The Fjords and Glaciers of Svalbard

Beyond Longyearbyen unfolds one of the most spectacular and pristine wildernesses on earth, the fjords and glaciers of Svalbard. Deep Arctic fjords cut into the mountainous islands, their steel-blue waters often dotted with drifting ice, and into them tumble immense glaciers, vast rivers of blue-white ice that calve thunderously into the sea. Jagged snow-clad peaks, tundra plains and a startling clarity of light complete a landscape of raw, elemental beauty. Explored by boat in the ice-free summer months, this frozen realm is home to remarkable Arctic wildlife, and to glide beneath towering glacier fronts amid the silence of the far north is one of the great wilderness experiences the planet can offer.

What you actually see

• The glacier fronts - the vast walls of blue ice meeting the sea.
• The Arctic fjords - the deep steel-blue waters and drifting ice.
• The calving ice - the thunderous fall of ice into the sea.
• The polar peaks - the jagged snow-clad mountains.

When to go

June to September, the brief Arctic summer under the midnight sun, is the season for boat expeditions when the fjords are largely ice-free, glaciers calve and wildlife is active; the rest of the year is dominated by ice, cold and, in winter, total darkness. Summer offers near-endless daylight for exploring.

Honest expectations

Svalbard's fjords and glaciers are reached only by organised boat expeditions with guides, weather-dependent and requiring warm gear, so they demand planning and are best in the short summer window. As a majestic, pristine polar wilderness of blue glaciers calving into Arctic fjords beneath jagged peaks, though, they offer one of the most spectacular and elemental experiences on earth.

Nearby

The town of Longyearbyen and the wildlife of Spitsbergen lie around the fjords.