With Lucious Blue ice Glaciers, Whales, Polar Bears, Arctic Foxes, Walruses colonies, seals sleeping, reindeers running around; Svalbard is just magical, as if straight out of a fairy tail or a NATGEO Documentary. One of the most beautiful landscapes I have ever witnessed, this place holds a very special place in my heart and I genuinely regret not staying there for a longer time.
Walruses rolling on the ground,
without any worry or frown!
Svalbard is a Norwegian archipelago in the arctic ocean. Two thirds the size of the UK, it is the closest human town to the North pole (650 miles from it). Svalbard has 2100 glaciers and a population of 2400 people and 3500 polar bears. This is one of the reasons why it is dangerous and also illegal to even step out of the comfort of your homes out without a rifle for protection.
The Pyramidon Tour – an experience which is once in a lifetime, going to Svalbard and missing out on it is definitely a crime
Svalbard is known for having polar days and nights, which is why we weren’t surprised when the sun didn’t set even once during our 4 day stay. This made our biological clock go completely haywire. In fact we used to sleep only looking at the time! Good accommodation facilities made us feel warm even in such low temperatures! We booked a two room apartment with a kitchen at the Svalbard Lodge Hotel.
We booked the tourist activities via visitsvalbard.com (early booking is recommended). The place is extremely expensive and so are the activities there but this once in a lifetime experience made it all worth it. We thoroughly enjoyed the Pyramidon Island Tour and Walrus Safari.
An Arctic Fox posing for the cameras…
On our last day there, we went for a walk at 2 am in the morning where we were greeted by an arctic fox, a reindeer and few beautiful birds just outside our lodge. We even spotted a koala like animal which ran away before we could identify it.
The magical glaciers of Svalbard truly beautiful and serene, Looking at them feels like a dream…
A few fun facts about Svalbard:
1. Global Seed Vault is located in Svalbard
2. You can’t be buried in Svalbard as your body wont decompose due to the very low temperatures
3. There are no trees in Svalbard
4. It is an arctic desert with 2100 glaciers and 7 national parks.
Tips:
1. www.visitsvalbard.com has the entire list of activities at Svalbard and you need to book in advance to avoid disappointment.
2. Carry an eye mask when you visit Svalbard for good sleep, its sunlight entire day and can create sleep confusion.
