Monacobreen

Monacobreen descends into Liefdefjorden on the northern coast of Spitsbergen with a calving front around five kilometres across and thirty to forty metres high, blue where fresh ice is exposed and streaked with dark moraine bands. It carries the name of Prince Albert I of Monaco, who mounted several scientific expeditions to Svalbard around 1900 and mapped much of this coast. Ships hold position at a safe distance while ice calves, and the water in front is often thick with brash ice where kittiwakes and glaucous gulls feed on the plankton stirred up at the front. Bearded seals rest on floes nearby, and polar bears are sometimes seen along the shores of the fjord.

What you actually see

• The calving front - a five-kilometre wall of ice dropping into the fjord.
• The blue ice - freshly exposed faces where blocks have broken away.
• The feeding birds - kittiwakes and gulls working the meltwater front.
• The moraine bands - dark rock lines running through the glacier surface.

When to go

June to August, the expedition season; ice conditions determine access to Liefdefjorden and vary year to year. The midnight sun gives light around the clock through this period.

Honest expectations

The glacier can only be reached by expedition ship, at high cost and with no guarantee of getting there. Ships must keep well back from the front because of calving waves, so views are at distance. Fog is common on this coast and can hide the whole face.

Nearby

Magdalenefjorden lies west along the coast; Longyearbyen is the base for voyages.