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Svalbard, White Sea, Franz Joseph Land, 2011
Svalbard is an archipelago in the Arctic that constitutes the northernmost part of Norway. It is located about 400 miles north of mainland Europe, midway between mainland Norway and the North Pole. Franz Joseph Land is a group of Russian Islands east of Svalbard and has a total visitor count of about 600 annually including researchers. Svalbard has permanent settlement and about 25,000 visitors/year.
The archipelago features an Arctic climate, although with significantly higher temperatures than other areas at the same latitude. |
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The archipelago features an Arctic climate, although with significantly higher temperatures than other areas at the same latitude.
The flora take advantage of the long period of midnight sun to compensate for the polar night. Svalbard is a breeding ground for many seabirds, and also features polar bears, reindeer and marine mammals. |
The flora take advantage of the long period of midnight sun to compensate for the polar night. Svalbard is a breeding ground for many seabirds, and also features polar bears, reindeer and marine mammals.
If you are only interested in polar bears then click on this video. All of this footage was taken aboard the National Geographic Explorer (a Lindblad Expeditions ship) the summer of 2011. Some of the bears were in Svalbard and some were in Franz Joseph Land. The ships captain is a master in approaching and positioning the ship. Some approaches would take an hour and would leave the bears curious rather than frightened. The passengers with Lindblad are also knowledgeable and remain totally quiet. No talking or clanking of gear to shorten the experience for all. |
Svalbard and Franz Joseph Land photos
Antarctica and Argentina, 2010
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Prior to our Lindblad trip to South Georgia and the Falkland Islands we went several days early to Buenos Aires and then down to Peninsula Valdes. The two of us with a guide and a naturalist had several magical days viewing the souther right whales and their calves as well as the other flora and fauna of this incredible place.
We had some unheard of perfect weather for kayaking with them. It is also one of the best places in the world to whale watch from shore as you will see. The video below is a composite of 3 trips to South Georgia, the Falkland Islands and the Antarctic peninsula. There is also some footage of the Peninsula Valdes in Argentina where we kayaked with the Southern Right Whales. |
