Things I discovered about Svalbard since starting this job. I’ve had the opportunity to learn about some truly incredible places across the Arctic. Before working in Arctic travel, I knew very little about just how many unique destinations exist, including Svalbard.
One that has really fascinated me is Svalbard, which is the most northern settlement. Located between North pole and mainland Norway. Considering the size of Svalbard, it is extremely remote with a population of around 2,500 people.
Being a big animal lover, one of the things that fascinates me most about Svalbard is its incredible wildlife. This place is home to many beautiful creatures like Polar bears, Arctic Foxes, Reindeer, Walruses and so many species of seabirds. (cats are actually prohibited to protect the local birds!!)
Svalbard is also home to the world’s largest seed vault. This vault safeguards duplicates of around 1 million seed samples from almost every country in case there is ever a disaster which wipes out our food supply. The seeds are held in freezing cold conditions in order to preserve them for many years.
Another interesting fact about Svalbard is that they experience Midnight sun & Polar night! This means that during late April to late August the sun will not set. It is constantly light outside no matter the time of day. Whereas, during the months of late October to mid-February, the sun never rises so it is constantly dark which means you can see the Northern lights even at midday!
Svalbard is definitely a bucket list destination and there is so many cool activities you can do whilst visiting there. Some of the things you can do are snowmobiling, ice cave and glacier exploring, boat tours to see incredible wildlife, dog sledding, touring the mines and many more fun activities.
In my opinion, it’s definitely worth a trip!
Photo credit: Hurtigruten Svalbard