Alkhornet

Alkhornet stands at the mouth of Isfjorden as a blunt pyramid of rock, and the seabirds nesting on its faces, guillemots and kittiwakes in their tens of thousands, fertilise the slope beneath so heavily that it turns green in a country where most ground is gravel. Svalbard reindeer graze that slope and arctic foxes work the base of the cliff for fallen chicks. Boats land in Trygghamna below.

Background

Alkhornet is a mountain 428 m high on Spitsbergen's west coast. Spitsbergen is the largest island of the Svalbard archipelago. The mountain rises in the south of Oscar II Land, where the north shore meets the mouth of Isfjorden, close to the bay of Trygghamna. Its cliffs are made of metamorphosed carbonate rock more than a billion years old. BirdLife International lists the mountain as an Important Bird Area because the cliffs hold about 10,000 breeding pairs of seabirds. Nutrients from the colonies feed the moss tundra below, which grows lush in places. Geese nest on it, and Arctic foxes make their dens there.

Source: Wikipedia, "Alkhornet"

What you'll find

• The bird cliff - guillemots and kittiwakes nesting in their tens of thousands.
• The green slope - tundra fertilised by the colony above, unusually lush for Svalbard.
• The reindeer - Svalbard reindeer grazing the enriched ground.
• The arctic foxes - the animals working the cliff base for fallen chicks.

When to go

June to August is the seabird season and the reason to come. The colony empties by late summer. Landings depend on swell in the fjord mouth.

Good to know

Landing depends on conditions at the fjord mouth, which is more exposed than the inner arms. Polar bear watch is required ashore. The colony is gone by September.

Nearby

Isfjorden runs east, and Longyearbyen is at its head.

Key facts