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CAMPING IN THE ARCTIC
Back on the snowmobile the next day , we blast east , past frosted mountains that rise in waves and pyramids , and the flint-blue arm of Grønfjorden . These landscapes have little changed since the last Ice Age , making Svalbard a geologist ’ s fantasy . Its treeless mountains are richly ribboned with strata , and some rocks have been millions of years in the making .
Marte points out an Arctic fox that ’ s swiftly making its way along the fjord ’ s shores , barely visible in its white camouflage coat . “ Most people come to Svalbard for the Northern Lights and snow , but the wildlife you see on Svalbard expeditions is impressive ,” she tells me . “ Arctic foxes , reindeer , polar bears , walruses and rock ptarmigan can be spotted year-round . In the summer , it ’ s whale season — minke , blue and fin whales , humpbacks and belugas .”
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Snowmobiles in Svalbard
Leaving the fox to its business , we speed east , past the lonely Soviet-era coal-mining outpost of Barentsburg , its brutalist architecture contrasting dramatically with the pristine surrounds , and north through snow-sculpted valleys to Longyearbyen , where we fill gas tanks before heading north to an Arctic camp for the night . Here , huskies keep watch and tripwires have been laid to ward off polar bears .
No sooner have we unrolled sleeping bags and eaten a bowl of reindeer stew than the aurora appear , like a wizard waving a great wand across the sky with elaborate flourishes . I get the same excited heart flutter as if observing them for the first time . With a shape-shifting , mind-bending beauty , the Northern Lights are never the same twice . And even in these Arctic wilds , where the odds are high , seeing them still feels like a stroke of luck . Bed is tempting , but there ’ s no way I ’ m missing a second .
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ESSENTIALS
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When to go : Northern Lights season is from late-September to early-March . For the best chances of seeing them , visit during the polar night ( mid-November to January ). Currency : Norwegian krone ( NOK ).
$ 1 = 11 NOK Language : Norwegian . Most people
speak English . Russian is spoken in the coal-mining settlement of Barentsburg . Getting there : Norwegian and SAS
offer direct flights to Longyearbyen from Tromsø ( 1h 35 min ) and Oslo ( 2h 55 min ). Getting around : Beyond the
main settlement of Longyearbyen on Spitsbergen , snowmobiles are the main way of getting around during the winter . Need to know : Download the
My Aurora Forecast & Alerts app for a heads up on Northern Lights activity .
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BOOK IT NOW
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Give yourself multiple opportunities to view the Northern Lights aboard a Norwegian Cruise Line voyage with several stops in Norway and Iceland . Relax in the tranquility of The Haven ’ s Owner ’ s Suite , which features an outdoor hot tub on your private balcony . Norwegian Prima departs Reykjavik , Iceland , on September 26 , 2024 .
CALL US
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To book your trip to Norway , contact our travel agency .
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image : kerrywalker . Illustration : Lis Watkins |
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