Spitsbergen is the largest of the islands belonging to the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard. It is located beyond the Arctic Circle and the polar night reigns here for three months. The island is visited primarily by people looking for wildlife, looking for the possibility of observing the northern lights and lovers of skiing trips.
The island is almost deserted. Larger towns are scattered mainly along the coast. These include Longyearbyen as the capital city and the main tourist destination, Barentsburg and Sveagruva. Therefore, the tourist infrastructure here is small, and people deciding to go there must be aware of the strict and fairly simple conditions.
Nevertheless, more and more tourists come to Spitsbergen every year. They have at their disposal numerous possibilities of spending time actively. In summer, you can go hiking, quad biking, and swimming in the fjords and coastal waters. On the other hand, early spring is a perfect time for lovers of long ski trips and snowmobiles. Coming to the island in winter is a challenge for the toughest, because it is dark here continuously for several months. But then, as well as in early spring and late autumn, there is the best chance to see the northern lights.
Huge stretches of Spitsbergen are protected by national parks. There are six of them here and they cover uninhabited, rugged terrain of glaciers, mountains with glacial valleys, and coasts cut by fjords and bays. These are Sassen-Bünsow Land National Park, Northwest Spitsbergen National Park, Nordenskjold-Land National Park, Wijdefjorden National Park, North Isfjord National Park, Sør-Spitsbergen National Park.
During field trips, you can see herds of grazing reindeer. Polar bears, with about 5,000 living here, are also not uncommon. For this reason, people who go on trips outside the town must be equipped with weapons, which are borrowed in Longyearbyen on the basis of appropriate permits.
