"Svalbard Archipelago" Top 5 Page for this destination Svalbard by maryellen50

The remarkable islands of the Svalbard archipelago are part of Norway, lying far to the north of the Norwegian mainland and high above the Arctic Circle with an area of about 62,000 square kilometres, about the same size as Ireland in the form of three larger islands, as well as a number of smaller outcrops. Wild and rugged mountains covered with ice and snow jut skyward on the larger islands. Spitsbergen is the capital.

Walrus

I chose Peregrine Adventures for this Artic Circle cruise as I did an Antarctica cruise with them several years ago. This trip visits Moffen Island, the largest walrus sanctuary in the world. Antarctica and Svalbard are two of the ultimate polar destinations of the world.

Birds on shore

Halfway between the mainland of Norway and the North Pole lays the archipelago Svalbard. The name Svalbard means "cold coasts" and was first mention in Icelandic texts in the 12th century. About 60% of Svalbard’s land mass is covered with a huge number of small and large glaciers.

• Pros:Outstanding Wildlife Near the North Pole
• Cons:Expensive to travel there due to remoteness
• In a nutshell:One of those trips of a lifetime to the polar region