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Svalbard

The high-Arctic archipelago of polar bears and glaciers — Longyearbyen, the northernmost town, and the gateway to the pack ice.
Getting there
Fly into Longyearbyen (LYR) from Oslo or Tromsø; the base for land trips and expedition cruises
Best for
Polar bears, glaciers and pack ice, expedition cruises, snowmobiling, polar night and midnight sun
The land
A remote high-Arctic archipelago of glaciers, fjords and tundra, far north of the mainland
Good to know
Outside Longyearbyen, travel requires polar-bear protection and a guide; cruises are the way to the wild coast
What it is
Svalbard is the high Arctic made reachable — an archipelago of glaciers and pack ice where polar bears roam, based from Longyearbyen, the world's northernmost town.
Halfway to the North Pole, Svalbard is one of the few places on earth to see wild polar bears, along with walrus, Arctic fox and Svalbard reindeer amid glaciers and ice-choked fjords. Longyearbyen is the base for snowmobile trips, dog-sledding and the polar night or midnight sun — and the embarkation point for the expedition cruises that reach the wild coast and the bears.
PhotoSvalbard — high arctic.
The reason to come

Polar bears and pack ice

Svalbard is the accessible high Arctic — wildlife, glaciers and ice at the top of the world.

Polar bears

One of the few places on earth to see wild polar bears, mainly by ship.

Glaciers & pack ice

Ice-choked fjords, calving glaciers and the drifting polar pack.

Longyearbyen base

Snowmobiling, dog-sledding, and the polar night or midnight sun.

Worth knowing

Wild polar bears

Svalbard is among the very few places on earth where you can see polar bears in the wild — the icon of the high Arctic.
PhotoA polar bear on the pack ice off Svalbard.
When to come — honestly

A high-Arctic, seasonal wilderness.

June – September
Best
The expedition-cruise and polar-bear season, with the midnight sun and open water.
March – May
Best
Bright, snowy spring — snowmobiling and dog-sledding from Longyearbyen.
October – February
Good
The polar night, with aurora overhead and limited daylight.
Beyond Longyearbyen, polar bears make an armed guide mandatory; the wild coast and the bears are reached chiefly by expedition cruise in summer.
Context

The accessible high Arctic

Svalbard brings the high Arctic — polar bears, glaciers and pack ice — within reach by scheduled flight and expedition ship.

It is both a land base at Longyearbyen and the embarkation point for the Spitsbergen cruises.

We run Svalbard as a Longyearbyen land base and as the launch point for the polar-bear expedition cruises, on which the small expedition ship is your accommodation and base camp.

Beyond the obvious

More to Svalbard.

PhotoPolar-bear watching

Polar-bear watching

From an expedition ship along the coast.

PhotoGlacier fjords

Glacier fjords

Ice and calving glaciers by boat or snowmobile.

PhotoLongyearbyen

Longyearbyen

Dog-sledding and the polar light.

PhotoAboard the expedition ship

Aboard the expedition ship

Beyond Longyearbyen the wild coast is reached only by small expedition ship — your floating base for zodiac landings and wildlife watches.

Why Wild Voyager

We build for the aurora and the weather.

From Tromsø's whales to the fjords and the polar bears of Svalbard, we time the season, watch the forecasts and handle the Arctic logistics.

Handpicked stays

We choose the lodge, cabin or expedition ship that fits your dates and group.

We time it right

We build your visit around the season, the ice and the aurora windows that deliver.

Where to stay

Where you’ll stay in Svalbard

Signature Collection
Luxury Collection
Classic Collection

Plan your Svalbard journey.

Seek polar bears, glaciers and the high-Arctic light. Tell us your dates and we will build the route around it.

Plan a Svalbard trip

Field notes, now and then.

Where to go · When to go · Wildlife in season

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