Norway's Svalbard

Polar bears outnumber people in an archipelago where glaciers calve icebergs the size of city blocks and summer sun never sets. Svalbard floats between Norway and the North Pole, a frozen laboratory where scientists study climate change while Arctic foxes change from winter white to summer brown. Here, carrying rifles is mandatory - not for sport but survival in the realm of the ice bear. Bearded seals surface through breathing holes while walruses haul out in thousands on rocky beaches. Millions of little auks nest on cliffs, their chattering overwhelming the Arctic silence. Reindeer unique to these islands browse tundra flowers during the brief Arctic summer when purple saxifrage carpets the permafrost. Strict regulations govern every human activity - no picking flowers, no approaching wildlife, no venturing out without guides who know how to read polar bear tracks. Research stations monitor everything from glacier retreat to mercury in Arctic foxes. Tourism operates under perhaps the world's strictest environmental rules, ensuring this frozen wilderness remains a sanctuary for creatures adapted to earth's extremes.

Water Features

Arctic Ocean, fjords, glaciers

Ecosystem

This destination features a polar & tundra ecosystem.