Blomstrandhavn

According to sea and weather conditions, Zodiac tenders bring passengers ashore from ships that are anchored or moored nearby.

Svalbard is Norway’s name for the archipelago including Bear Island and Jan Mayen, although it is often called Spitsbergen. Almost the size of the Republic of Ireland, Spitsbergen has 3,500 inhabitants across five settlements and remains largely untouched wilderness.

Only 600 miles from the North Pole, this genuine High Arctic island group features dramatic mountains, extensive tundra, glaciers and ice caps.

Abundant wildlife once drew whalers and trappers. Visitors now come for enormous Arctic seabird colonies and the possibility of viewing and photographing walrus, reindeer, Arctic fox and polar bear.

Blomstrandhamna is a small settlement on the northern shore of Kongs Fjord, an Arctic Ocean inlet extending 16 miles (26 km). It occupies Spitsbergen’s western coast within the Svalbard archipelago.

Shoes should be removed before entering many Svalbard buildings, including selected shops and hotels. In public premises, a conspicuous rack piled with dirty walking boots normally indicates the custom.

The islands use Norwegian krone (NOK), including within Russian communities.

Norwegian is the official language and Russian is used in Barentsburg. Virtually everyone employed in tourism speaks English.

Svalbard has an outstanding internet connection because NASA rents bulk capacity on submarine fibre-optic cables running beneath the sea to mainland Norway for local experiments.

Settlements follow the appropriate Norwegian or Russian public holidays, together with several notable local festivals:

• Polar Jazz runs at the end of January, presenting jazz, blues and bluegrass across 4-5 days.
• Sunfest Week, around March 8th, celebrates the polar night coming to an end.
• The Blues Festival at the end of October marks winter’s approach through a blues-themed event.
• KunstPause Svalbard is an arts festival around 14 November, timed for the beginning of the polar night.