Posted on February 13th, 2018.
After the flight into Longyear airport, and a quick lunch at the Basecamp Hotel in the centre of Longyearbyen, we were soon off again on the open boat from the harbour to the Nordenskiold Lodge; the northernmost cabin in the Svalbard archipelago. The scenic journey showcased some of the best the Arctic has to offer, with whales gliding through the water and birds skimming the icy water, and we spent much of the journey with our eyes peeled for Polar bears. The Nordenskiold Lodge is heated by wood and obtains its water from the neighbouring glacier. The restaurant boasted dinnertime views in front of this glacier, which was a picturesque way to end the first day in Norway.
The glacier that we could see from our dinner table was the location of the next day’s adventure. After the necessary and comforting safety guidelines, we walked to the enormous Nordenskiold glacier from the Lodge, and spent the rest of the day exploring it. We learnt how to use the equipment, scale the icy blue surfaces, and even ate our lunch atop the glacier looking over the scenic view. Back at the lodge, dinner and drinks awaited and afterwards we warmed up in the heavenly Finnish sauna, before heading to bed ahead of the next day’s activities.
For our final day in Nordenskiold, we were given the option of a hike to the glacier or to the moraine shore, which had views of the glacier and a plethora of Arctic wildlife surrounding it. On the boat safari back to Longyearbyen, we stopped in the Russian settlement, Pyramiden, which was abandoned in 1988 and has since been reopened as a tourist attraction. After settling back into the Basecamp Hotel we dined at a local restaurant where we ate a fusion of new Nordic and traditional Arctic cuisine.
On the final day, before being taken back to the airport, we were given a whistle-stop tour of the town of Longyearbyen. We visited the Trapper’s Station where the Alaskan Huskies live and are trained for mushing, and where the historical artefacts and buildings that belonged to previous Trappers in Spitsbergen are housed. A trip would not be complete without buying some local wares, and the shops and boutiques in Longyearbyen offer some that are too good to pass up.
By Birthe Nielsen/edited by Emilie Ozols
This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 13th, 2018 at 2:52 pm; on the subject of Nordic, Norway, Scandinavia, Svalbard, Trip Reports.