ArticleSvalbard, Svalbard & Jan Mayen8 min read
Polar Bears, Walrus and Reindeer: Svalbard's Wildlife
What you can expect to see at 78 degrees north
Svalbard has more polar bears than people. How to see wildlife in the High Arctic responsibly, and what each season brings.
Life at the edge
Svalbard lies halfway between mainland Norway and the North Pole, and for four months a year the sun never rises. Yet the archipelago is surprisingly full of life. Around three thousand polar bears roam the Barents Sea region, walrus haul out on gravel beaches in noisy, steaming heaps, and Svalbard's own stocky, short-legged reindeer graze the tundra right outside Longyearbyen's houses.
The best way to see the wildlife is from the water. Small expedition ships carrying fewer than a hundred passengers spend a week or ten days circling the archipelago in summer, landing by Zodiac where conditions allow. Polar bears are seen on most voyages, usually on the pack ice in the north and east, but nothing is guaranteed, and that is exactly what makes a sighting unforgettable.
Shore-based trips from Longyearbyen work well, too, especially in the light winter months of March and April, when snowmobile and dog-sled tours reach the east coast.
What you might see
- Polar bears, mostly on sea ice in the north and east
- Walrus at haul-outs such as Poolepynten and Torellneset
- Svalbard reindeer, all year, often in town
- Arctic foxes, white in winter and brown in summer
- Little auks, puffins and Brünnich's guillemots on the bird cliffs
- Bearded and ringed seals, and beluga and blue whales offshore
The rules
Svalbard
You do not find the bear. The bear finds you, and then decides whether it is interested.An expedition guide in Longyearbyen
Longyearbyen
About this story
Nora NorthwindAuthor
Northwind ToursPublisher
Keep this story
