Svalbard. Do you even know this island by name? Not? Then take a geopolitical world map and look well to the north, almost to the pole. It is actually an archipelago that is located between the Norwegian coasts and the North Pole itself, so it is always cold here.
It's a distant destination but nothing hostile to the visitor so if the cold does not intimidate you and you are thirsty for adventure in some little-known place that will give you indelible memories and postcards, well let's see what to do in Svalbard.
The northern islands
They belong to Norway officially since 1920 and of the group only three are inhabited: Hopen, Bear Island and Spitsbergen which is the main island. They occupy a total of just over 62 thousand square kilometers. There are three thousand inhabitants but little more than two thousand live in Longyearbyen, in Spitsbergen and it is here since where the government works.
The island had among its oldest visitors the fierce Vikings and there are centuries-old writings that perhaps include it under another name or as a reference, but it is in 1596 that Barents, a Dutchman, officially landed there.
The islands then became base of Dutch whaling activity, an activity that had a long history, although on an island also dedicated to mining that today not only Norway operates but companies from all over the world.
If one looks at the islands on the map, one imagines a frozen climate, but in truth in the world there are other much colder areas. In winter the average is -14 ºC and in summer it is rare that it exceeds 6 or 7 ºC. I mean, with those temperatures it's always winter! So, bring warm clothes, a good camera, a laptop to download the hundreds of photos you will take and if not, many memory cards.
Svalbard Tourism
The most common way to get to the islands is By plane and of course the front door is Spitsbergen. If you are not norwegian You must take your passport with you yes or yes well the archipelago is outside the Schengen area. Do not forget it!
There are SAS flights to Longyearbyen every day with a stopover in Tromso. On high season, from March to AugustThere are several flights per day directly from Oslo. The rate varies depending on the day of the week you travel. The direct flight departs from Oslo and arrives after three hours of travel, if you leave from Tromso it is an hour and a half.
On pain of freezing, let's see what wonders the islands have in store for us in summer: expeditions boating hiking, hiking, dog sled rides, fossil hunting, kayaking, horseback riding, snowmobiling, thermal spas, fishing excursions and landscapes of another world. Not bad the offer.
Tours can last hours or days and are done on foot or by kayak. In summer when the days are a bit longer, excursions are organized towards the northwest of Spitsbergen or Prins Karls Forland, areas around Isfjord. Groups are usually organized and you travel with tents for two days. Obviously there are agencies that take care of everything.
On the other hand, the kayak excursions are more extensive, between four and eight days. Areas are known as Dickson- / Eckmansfjorden, Billefjorden, Krossfjorden or Kongsfjorden. The tour operators offer in the package the kayak and the special clothing that is required. You may visit glaciers and kayak among them.
The tours of Hiking include climb mountains (the Trollsteinen, the Troll Rock), get into ice caves (where you can even spend the night), spot wildlife between glaciers and fjords and even the occasional walk through old russian cities (The Russians were quite present on the islands until the '90s, exploiting some mines). If you are calmer cruises are another option.
There are cruises half a day or more days precisely to some Russian settlements, those of Pyramiden and Barentsburg, passing through the beautiful Isfjord Mountains and spectacular glaciers. Mining activity has given birth to many settlements, some still inhabited and others not, so it is about getting to know them.
For example, one that is the gateway to the Arctic is Ny-alesund: Many expeditions left here, including those of Roald Amundsen, the first man to know the two poles.
But does everything have to be done outdoors? It's the idea! You don't know such a place every day. The feeling of being under these skies must be fabulous. Still, if you want something more you can know the Svalbard Museum of natural and cultural history that will allow you to know the wealth of the islands (with its large polar bears and whales, already protected), or the North Pole Expeditions Museum, the church of the capital, the northernmost in the world, or, look at you, the Svalbard Distillery where good and fresh pilsen.
A recommendation: know her Coal Mine 3: the capital of the islands would not be what it is without the mining activity that began in 1906. This mine was exploited by an American named John Munro Longyear (hence the name of the city). A decade later it passed into Norwegian hands, she and others. All except one are closed and from the exploitation of the latter coal is obtained to generate electricity in the city.
To show tourism the rich mining history is that there is a tour of Mine 3, a mine that started production in 1971 and closed in 1996. You will know the equipment that was used, its workshops and you will see everything as it was when the miners left their things and left, never to return.
The tour starts at 9 am and ends at 1 pm. Long, but they pick you up at the hotel and even, if you want, you can go from the mine straight to the airport.
They give you miner's clothes, a headlamp and the right to adventure 300 meters inside the mountain. The tour is in english and norwegian. Another recommendation: try to have free time as at the Longyearbyen Tourist Office they give visitors free bikes. As you can see, this destination in Norway is a wonder for nature lovers. Another option in distant and incredible destinations.