Five speciesof tree
grow inSvalbard,
but they areonly a
fewcentimetres in
height.
Arctic ternshold the
migration record for
birds - theyflyup
to40,000km from
breeding grounds in
Svalbard towinter in
theAntarctic.
Polar bears can swim
100km, surviveup to
eightmonthswithout
foodand liveup to
25 years. They’re also
loners.
ThoughBeluga
whales areknownas
thecanariesof the
seabecauseof the
song-likenoise they
make, they’re silent
inSvalbard. Noone
knowswhy.
Svalbard isone
of threeplaces in
theworldwhere
eider duckdown is
collected and sold.
There arenearly450
speciesof lichen,
moss and fungi on
Svalbard; some grow
only 1cmevery 100
yearswhilecertain
speciesof lichencan
live for up to5,000
years.
MS FRAM
Svalbard isbigger thanDenmark,Hollandor
Switzerland, and ifyouwant tosee itall (justabout),
acruise is theonlyway todo it.TheHurtigruten’s
MSFram
wascompleted in2007anddesigned
specifically forpolarwaters. It’sgot 128roomy
cabins, asmart Italian-designed interior,outdoor
Jacuzzion the topdeckandanear-limitlesssupply
ofPrinceofNorwaycocktails (arefreshingmix
ofvodka, limeandapricotbrandy). Ifyoureally
wanted,youcouldspenda leisurelyninedays
onboard, sipping libations interruptedonlyby the
odd tannoyannouncementofaFinnwhale,polar
bearorwalrussighting.
Ofcourse, it’sa lotmore than that.Wewent in
August,on the“InTheRealmof thePolarBear” trip,
which travels thewestcoastofSpitsbergen, taking
ineverything fromvisiting theeeriegravesof 17th-
centurywhalers tocrossing the80thparallel, aswell
asstops inLongyearbyenand theRussianmining
townofBarentsburg.Youcanhikeuporkayak toa
glacier, join theship’sofficersfishing forsupperor
sleepondeckunder theArcticsky.
Whatmade it foruswas thecrack teamofonboard
ornithologists/zoologists/geologists/historians/
guides,who take timeoff theirresearchschedules
tobring thearchipelagoalive– from400-year-old
human traces tocliffsandrocks thatcanbe1.8
millionyearsold. Itwasagreat learningexperience
asmuchasanalmighty tickoff thebucket list.
spitsbergentravel.com
Swimming
MAGDALENAFJORD
Of all theplacesyoucanvisiton the
MSFram
,
Bellsundon thewestcoastmightbe the
strangest.Awhalingstationsince theearly
17thcentury, todayyoucansee thebones
of around550Belugawhales,mostdating
back to the 1930s. In thesummer, thewhales
wouldcome into thebay in schools,only
tobecaptured innetsattached to rowing
boats, thenshotor lanced. The remainsare
protected, andmaynotbe touchedormoved.
If you fancy ice-swimming, there are
fewmorebeautiful places todo it than
the shelteredMagdalenafjord, anold
whale andwalrus hunting ground– a
crewmember in abalaclavawillmeet
youwith a towel and a certificate...
Thebones
BELLSUND
Onboard
lessons
N
sawhumpbackand
finwhales, pluspolar
bears, cubs,walruses
andmore from the
MSFram
Theship
n
/073
