Sensational Svalbard! 🇳🇴 - Home of the Polar Bear🐻❄️ Arctic Circle ⭕️
… a Norwegian archipelago between mainland Norway and the North Pole. One of the world’s northernmost inhabited areas, it's known for its rugged, remote terrain of glaciers and frozen tundra sheltering polar bears, Svalbard reindeer and Arctic foxes. The Northern Lights are visible during winter, and summer brings the “midnight sun”—sunlight 24 hours a day.
Watch my Svalbard 🐻❄️ video 🎥 muchachos:
…a place where the sun never sets and there are more polar bears than people:
Svalbard 🇳🇴🐻❄️⭕️
is a Norwegian archipelago, located in the Arctic ocean, midway between continental Norway and the North Pole. It’s home to 2,000 people and around 3,000 polar bears and a paradise for the exciting adventures, outdoor activities, and sports.
What to do in Svalbard 🇳🇴
#1 Explore Longyearbyen
The most northerly town, with the most northerly church, most northerly pub and pretty much everything else, is located in the picturesque valley. The colourful houses contrast with the white mountains and the inhabitants come from different parts of the world, and usually, stay for a limited time. Not everyone can cope with 4 months of darkness.
Longyearbyen things to do:
Visit local restaurants and try locally brewed beer in the pubs. Svalbard Bryggeri is the world’s northernmost brewery! It’s quite cool to come out of the bar at 1 am and still see the sun up in the sky.
Do some shopping. All the shopping in Svalbard is tax-free since Svalbard is a duty-free zone. You can bring home everything from polar bear toys to woolen sweaters, that make great Norwegian souvenirs. Alcohol prices are also cheaper than inland Norway, so we brought some delicious local beer with us back to Oslo.
Learn about the region by visiting the most northerly university and museums – the Svalbard Museum and North Pole Expedition Museum.
Visit the most northerly church. Open 24 hours, it has a cosy inside and a great view of the city.
Visit a Coal Mine. Longyearbyen has 7 coal mines, and 6 of them are not working anymore. You can get a tour to go inside of the closed Coal Mine 3 and see how the miners’ job used to look like. In Nybyen, south part of town, you can spot the ruins of the Coal Mine 2, also called a “Santa Claus Mine”. It is believed, that Santa Claus lives there and during Christmas people can leave the letters in the postbox nearby. The mine is currently closed, but you can see it from the outside, and maybe see the elves preparing gifts for the next holiday season.
Remember, that you can’t leave the town without the polar bear protection. You will notice the signs with a polar bear, that mark the polar bear zone. The accidents involving polar bears happen from time to time, even close to town, so you need to be careful.
#2 Visit places just outside of Longyearbyen
You can visit those places either with a taxi, with a rented car or with some kind of polar bear protection.
Advent valley – beautiful valley, that leads in the direction of the Svalbard East Coast. Here is the picturesque location of the polar bear sign, which is a must photo stop for tourists.
Global Seed Vault – Svalbard is home to the world’s largest secure seed storage. The seeds from around the world are kept here for safety in case of global disasters. It is not possible to enter the Vault, but you can see the entrance to it, which is an illuminated artwork called “Perpetual repercussion” made by the Norwegian artist. The Vault is located just next to the airport, on top of the hill.
The hill with the Northern Lights Observatory and the active coal mine 7 – the view from the hill stretches to the Advent Valley, Longyearbyen in the distance and the mountains around. The Observatory is not accessible for tourists.
#3 Take the Svalbard snowmobile tour! 🏍❄️
Snowmobiles are the most popular transportation option in Svalbard during winter. Everything is covered in snow and ice, even the sea is frozen, so you can cover big distances on snowmobiles. Snowmobile adventure is also the best way to see the Svalbard polar bear (if you are lucky!). In Longyearbyen, you can even see the snowmobile road signs, to warn the drivers about the snow machines frequently crossing the roads.
Some of the snowmobile tours worth doing are a trip to abandoned town Pyramiden, Svea mining community, Barentsburg, Ijen Radio, Templefjord, and Fjordnibba mountain, or, in my opinion, the best one from them all: Svalbard East Coast circuit - the longest snowmobile tour, as it takes around 10-12h and covers 100-200 km, but it’s amazing!
#4 Go skiing ⛷
Norwegians love skiing, so it’s not a surprise that you will see many skiers all around Svalbard. It’s a breathtaking experience to explore the wild nature of Svalbard on skis, however, always remember to be cautious of the polar bears and carry the necessary protection.
#5 Explore the ice caves
There are several ice caves located in the glaciers near Longyearbyen and further. You can go under tons of ice and explore the frozen corridors.
#6 Go for a hike
Svalbard is covered with numerous hills, that provide amazing views to the surrounding areas. Longyearbyen also lies in between the mountains, that can easily be climbed. Polar bear protection, winter equipment, and experience or a guide are needed!
