Lomfjord

Depending on conditions, ships moor or anchor here and passengers are brought to the shoreline by Zodiac tender.

Svalbard is the Norwegian name for this archipelago, including Bear Island and Jan Mayen, although it is commonly called Spitsbergen. Nearly as large as the Republic of Ireland, Spitsbergen has a population of 3,500 across five settlements and remains almost entirely unspoilt wilderness.

This is a true High Arctic archipelago, shaped by rugged mountains, broad tundra, ice caps and glaciers, only 600 miles from the North Pole.

Whalers and trappers were once drawn by its abundant wildlife. Today, discerning visitors come for the immense Arctic seabird colonies and opportunities to see and photograph Walrus, Reindeer, Arctic Fox and, of course, Polar Bear.

In most Svalbard buildings, including certain hotels and shops, visitors are expected to remove their shoes before going inside. Public buildings make this clear, with a shoe rack of muddy walking boots prominent at the entrance.

The Norwegian krone (NOK) is the currency throughout, including in the Russian settlements.

Norwegian is the official language and Russian is also spoken in Barentsburg. Almost everyone working in tourism speaks English.

Svalbard has excellent internet connections because NASA rents bulk capacity on undersea fiber-optic cables laid along the seabed to mainland Norway for its Svalbard experiments.

Norwegian and Russian public holidays are observed in their respective settlements, alongside several local festivals of interest:

• Polar Jazz: end of January, a 4-5 day jazz, blues and bluegrass festival.
• Sunfest Week falls around March 8th, celebrating the end of the polar night.
• The Blues Festival comes at the end of October, marking winter's approach in suitably blues-themed fashion.
• KunstPause Svalbard is held around 14 November, an arts festival aligned with the start of the polar night.