Svalbard, near the top of the world, near the arctic, is an exotic place to visit. A territory of Norway, I believe it is self-governing.
There are not many residents, much less tourists, which makes for a more conducive place to visit.
There are not many residents, much less tourists, which makes for a more conducive place to visit.
The lonely roads of Longyearbyen. Outside the small town centre, the roads are often deserted with the occasional vehicles and tourists wandering about.
Land of polar bears. It is said that there are more polar bears than people here. Fortunately, the polar bears didn't wander into town looking for food :)
Longyearbyen, and Svalbard in general, is surrounded by beautiful, snow-capped mountains in all directions.
I allowed myself one and a half days in Svalbard. By the time I landed in Longyearbyen, it was about 2pm. I spent the rest of that day wandering around Longyearbyen town centre and souvenir shopping.
On the second day, I have pre-booked a tour by ferry to visit the glacier and Pyramiden. The full day tour is expensive but well worth it.
A guide picks up all the tourists in a bus in various Longyearbyen accommodations for transfer to the waiting ferry.
Endless views of snow-capped mountains on the ferry.
Glacier ! This ferry also serves as an ice-breaker, breaking through the sheets of ice on the sea to get close to the glacier.
A delicious barbeque lunch is served on board the ferry. Second and more helpings are very much encouraged. The whale meat is especially unique to me!
Soon, the ferry reached Pyramiden. I alighted from the ferry and transferred onto a waiting bus to get into 'town'. Pyramiden is actually an abandoned Russian mining town. There are not many residents and there is a hotel though.
There is another Russian guide who explains the various structures in Pyramiden.
The mostly walking tour in Pyramiden took up about 2 hours, ending at the hotel with a bar and a souvenir shop, where I had a short rest.
After that, it is straight onto the waiting bus right outside the hotel back to the ferry, then back to Longyearbyen, then onto another bus to the accommodation.
I booked myself a night at the Guesthouse 102, located toward the end of the Longyearbyen, as it has the lowest rates for the day I'm there. It turns out to be a great accommodation. I shall do a separate review of this guesthouse in a subsequent post.
Svalbard is an exotic place that is really worth a visit at least once in a lifetime. June is a good time to go as it's "summer". The weather is still close to freezing, due to the icy winds. But the longer daylight hours allows me to enjoy the scenery for a longer time !
