How Do You Get to Svalbard? Flights from London via Oslo
Our journey started from London flying into Oslo, before an overnight stay and a further flight into the main town on Svalbard – Longyearbyen. Longyearbyen is only a small town with under 3000 residents living there.
Oslo was an added bonus as the schedule had to be changed to allow for Svalbard altering how many flights were allowed to land daily. As it was the quick stop over allowed us to graze the surface of Oslo. A beautiful well kept city with some lovely pastries and coffee culture. It is somewhere we wish to return to for a deeper dive.
Arriving in Longyearbyen: Flying into the Arctic Wilderness
The next day we flew into Longyearbyen. The realisation of the sheer nothingness we were entering hit me as we flew over empty snow topped peaks. Every other snow topped peak I have seen has normally had some skiers on it or a set of chair lifts. It was pristine, peaceful and empty. It’s like something I have not seen since in my travels.
HX Expeditions: My Honest MS Spitsbergen Review
Our home for the next 10 days was MS Spitsbergen a small ship carrying 150 guests. This ship is well appointed with bars, restaurant, hot tub, gym and sauna. It’s very much the destination is the highlight. There are no glitzy shows or casinos. The science centre on board allows for immersion and learning. There was normally a morning and afternoon trip- this could be a landing or a rib trip to investigate say a bird colony. I was never bored and my binoculars became a permanent feature, even with me at dinners. One dinner everyone briefly left to go and watch Finn whales that had appeared between main course and desert, a sort of nature based palette cleanser, if you will.
Onboard Dining, Excursions, and Health Safety at Sea
The food far surpassed my expectations and everyone was watched to ensure they hand washed before any meal. Now that might seem a little keen but a norovirus outbreak given how isolated our location was is something no-one wants and everyone fell in line with a joint understanding of the importance of hygiene at sea.