Alkefjellet

Alkefjellet is a wall of dark dolerite rising a hundred metres or so from the Hinlopen Strait, its columnar structure forming thousands of narrow ledges, and on those ledges nest around sixty thousand breeding pairs of Brunnich's guillemot, one of the largest colonies in Svalbard. The noise and smell at close range are considerable, and the air is thick with birds moving between the cliff and the sea. Arctic foxes work the base for fallen chicks and eggs, and glaucous gulls patrol above. Zodiacs from expedition ships run along the foot of the cliff, which is the only practical way to see it. The colony is at its most active in July when chicks are being fed.

What you actually see

• The guillemot colony - tens of thousands of pairs on the cliff ledges.
• The dolerite columns - dark columnar rock forming the nesting structure.
• The Arctic foxes - foxes hunting at the base of the cliffs.
• The zodiac passage - small boats running along the cliff foot.

When to go

June to August, the breeding season and the only period ships operate; July is the peak for activity. Ice conditions in the Hinlopen Strait determine whether ships can reach it at all in a given year.

Honest expectations

Access is by expedition cruise only, at significant cost, and the Hinlopen Strait is frequently blocked by ice, so the landing is never guaranteed. Zodiac cruising is cold and wet. The site is a wildlife spectacle rather than a place to walk.

Nearby

The Hinlopen Strait separates Spitsbergen from Nordaustlandet; Longyearbyen is the voyage base.