Guidelines

Chermsideøya

Isflakbukta

Together with six other islands, Phippsøya is the northernmost group of islands in Svalbard. Nothing lies between here and the top of the world. Many have been attracted by this outpost and some have left signs of their visits with their names added to the map. The largest of the Seven Islands is named after Constantine John Phipps, Friedrich Martens and Sir William Parry. Isflakbukta is located on Phippsøya.

Nordre Russøya

This unique Russian Orthodox cross was erected to elicit protection from higher powers, to bring luck in trapping, to mark territories and graves and serve as navigational markers. These large wooden crosses were once raised in numerous places along the coasts of Svalbard, but today only the bases of the crosses remain. The exception are the two crosses still standing in Murchinsonfjorden, the one here at Nordre Russøya and one other at Krossøya.

Eolusneset

London

An enterprising and charming Englishman created a lot of enthusiasm when he claimed to have found an entire island of marble. Money was quickly in place and industrial equipment bought and shipped to Blomstrandhalvøya. The marble was beautiful while left in the ground, but during transportation it crumbled to pieces. The pipe dream was demolished.

Fjortende Julibukta

Signehamna

Weather information can make the difference of a battle lost or won. In World War II German generals realized the value of weather data in the North Atlantic and established weather stations in Svalbard from 1941. In the beautiful surroundings of Signehamna, men overwintered and sent daily weather data to the German military. In 1943, Norwegian forces bombed and burnt the Signehamna station.

Alkhornet / Trygghamna

Gåshamna

During the large Russian Arc of Meridian Expedition in 1899-1900, the scientists were making trigonometric measurements in Gåshamna and made what was considered a sensational discovery of the time. The scientists worked over large areas, measuring the distance between latitudes and determined the earth was flattened at the Poles.

Gnålodden

The female hunter and trapper Wanny Woldstad was tougher than most males. Below the steep and very noisy bird cliff she stayed in one of her hunting cabins. The cabin stands as a monument over toil and self-denial. Her nearest neighbors were the remains of a Russian trapping station and a grave of a 17th century whaler.

Ahlstrandhalvøya

Gåsbergkilen

This place is full of life, but it is also quite sensitive so set your foot gently and pay special attention to the guidelines. Through thousands of years of accumulated guano from the bird cliff, this area developed a thick peat, which is now the bed for very lush plant-life. The bird cliff is full of life all through the summer. Over it flies the glaucous gull, searching for food. Arctic fox are often seen under the cliff in search of prey.

Kobbefjord

The station is located at the end of a fjord called Kangerluarsunnguaq (in Danish: Kobbefjord) which means “The little fjord”.

Ny-Ålesund

Welcome to Ny-Ålesund – a unique, Norwegian research station hosting a large international research community.

Walrus

The sight, sound – and not at least smell of a large group of walrus, is quite impressive.

Seals

There are six species of true seals in the Atlantic Arctic; harbor seal, ringed seal, harp seal, hooded seal, bearded seal and grey seal.

Reindeer

The reindeer, also known as caribou in North America, is a species of deer with circumpolar distribution native to the Arctic, the Subarctic and some alpine areas.

Polar Bear

Polar bears can be encountered in wide-ranging areas of the Arctic. Although most polar bears are born on land, they spend most of their lives on the sea ice.

Cetaceans

Encounters with cetaceans are a common phenomenon in the Arctic and the number of species during the summer is around 15. The variety is great – ranging from the largest animal on the planet, the blue whale, to one of the smallest cetaceans of them all, the harbor porpoise – as well as perhaps the most peculiar of them all, the narwhal.

Birds in the Arctic

Birdlife in the Arctic is diverse yet unique. The large numbers of birds during this period is a distinctive feature, since most bird species only spend the summer in the Arctic.