Oslo. Since Svalbard is part of Norway and therefore part of the Scandinavian cooperation, it is possible to use Scandinavian Airlines bonus tickets to fly long distances from another Scandinavian country.

Several cruises tour the Svalbard islands or just make a shorter stop on the way from Norway.

In general, I can recommend boating in Svalbard as the countryside is quite difficult to navigate and takes a long time. But some visitors spend weeks enjoying the spectacular scenery and seascape.

Longyearbyen in Svalbard

We spent a few days in the main town Longyearbyen. Longyearbyen is a former mining town and now mainly survives on tourists who arrive mainly in the summer, but also during the darker months of the year. Some mining is still going on in Svalbard.

Much of Svalbard is still untouched countryside, and indeed strictly preserved. The Svalbard archipelago and its surrounding fjords and Arctic sea are a paradise for photographers and nature lovers. I took some very good photos and enjoyed perfect weather conditions. It is amazing to enjoy the sun not only during the day but also at night in the height of summer. It can be challenging to sleep, but that’s a small sacrifice to enjoy arctic magic.

Wildlife in Svalbard

Living conditions in the Arctic are harsh. Only a few species can live on Svalbard, but some, like seabirds, live here in large numbers.

As a visitor to Svalbard, it can be very exciting to take photos of all this wildlife as a team during the short but hectic months of the arctic summer. Arctic terns, sandpipers, eider and skuas nest right in the center of town with wildlife close by when you stay in Svalbard.