Polar Bear Express

Longyearbyen, Svalbard in Norway can be reached by air. The northernmost... everything! This world-most-northern town, (excluding Ny-Alesund, a small Svalbard research community, that is a little further north), also boasts the northernmost airport, school and bank in the civil aviation world. The ruggedness of the town conceals warmth and comfort, or "hyggligt" as it is called in Denmark. This is typical of Nordic hospitality.

Arriving in Longyearbyen, you are instantly immersed in a different world. You can immediately feel the Arctic cold air as soon as you touch down. Signboards outside the terminal remind passengers of their distance from home, and that they should be alert for bears. Hjorthfjellet is a snoot-capped mountain on the opposite side of Adventfjorden, towering above the airport. The languid North Spitzbergen glaciers can also be seen in the distance.

The expedition ship is waiting to welcome you upon arrival. After a safety presentation, you will be required to participate in a live-boat drill. You can then head out to the decks and toast with champagne as your ship departs civilisation for an adventure.

Your expedition ship moves away at night from the last remnants civilization of Svalbard and enters the wilds of this legendary land. This southern part is triangular in shape and contains the Spitsbergen island and edgeoya, along with countless islets and fjords.

At first, this region may appear to be barren. You'll notice that Svalbard poppies and saxifrages, along with other tundra plants, can withstand harsh conditions. The jewel-like flowers reach out to the weak Arctic Sun. As perfectly camouflaged Sandpipers scramble on the shoreline, tiny calico Snowbuntings soar between crags. The greyish-white boulders that move up the slopes transform into Svalbard's native subspecies. Arctic Foxes, Svalbard’s sole land-based predators, are heralded with a flashing blueish black, and screeches of nearby birds.

Svalbard has a lot of marine life. The Arctic waters are vital for the survival of land animals such as the reindeer, Arctic Foxes and even the Arctic Foxes. Svalbard has an ecosystem that is rich in marine biodiversity. Walruses snuggle together on sandy, flat beaches to keep warm. Belugas form large groups to collect fish, crustaceans and other marine life on the ocean bottom. The baleen whale, however, feeds on small copepods as well as other sea life.

Southern Svalbard is probably the area that was first exploited by humans. Edgeoya was the site of a large-scale industrial slaughtering of walruses and belugas. The first humans on the island (mostly English and Dutch whalers, as well as Russian Pomor whalers), had little regard for conservation, but were more interested in making money. This practice continued well into the 19th century. Svalbard has a law protecting its wildlife, and large areas are designated as National Parks and Nature Reserves.

The exact location of our landing in South Svalbard will be determined by the wind, sea and ice conditions. They can change dramatically from one day to the next, or even year to year. Mother Nature is in charge of human activities this far north. South Spitzbergen is a great place to see the Bellsund, Hornsund fjords with bird colonies perched on high cliffs. Reindeer graze on fertile hillsides while icebergs drift from the large glaciers. You can also visit the bird colonies and the impressive raised shorelines on Edgeoya, to the east.